Although the Janáček Festival provides some of the highlights from opera, symphonic and chamber music, there is also the chance to hear some wonderful jazz which has been inspired by the work of Janáček. Tales from My Diary by the Polajka-Nikolaj Nikitin Ensemble with Miroslav Vitouš relates directly to Janáček’s piano and quartet music. We can occasionally hear a segment from Janáček in the sophisticated jazz music, which then leads on to the process of improvisation. It’s an impressive, fluid jam session and the jazz players take full advantage of the Janáček montage and propel it forwards into a jazz synthesis.
The Didrik Ingvalden Orchestra has a similar approach, albeit with more instruments at its disposal. Ingvalden has been joined by Central European musicians in an ensemble which might already be termed an “orchestra” – there are almost ten musicians who use Janáček’s themes and ideas in a jazz stream. That which is most essential from Janáček – this means a montage of chords replacing harmony to the background of an unconventional rhythmical and reductionist sound palette – is always a great challenge and one which jazz players will enthusiastically rise to.
And so since the 1970s, when Emerson, Lake and Palmer first used themes from the Sinfonietta in their composition Knife Edge, jazz has continued to be inspired by Janáček. Which can only be a good thing...
