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  You are invited to the May concert "Weinberger Tour" of project "Festival Brikcius" the chamber music concert series at the Stone Bell House (Spring & Autumn 2012) of the Czech cellist František Brikcius, held on Thursday 17th May 2012, 7.30pm, at representative concert hall from the 13th century, the Stone Bell House (GHMP, 3rd floor, Staroměstské náměstí 605/13, Praha 1, Czech Republic).

  One of the best Czech pianists Tomáš Víšek and cellist František Brikcius will play music by Terezín/Jewish composers. Compositions Une Cantilène jalouse (1920) and Colloque sentimental - Prélude d'après le poème de Paul Verlaine (1920) by Jaromír Weinberger (1896 - 1967), author of Švanda the bagpiper, one of the most performed Czech operas abroad, Sonata by Erwin Schulhoff (1894 - 1942), rarely performed because of difficult piano part. Then Lamento by James Simon (1880 - 1944), written shortly after Simon arrived to Israel, or to Palestine at the time, and finding out that his sister is dead. Simon ignored warnings of his friends and he returned to Europe, his decision was fatal. Final piece is d-Fence for cello and piano (2007) by Irena Kosíková, dedicated especially to "Weinberger Tour". Next spring concert "Festival Brikcius" (Anna Brikciusová - cello & František Brikcius - cello) will be held on Thursday 21st June 2012, Summer Solstice.

  Tickets (basic entry fee: 450 CZK / student and senior over 65 years: 250 CZK) are exclusively available through official festival ticket sales Prague Ticket Office - Via Musica (http://www.PragueTicketOffice.com - Via Musica, AMU, Malostranské náměstí 14, Praha 1 - Via Musica, Staroměstské náměstí 14, Praha 1 - Tel.: +420 224 826 440) and cca 90 minutes before every concert available at the door. Due to the limited number of seats we strongly recommend early booking. Support "Festival Brikcius" and buy maecenas ticket here.

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http://www.ViaMusica.cz
http://www.PragueTicketOffice.com

František Brikcius: Mr. Pavlát, you graduated in Broadcasting at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Journalism of the Charles University in Prague (1969 - 1974). After one year of military service you became art and education editor of Children Albatros Publishing House, (1975 - 1990). How do you remember your work at Albatros?

Leo Pavlát: At Albatros relationships were very decent, I met many great people there. Books for children were not under such strong ideological pressure as other literature, so it was possible to do my own work with a good feeling.

F. B.: You publicly declared your Jewish religion and you also married the artist Hana Klímová, the daughter of dissident and novelist Ivan Klíma. Did it affect your professional career?

L. P.: It brought my family interest from the StB (Czech equivalent of the KGB) with all its inconveniences that were part of this kind of attention. But we were not an exception in the Jewish community.

F. B.: After the Velvet Revolution you worked at the Czechoslovak, respectively at the Czech Embassy in Israel in Tel Aviv (1990 - 1994). How did this experience and residence in Israel influence you?

L. P.: To practise Judaism in the Czech Republic and in Israel is obviously not the same. In Israel I was above all working, but even from purely Jewish point of view, I gained very much: new experiences, wisdom, friendships.

F. B.: Since 1994 you have been the director of the Jewish Museum in Prague. Can you describe your main activities?

L. P.: Briefly speaking, the main focus of activity of our museum is to create, supplement, professionally manage, bring together and present the collections, both the library and archival holdings, to pursue cultural, publication, publishing and educational activities, to carry out research. It also includes carrying out necessary repairs and technical assessments of the rented premises in which the Museum operates and presents its collections.


F. B.: As part of the Year of Jewish Culture "100 Years of the Jewish Museum in Prague", we presented the concert "7 Candles", featuring the music of the "Terezín" composers. Your mother was the only person from your family who survived the Auschwitz concentration camp. What do you think about those compositions?

L. P.: The murder of almost 80,000 Jewish residents of Bohemia and Moravia represented - and in never- born generations - is still representing - a great loss. Not only from human aspect, with considerations of  innocent men, women and children being murdered, but also in respect of the future prosperity of the country, the level of science, commerce, arts, culture. The music of the extraordinarily talented Terezín composers artistically impressively reminds us of this loss.

F. B.: Not so long ago the Jewish Museum changed its logo? Why?

L. P.: The Museum has changed all its design and the change of the logo belongs to this. It's part of  larger plan, because in the few next years we aim to renovate all our permanent exhibitions in a creative way. We want to focus on living culture, bringing our museum closer to museums of the 21st century.

F. B.: The Robert Guttmann Gallery is part of the museum. What exhibition are you planning? What is it about the presentation of exhibitions and the museum's collections that is important for you?

L. P.: The next exhibition will be exhibition of works by American artist Mark Podwal, with whom our museum has been cooperating for a long time. Generally we introduce lesser known domestic Jewish artists, but we also try to follow the work of prominent modern Jewish artists from abroad. We are preparing thematic exhibitions based on our rich collections. Exhibitions dedicated to the tragic era of the Shoah were fact and design breakthrough.


F. B.: The recent premiere of the orchestral composition "MAKANNA" by Irena Kosíková commemorated the 110th anniversary of the birth of the Jewish writer Jiří Weil under the auspices of Sir Tom Stoppard and Václav Havel. The concert was well documented and in the foreseeable future will be recorded on CD. In 1950 - 1958 Jiří Weil was a science employee of the Jewish Museum in Prague. Are there any documents about his activities?

L. P.: During the war Jiří Weil founded a shelter at the museum and after the end of the war - against the wishes of the regime - he was occupied especially with activity of children from Terezín. This concern led him also into some of his publications, so in this respect Weil's work is still present.

F. B.: What is your relationship to literature?

L. P.: It's the art most close to me, books are still with me.

F. B.: In your literary writings and translating activities what do you like to use: pencil, pen, typewriter or computer?

L. P.: I used to write everything by hand and just typing clean copy on a typewriter. With computer I have changed my habits. I write and correct directly on the computer. But I haven't forgotten to write by hand. Notes, motives - I still write them by hand.

F. B.: Have you experienced anything nice recently?

L. P.: Family, literary and other meetings, work, trees, stones, dreams.

F. B.: Thank you for your time and answers.

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  If you have any questions on František Brikcius, not only about project "Festival Brikcius", you can ask him in advance here.

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