Czech nonet

Czech nonet ( Czech České noneto ) - nonet (an ensemble of nine performers of academic music ), founded in Prague in 1924 and still exists today. The name noneta, with all the obviousness, also hinted at the Czech quartet, famous by that time. At the first performance on January 17, 1924, noneta musicians performed the Septet of Ludwig van Beethoven , the Quintet for wind instruments by Joseph Boguslav Förster and the Great Nonet of Ludwig Spur - the most famous work for nine performers by that time, forever become the hallmark of the ensemble. Actually, the composition of the Czech nonet was predetermined by the set of parties in the Spore nonet: it included a flute , oboe , clarinet , bassoon , horn , violin , viola , cello and double bass . All the performers at that time were students of the Prague Conservatory .

After the first success in the Czech Republic, the ensemble made triumphant tours in Lithuania , which led to the fact that six out of nine of its members entered into foreign contracts. After several years of pause in 1931 , the original violinist Emil Leichner , a key figure in the collective’s history, recreated the Czech nonet again and actually led it until 1963. Throughout the 1930s. The ensemble’s repertoire has grown significantly due to works created especially for it, including nonets by Josef Boguslav Förster, Czech dodecaphone player Alois Gaba and Lithuanian composer Jeronimas Kacinskas . Specialization in state-of-the-art music caused great displeasure among the public and critics (especially shocked by the quintet of Sergei Prokofiev performed in 1934 ). In addition, the busy musicians (most of whom were both teaching at the conservatory and playing in orchestras) created many organizational difficulties. In 1936 , the ensemble underwent a second radical change of composition, followed by major success: a highly praised performance at the Fifteenth Festival of the International Society of Contemporary Music in Paris ( 1937 ); No less successful was the visit of Czech Nonet to the Sixteenth Festival in London ( 1938 ), where, in particular, the Chodsky Suite by Otakar Zikh was presented . The repertoire of the collective was enriched by new works by Isha Kreichi and other authors created for him. During the Second World War, Czech noneta musicians were active in concert, giving, in particular, 42 premieres, including a number of works directly inspired by the war (for example, Otakar Jeremias 's Nonet 1938).

In 1949 - 1951 the ensemble experienced another crisis, culminating in its organizational subordination to the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra . The period that followed was marked by tours around the world, including in the USSR ( 1954 and 1959 ), South Africa ( 1957 ), and Latin America ( 1961 ). In 1959 , in Salzburg, the Czech nonet performed the world premiere of the second nonet written for him and dedicated to him by Bohuslav Martin .

In 1963 , on the initiative of the leadership of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, a sharp change in the composition of the ensemble was made: five musicians were replaced, and the permanent member of the nonet since its founding, Emil Leichner, left his composition in disagreement with this decision - caused, according to the current official team site, political motives. After this, Czech nonet entered a period of instability, with constant changes in composition, and only with the advent of Vaclav Snitil in 1975 did the situation equalize for the violin console.

In 1989 , the Czech Nonet freed itself from the custody of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and again became independent. Among the last significant pages of his biography is a tour in the USA in 2004 , for which one of the oldest American composers Robert Ward specially wrote the play “ Raleigh Divertimento ”. In total, in 2004, in the year of the 80th anniversary of the collective, Czech nonet participated in 52 concerts and recordings.