Moravian Autumn, organised by the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra, has long been one of the most important musical events of the autumn season. For the third time it also included the student project New World of Moravian Autumn – living proof that the connection between academia and professional practice can yield stimulating and deeply artistic results. This project, which originated at JAMU as an experiment within the course in practical dramaturgy, has evolved into a fully-fledged and respected part of the festival programme over the past few years.
This year’s team — Filip Gargulák, Vendula Vrbová and Anežka Nováková — followed their predecessors with both courage and sensitivity. They presented a programme unafraid to seek out new forms of sound, structure and expression. Under the pedagogical guidance of Pavel Šindelář (JAMU) and Vítězslav Mikeš (Moravian Autumn), the Concert of Young Composers resounded at the Theatre on Orlí, with works that once again open the question of what a “new world” in music means today.
Matúš Babka – Novum ver
The evening opened with a piece by Matúš Babka, a young composer from Martin who is currently studying composition at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava under the supervision of Professor Evgeni Irshai. Inspired by the idea of spring as an annual "new world", Babka's work draws on a deep personal spirituality. The reference to Bach’s dictum about “God’s glory and the refreshment of the soul” does not sound like a cliché here – more like a quiet motto for a piece in which meditative stillness meets the joyful motion of awakening nature.
Under conductor Šnajdr, the opening of the work unfolded in a contemplative spirit. A mute on the bassoon lent the sound a special intimacy and duskiness that gradually developed into gently layered wind textures. The music was built on repetitive motifs and a tonal foundation with chromatic variations, creating the impression of slow breathing, meditative flow and inner tension. In the second part the piece brightened: the pentatonic scale came to the fore, light and melodic, almost playful, with small imitations between the individual instruments. It was as if echoes of something long familiar were imprinted in sound – fragments of the past returning in a new guise. The climax brought a long unison note in which the music seemed to stand still, dissolve and breathe again – a symbol of return and renewal to which the composer alludes in his poetic note. Overall, Babka’s work felt like a delicate yet considered musical meditation on time, growth and rebirth – exactly the kind one might imagine under the banner of a festival carrying the words new world.
Stanislav Plyaka - No permanence is ours, we are a wave (A reflection of "The Glass Bead Game" by Hermann Hesse)
The second piece of the evening presented the work of young composer Stanislav Plyaka (*2006), who is currently studying composition at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava. The very title — No permanence is ours, we are a wave — signals mutability, fluidity and transience, which are also the piece’s basic expressive principles. Plyaka's composition is inspired by Hesse's novel The Glass Bead Game, in which spiritual quest, intellectual play and the bridging of science and art meet. The musical language of the work can be characterised as modern, subtle and introspective. Plyaka works at the boundary of sound and silence, tone and rustle – flute and clarinet often cross beyond traditional tone production to become sources of breath, whispering or a gentle “tickle”. The strings develop the sonic matter through harmonics, frullati, sliding transitions and taps on the cello fingerboard, creating the impression of skittish, shifting planes that appear and vanish like waves. One interesting element is the electric guitar, which is not distracting but surprisingly subtle within the chamber ensemble. It brings chordal stability and moments of repetitive tremolo that work as a delicate pulse within the sonic texture. Although its sound is distinct, it does not overpower the other instruments, but joins the ensemble’s shared breath with sensitivity. The overall impression of the piece is very intimate, concentrated and contemplative. Plyaka does not strive to dazzle with effect, but rather to draw the listener into a world of fragile nuances where every sound is the outcome of deep attention. The piece seems to constantly teeter on the edge of audibility - a "suspended tone", a long delay or silence between breathsacquires equal weight to the tone itself.
Ľuboš Gabčo - Concertino for clarinet, violin, cello and piano
The third piece of the evening, Concertino by Ľuboš Gabčo, presented a contrast to the previous subtlety of Stanislav Plyaka. Gabčo – a composer, conductor and singer with a deep affinity for sacred music – here offered a work that combines respect for tradition with modern musical thinking. In his own words: "the fusion of tradition and modernity is the main idea of the whole piece" - and this synthesis was evident on every level.
The opening was captivating with a moving piano run that opened up space for long, shifting string tones from which there gradually emerged a contrasting dialogue between staccato clarinet and piano. Gradually, a rich polyphonic structure was formed from the individual lines, at the centre of which is a fugato - first presented by the cello, gradually joined by the clarinet, violin and finally the piano. This polyphonic work, while firmly rooted in tradition, was at the same time imbued with modern rhythmic suppleness and harmonic colour. The piece felt like a living organism, transforming from a horizontal, flowing texture to vertical, chordal planes. This process was smooth yet unpredictable – several times the flow was surprisingly interrupted, after which the music unfolded afresh into another polyphonic layer. Everything led to a dynamic climax that resolved into a brief, marked hush and then into a closing Grave, where piano and strings met in chordal, darker harmonies. Here Gabčo showed not only compositional skill and formal assurance, but also a sense for the architecture of tension and release. His Concertino is a work that honours the classical discipline of counterpoint while acknowledging its kinship with today’s musical language – a language in which tradition is not a relic but a source of inspiration. The interpretation was precise, lively and technically admirable. The pianist handled the extensive part with brilliance and sensitivity, the clarinet brought light and agility to the whole, while the strings supplied substance and chromatic depth. The result was a balanced, structured, but at the same time emotional whole, which confirmed that Gabčo is one of those authors who can conduct a dialogue between the past and the present without losing authenticity.
