Berg Orchestra (in Czech, Orchestr Berg), initially formed as a group of like-minded music students in 1995 and officially founded in 2001 by Slovak conductor Peter Vrábel,Stein, M. "Sound of the cutting edge" ''Česká pozice'', May 9, 2011. is a professional orchestra in Prague, Czech Republic whose stated objective is "to constantly search for inspiration and accommodate new impulses from every sphere of contemporary life."
Aside from its performances in traditional concert halls, Berg performs in museums and sewage treatment facilities, on theater stages, in churches and synagogues, and sometimes accompanies silent film screenings or dance performances. The orchestra’s director Eva Kesslová says choosing the spaces for the performances is an important aspect of their work.Volynsky, M. "Berg Orchestra experiments with form and setting of contemporary music"
Radio Prague
Radio Prague International ( cs, Český rozhlas 7 – Radio Praha) is the official international broadcasting station of the Czech Republic. Broadcasting first began on August 31, 1936 near the spa town of Poděbrady. Radio Prague broadcasts in ...
, Feb 26, 2013.
History
Vrábel launched his concert career early, collaborating as a student with numerous symphony and chamber orchestras, as well as with Kühn's Children Choir. In 1995 he founded Berg Orchestra as a means of promoting new music, actively collaborating with Czech composers, and creating opportunities for the younger generation of composers and performers through various projects. Berg's enterprises are diverse—despite its concentration on new music, the orchestra also programs older works and is thus occupied with period interpretation. Berg has produced many recordings for
Czech Radio
Český rozhlas (ČRo) is the public radio broadcaster of the Czech Republic operating since 1923. It is the oldest radio broadcaster in continental Europe and the second oldest in Europe after the BBC.
The service broadcasts throughout the Cz ...
and also proven its versatility with jazz and film music.
When Berg held its first season as an independent chamber orchestra in January 2001, the organizers were well acquainted with what they faced. "The music scene could be described as post-socialist," says Vrabel, who became Berg's conductor and artistic director. "Audiences rejected anything that was a bit more avant-garde, and many musicians looked at contemporary music with total disrespect. We had to learn how to live in freedom."
Concomitantly, Vrábel is a guest conductor at the National Theater in Prague.Berg Orchestra official website
Collaborations
Collaboration is central to Berg Orchestra. International composers with whom the orchestra has closely worked include
Heiner Goebbels
Heiner Goebbels (born 17 August 1952) is a German composer, conductor and professor at Justus-Liebig-University in Gießen and artistic director of the International Festival of the Arts Ruhrtriennale 2012–14. His composition ''Stifters Dinge ...
,
Fausto Romitelli
Fausto Romitelli (1 February 1963 – 27 June 2004) was an Italian composer.
Life and career
Romitelli was born on 1 February 1963 in Gorizia. He studied composition at the Milan Conservatory and subsequently took part in courses at the Acc ...
Lera Auerbach
Lera Auerbach (russian: Лера Авербах, born Valeria Lvovna Averbakh, russian: Валерия Львовна Авербах; October 21, 1973) is a Soviet-born American classical composer and concert pianist.
and many others, along with such renowned Czech figures as
Marek Kopelent
Marek Kopelent (born 28 April 1932) is a Czech contemporary composer, who is considered to be at the forefront of the "New Music" movement.
Biography
Kopelent was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, on 28 April 1932. From 1951 to 1955 he studied musi ...
Tiger Lillies
The Tiger Lillies are a cult British musical trio formed in 1989 by singer-songwriter Martyn Jacques. Described as the forefathers of Brechtian Punk Cabaret, the Tiger Lillies are well known for their unique sound and style which merges "the ...
The Nuberg competition, established in 2006, selects winners from among the newly composed work commissioned by the orchestra during the previous year. Given the short lifespan of individual concerts, it is another means of providing young composers with valuable and generally hard-to-find exposure.
The competition gives out one Nuberg Award per year. The jury consists of distinguished figures from the international contemporary music world who, according to Vrábel, are entirely from outside the Czech Republic, and not only for the objectivity they provide. "It’s also for the young composers to have feedback from the international music scene," he told ''Česká pozice''.
Outside awards and recognition
Peter Vrábel is a Gideon Klein Prize holder. In 2010, Vrábel and Berg Orchestra were commended for artistic excellence and the promotion of Czech music by the Czech section of the
International Music Council
The International Music Council (IMC) was created in 1949 as UNESCO's advisory body on matters of music. It is based at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris, France, where it functions as an independent international non-governmental organization. Its p ...
of
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
Česká televize
Czech Television ( cs, Česká televize, italics=no ; abbreviation: ČT) is a public television broadcaster in the Czech Republic, broadcasting seven channels. Established after the Velvet Revolution in 1992, it is the successor to Czechoslov ...
Vimeo
Vimeo, Inc. () is an American video hosting, sharing, and services platform provider headquartered in New York City. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of high-definition video across a range of devices. Vimeo's business model is through software as ...