The invention of theremin in the first half of the 20th century gave a symbolic beginning to a completely new perspective of treating sound. Its mechanism allows for the generation of the original sound by means of an electric current, without direct interference by the touch of the human body. This evening, the instrument will be the main axis of the repertoire created in the 20th and 21st centuries, and also before theremin was invented.

The concert will begin with the sounds of a folk-themed orchestra suite by the Czech composer Leoš Janáček, born in Moravia. It will precede the first of the compositions using the theremin – the Cantilena No. 3 by the Lusatian composer Korla Awgust Kocor. Despite his oeuvre being not particularly popular, it is distinguished by a remarkable original synthesis of the Romantic tradition with the musical richness of Lusatian folklore. During the concert, the instrument will be put into sound by the German thereminist Carolina Eyck, who also works in composing. Her Jumping River is part of a series of fantasies in which the artist combines the intriguing, sometimes even impressionistic, sound of the instrument with the dense parts of the accompanying string quartet. As sound painting goes, one must highlight the influence of its undebatable precursor, Claude Debussy. During the concert, his masterpiece Claire de lune will sound in an arrangement for theremin and strings, considered a manifesto of Impressionism. The evening at the Red Hall of the National Music Forum will be crowned with the compositions of the Czech artist Bohuslav Martinů creating in the neoclassical trend – the Fantasy for theremin, oboe, string quartet and piano, and Concertino for piano trio and strings.