Tereza Jaďuďová - 5 Preludes from Danzig for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, 2 violins, viola and cello
The fourth piece of the evening by young Slovak composer Tereza Jaďuďová (*2001) offered a poetic yet structured cycle. Originally written as a set of piano miniatures during the composer’s stay in Gdańsk, it was later reworked into a chamber version for mixed octet. However, the new instrumentation is not a mere transcription - rather a rediscovery of the material from a different sonic perspective, with richer timbres and an emphasis on chamber clarity.
Each of the five preludes presents a separate mood picture, which together create a coherent dramatic arc - from subtly obscured textures to energetic rhythmic flashes.
The first prelude worked with contrasts of density and clarity, with subtle crescendos and decrescendos in which the instrumental lines overlapped in a kind of organised confusion. The second was distinctly polyphonic - the wind instruments exchanged runs, while the strings formed the harmonic backdrop. In the third prelude, melodic wind instruments took the lead, their lines swathed in soft string surfaces, sometimes with a touch of romantic lyricism. The fourth prelude was more introspective: the chordal triple voices, gentle oboe and flute ascents, and a final dissonant plane created a powerful, almost metaphysical impression. The final, fifth prelude brought release - with ostinato figures, rhythmic playfulness, pizzicatos and heavy cello runs carrying the harmonic line. Here, Jaďuďová showed an exceptional ear for colour and proportion. The music is both precise and spontaneous, logically constructed yet breathing with freedom. The composer knows how to draw tension from detail - a small dynamic gesture or colour change always has meaning and expressive value. Although an intimate work, its emotional reach is surprisingly broad: between the calm of the northern sea and the inner restlessness of the soul. The ensemble (players of the Brno Contemporary Orchestra) delivered an exceptionally focused, technically assured and sonically cultivated performance. Each instrument had its own space and role, yet everything worked as an organic whole - precisely in the spirit of the composer’s notion of “diary entries” from Gdańsk.
Samuel Čamák - Wilkie for flute, clarinet, vibraphone, piano, 2 violins, viola and cello
Wilkie, by young Slovak composer Samuel Čamák (*2003) is an exceptionally focused contribution to the contemporary chamber repertoire. The composer addresses the experience of people suffering from Wilkie’s syndrome, a rare disease affecting the digestive system, translating it into a musical metaphor of physical and psychological transformation – a transition from ordinary reality to an existence marked by bodily limitation and pain. This idea is clearly present in the work’s very construction and sonic language.
From a formal point of view, it is an organically developed structure, whose dramaturgy relies on gradual changes of texture and micro-gradations rather than on traditional stark contrasts. The compositional design is founded on sonic evolution – from latent, rustling gestures to full clusters and resonances that then dissolve again into silence. Čamák deploys a broad palette of extended techniques: piano clusters and taps on the frame and strings, wind frullati, strings col legno tratto, and vibraphone played with a bow to create a characteristic spectral colour. The musical material is controlled with remarkable precision in the handling of dynamics and textural density. It gives the impression of organised chaos in which individual lines clash, overlap and gradually align into a shared pulse. This multilayered texture functions both structurally and symbolically – reflecting fragmentation and the renewed search for balance. In the central section the piece builds through the layering of rhythmic and spectral elements to a short climax of collective pizzicato on the strings. The ensuing closing sequence brings calm – a transition from tension to acceptance, from restlessness to silence. What shone through most in the Brno Contemporary Orchestra players’ performance was their precise control of sonic microstructure and their ability to sustain tension even at extremely delicate dynamic levels. The ensemble captured the work’s dramaturgy with admirable concentration, allowing the piece to emerge not only as a sonic study but as a deeply empathetic musical statement. Čamák's Wilkie demonstrates a mature understanding of contemporary compositional strategies and the ability to use them to convey a personal, expressively compelling message. It is a work that combines experimental sound aesthetics with an ethical dimension - music that listens to people.
Under Pavel Šnajdr, in the first half of its concert the Brno Contemporary Orchestra displayed admirable precision and expressive depth, as is their custom – the young composers were thus truly fortunate to have their works heard in their interpretation.
Eunika Pechánková – New World
The second half of the evening featured Eunika Pechánková's New World, a song with lyrics by Kateřina Slaběňáková, presented in the programme as the intimate statement of a girl yearning to escape to a “new world” – a space of freedom, creativity and authenticity. The musical accompaniment was originally to be provided at the piano by the composer herself, but in this performance the piano part was taken by Emma Parisi, joined by cellist Bernat Izard and singer Kateřina Slaběňáková.
