This Friday, at the Mendel 2022 festival, Filharmonie Brno will play Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass and the world premiere of a piece composed by Armenian composer Tigran Mansurian, commissioned specially for the orchestra and the festival. Mansurian will be present for the first performance of his work, entitled Orhnerg – Navapet Bari (Hymn – The Good Captain). Photo credit: Filharmonie Brno
Brno, July 21 (BD) – The concert will take place on Friday, 22 July at 7pm in the Old Brno Basilica under the baton of Principal Conductor Dennis Russell Davies. Due to the expected high demand, it will be streamed live to the main stage outside the Basilica, on social media, and also broadcast live on Czech Radio Vltava.
“Streaming concerts outdoors is a common thing around the world, and we are one of the first to try it here. We know from experience and feedback that outdoor listeners always praise the atmosphere a lot, some of them treat the concert like a picnic, they take umbrellas, blankets and wine. Of course, we guarantee top quality sound and visuals, which we also guarantee here in Brno,” said Matěj Hollan from the Mendel Festival organizing team.
At the beginning of the concert Mansurian’s Hymn will be performed. Mansurian wrote the piece knowing that it would be sung in the basilica he visited, whose atmosphere had a strong impact on him. “I love Janáček’s work, all of it. It is a great honor for me that the Hymn will be heard in the place where he played the organ. Likewise, it is a great honor to pay tribute to Mendel. I am impressed by his life and work – his commitment to faith and science, his tenacity,” said Mansurian.
When composing, he considered that his Hymn would be performed before the Glagolitic Mass, as it is Leoš Janáček’s most fundamental spiritual work. “It is powerful, full of dynamism. That’s why I went in the opposite direction, the quiet, introspective direction. I chose two hymns by Armenian clerics from the 5th century and set them to music for soloists, choir and small orchestra. I chose a form that is modest, ascetic, with an emphasis on the values that humanity has experienced for centuries, sometimes in the limelight, sometimes on the margins,” Mansurian added.
Admission to the concert is free, but guests must book a ticket in advance, which can be purchased online at the Filharmonie Brno website www.filharmonie-brno.cz. Alternatively, you can watch the concert outside the basilica or livestream it on the festival’s Facebook profile. The concert, which takes place under the auspices of the Armenian Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Ashot Hovakimian, will also be broadcast live by Czech Radio Vltava.
Brno Daily provides media support to Filharmonie Brno.
