Gendarmerie Humoresques, suite for orchestra - Ivan Kurz
"Gendarmerie Humoresques (Četnické humoresky) became a part of my life for nearly ten years. Three series of 13 episodes each, the individual episodes of almost full-length-movie duration, the Gendarmerie Humoresques were shot from 1998 till 2007.
The 39-part series of detective films are based on true stories from the pre-WWII Czechoslovakia – only the names are changed. It is not a series in the usual sense of the word, however; the individual stories stand on their own, the only linking thread being the life of the gendarmerie office and the destinies of its members. Accordingly, the music for the series contains quite a lot of separate musical ideas and themes. The musical speech is respectful of the atmosphere of the 1920s and 1930s. It does not, however, simply quote the tunes and songs of the period – all the music is original.
The first two series were finished by the famous Czech director Antonín Moskalyk, the third – that was forced out of Moskalyk’s hands by a serious disease – was finished by his daughter Pavlína Moskalyková. It was my great pleasure to work with Antonín Moskalyk: his sense for music and its time proportions was admirable. The “Gendarmerie Humoresques” concert suite, created in 2007, does not contain all the melodies from all the episodes, of course. I do hope, nevertheless, that my selection is a lucky one. There are two versions of the suite: a 17-minute and a 28-minute (see the Vi – De signs in the score). The premiere of the “Gendarmerie Humoresque” concert suite (the longer version) took place in 2008 at the Smetana Hall. The Prague Spring festival concert was performed by the conductor Stanislav Vavřínek and the Prague Radio Symphonic Orchestra."
Other compositions by Ivan Kurz published in Czech Radio:
Adamu
Angelic Landscapes for barytone and grand orchestra
Expectations
Christmas Songs and Carols
I Can Hear the Angels Sing
Living Spirit
The Feathers of the Firebird
instrumentation2fl, 2ob, 2cl, Asax in Es, 2fg, 1trb, 1tbn, timp, perc (5 sonatori), archidescriptionscorepubl.NoR 241price305,- CZK
Parts only for hire at nakladatelstvi@rozhlas.cz