Unfortunately, the resulting impression of the piece was far from what the composer would have intended. A long and unconvincing opening, interrupted by technical problems with the cellist's tablet, significantly disrupted the continuity and audience focus. The cello itself also sounded uncertain and often unstable in intonation, which, combined with the song’s very simple singer-songwriter character, gave the impression more of a student performance than of a mature composition for the concert stage. The page-turner for Parisi’s otherwise well-played piano part deliberately swayed to the beat in front of the keyboard, occasionally snapping his fingers. Alongside the singer this came across as comical and was not the best look. Although Kateřina Slaběňáková's singing was intelligible, it did not go much beyond the standard pop delivery. The overall contrast between this style and the conceptually sophisticated compositions of the other authors of the evening was highly disruptive. The audience reacted awkwardly – some with amusement, while others looked on in puzzlement at what was actually happening on stage. It felt rather odd that the composer – whose photograph was a prominent part of the concert’s promotional materials – was not present… the absence of the artist only underlined a sense of estrangement between the work presented and its context. Compared with the evening’s other compositions, which offered sophisticated forms, instrumental assurance and expressive depth, New World came across more as a school experiment or an attempt at song form. While one can appreciate the effort at a personal statement and the linking of pop and film aesthetics, the execution and conceptual level of the piece did not match the overall standard of the evening.
Noemi Savková - Snowball
The penultimate piece of the evening was a composition by Noemi Savková - Snowball, for flute, oboe, clarinet, violin, viola and cello. It was performed by Maria Janíčková (flute), Lucie Svobodová (oboe), David Lukáč (clarinet), Katarína Kožúriková (violin), Martina Mikulecká (viola) and Bernat Izard (cello). Savková, who has long researched the use of early instruments in contemporary music, here chose an original compositional approach – she was inspired by a Renaissance Christmas hymn, whose echoes appear in the piece only in hints, as distant memory or a spiritual trace of the past. A short accompanying text invites the listener to imagine a wintry landscape where snow is falling and where someone shapes a snowball, layer by layer – before finally throwing it away. This image was mirrored in the music with surprising precision. Snowball is a fragile and subtle piece, one that is extremely sensitive to tone colour and dynamics. It includes some unusual sound devices – an oboe without a reed, key clicks on the wind instruments, gentle string glissandi, pizzicatos and harmonics that together conjure the sound of snowfall. The clarinet and strings alternated in slightly wavering planes in which deliberate intonational tension was used as a means of expression. The performers’ delivery was concentrated and highly precise. Each player captured the fine nuances of Savková’s score and shaped them into a unified, coherent sonic whole. The audience found itself in a quiet, snow-covered landscape of tones – music that sought not effects, but depth and calm. Snowball thus brought a moment of meditative hush and sonic poetry to the close of the evening, clearly showing why Noemi Savková is one of the most interesting compositional voices of the young generation.
Benjamin Alvin Kotík - Mikronos
The concert finale featured Benjamin Kotík's Mikronos, a piece that rounded off the evening with energy and brought to the stage an unexpected intersection between the worlds of contemporary classical music and rap. The composition was written for rap, flute, violin and piano and was performed by Benjamin Kotík (rap/voice), Eliška Veškrnová (flute), Naďa Bubancová (violin) and Nina Honová (piano).
Kotík, who grew up between Ostrava and New York and now studies composition at Prague’s HAMU with Michal Rataj, naturally interweaves classical and popular idioms in his work. Mikronos is convincing proof of this. The author also appears as performer - speaking, rapping, gesturing and at the same time writing on a board the words HELP, I THINK I’M FINE, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?, IS IT OVER? This visual layer interlaces with rhythmic passages of the music, which breathes and reacts with it, creating a compelling, almost multimedia dialogue. The musical language of the piece moves between the precisely structured rhythm of rap and an experimental sonic space. The piano is no mere accompaniment – it articulates rhythm by tapping on the instrument’s body, striking outside the keys and making percussive sounds that underscore the text’s expressivity. Flute and violin emerge in brief, gritty passages, at times imitating the rhythm of breath or the echoes of words. Kotík's English rap was energetic, precise and charismatic - it's a pity that the lyrics were not available in the programme, as their meaning would have merited closer attention. Even so, the piece felt like a coherent statement – not an experiment, but a personal testimony about loneliness and the search for meaning in a digital world. All three performers tackled it wholeheartedly and allowed themselves to be swept along by the composer’s energy. Mikronos was an explosive and compelling finale to the evening, which managed to bridge worlds that often pass each other by in academic settings. The audience - quite rightly - responded with visible interest and enthusiasm. Kotík convincingly showed that contemporary music can unite intellectual concept with physicality of delivery, authenticity and topical social content.
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