December 6, 2010
Twelve-year-old opera singer Patricia Janeckova won Sunday’s super final of the Talentmania competition organized by Nova and Markiza televisions. She is thus entitled to a prize of almost four million crowns. She received 53 percent of the more than 1.2 million SMS votes sent by viewers, her opponent in the final duel, Alena Smolikova with her dog Keysi, received 47 percent of the votes.
Opera singer Peter Dvorsky gave the winner a cheque during the live broadcast of Nova and Markiza, and admitted that he sincerely wished her the victory. “There is taste, intelligence, a pure heart and a pure tone in your voice,” said Dvorsky with emotion to the girl who defeated more than 10,000 contestants who entered the competition.
Janeckova was the biggest favourite of betting offices Sazka and Tipsport. Electric boogie dancer Matus Pisny was also not without a chance, but he only finished fourth; besides Patricia and Alena with Keysi, the acrobatic Duo Ogor received more votes than him.
The winner with an “angelic” voice, who really looked like an angel in her long white dress, thanked her parents and teachers. In the pre-recorded profile, she revealed that her dream is to learn to ride a horse, borrow it and ride it in the meadow. She says her parents won’t let her do it, saying it’s dangerous.
“I confess without torture, I have a weakness for Patricia, her singing moves me, it is a gift from God,” was how one of the judges, director Zdenek Troska, evaluated her performance. His colleague, singer Pavol Habera, said that his “hair stood on end” when she sang.
Talentmania was launched by Nova and Markiza at the end of August, when they started broadcasting recordings of castings. In addition to Troska and Habera, the jury also included moderator Adela Banasova. The fourth juror, model Alena Seredova, was replaced by entertainers Richard Genzer and Michal Suchanek just before the start of the semi-final rounds.
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9 Dec 2010
The twelve-year-old winner of Talentmania, Patricia Janeckova, is conquering the world. Her phenomenal singing was noticed by the American television station CNN and they devoted space to her in their newscasts. Thanks to their international broadcasting, they introduced her to the whole world. And Patricia Janeckova went to her school for the first time since her victory.
The whole school in Ostrava was on its feet on Thursday morning. For the first time since her victory, it was visited by the winner of Talentmania, Patricia Janeckova. And the twelve-year-old girl received a magnificent reception. Hundreds of pupils chanted her name in the corridors. The teachers even interrupted classes for a few minutes. But Patricia experienced even greater success on the international stage.
“Except for one thing, she’s an ordinary schoolgirl from the Czech Republic. But as you will hear, the only twelve-year-old Czech girl is an extremely talented singer,” the anchor of the news program announced on the air of one of the most watched television stations in the world, the American CNN.
Behind the shots in which Patricia Janeckova sings, she then informs the audience that the twelve-year-old angelic apparition has won the joint Czech-Slovak Talentmania competition. Patricia Janeckova thus received an unusual honour.
CNN does not report on the Czech Republic or other foreign talent contest winners very often. And young Patricia has other great prospects for a successful singing career.
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November 3 (WEBNOVINY) – The debut of young opera singer Patricia Janeckova was christened with rose petals by Slovak composer, conductor and producer Oskar Rozsa. He was also assisted by Adela Banasova, who moderated the whole ceremony.
“There are not many projects that are born under a lucky star and where every step logically fits together, every stage of work is pleasant and the feeling at the end is beautiful. This project is like that,” said Oskar Rozsa about the album. He commented on Patricia’s talent only in superlatives.
“Patka is a truly exceptional being, not only as a young artist with a unique musical intuition, which can be called a higher extension of talent. So I wish that the energy that we have recorded will spread further and spread love and joy to everyone,” he added. During her christening, the young opera singer said she was nervous, which she later clarified in a brief interview with SITA.
“I’m only thirteen years old and it’s terribly difficult to get used to everything that goes with such a life and public speaking. A normal thirteen-year-old girl doesn’t live like that, but I’m slowly getting used to it.”
The album features thirteen songs that were recorded with the Viva Musica! Orchestra led by Oskar Rozsa. The recording also includes a duet with Czech opera star, baritone Adam Plachetka. The album also includes a recording of a concert with a symphony orchestra that took place on July 27, 2011 as part of the Viva Musica! in Bratislava’s Old Market Hall. The DVD is accompanied by a bonus documentary about the recording, which includes interviews with Patricia, Oskar Rozsa and Matej Drlicka.
Patrícia Janeckova (1998) was born in Germany. She presented herself to the public for the first time at the age of ten, when she won the audition of the Ostrava Janacek Philharmonic. The young opera singer won the TV show Talentmania last year, giving her first full-length recital at Viva Musica! 2011, where she performed together with SND soloists Eva Hornyakova (soprano) and Daniel Capkovic (baritone).
©SITA Slovak press agency
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The “Godparents of Dreams” were present as Patricia held the third launch of her album, which took place on November 16 amid unprecedented media interest in Prague. The Czechoslovak popular music legend Karel Gott and the opera diva Eva Urbanova christened her debut CD and DVD with slices of white roses.
Karel Gott declared at the christening: “I enthusiastically followed her journey through last year’s Talentmania and witnessed her triumph, her victory in the final of this competition. Even then it was clear to me that we would be hearing about this fragile girl with an angelic voice many more times, and even then I could imagine how one day I would take Patricia as a guest on my concert tour. Never before in our show business has a singer launched her CD and DVD in three different countries. Patricia Janeckova succeeded.
In Bratislava, the godfather of her debut was Slovak composer, conductor and producer Oskar Rozsa, and in Vienna Czech opera star, member of the Vienna State Opera, baritone Adam Plachetka. Eva Urbanova and I are godparents in Prague. Today, the thirteen-year-old Patricia Janeckova is a real opera diva mainly because of her incredible talent. From her speech, I can feel that she is literally entranced in her singing and I predict a great future for her. Her CD and DVD makes a great Christmas present. Like me and my wife Ivana, let yourself be enchanted by the absolute purity of Patricia Janeckova’s appearance and interpretation”
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https://www.mzv.cz/representation_brussels/en/events/photo_gallery_czech_ball_in_brussels.html
The fifth installment of this prestigious Czech event was held under the patronage of the President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso, the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Petr Necas, and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Karel Schwarzenberg.
Organizers of this year’s Czech Ball in Brussels (Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic to the EU, the Capital City Prague and the Moravian-Silesian, Karlovy Vary and South Moravian Regions) would like to express their gratitude to all guests who accepted our invitation and to all artists and the production agency (Ceska umelecka) for their professional performance during the evening.
The Czech Ball 2012 is the most important representative event of the Czech Republic for audience from EU institutions, diplomatic and business communities in Brussels and Czechs living in Belgium or from the Czech Republic.
This year offered a mixture of classic dance music (Czech National Symphony Orchestra), Czech folk songs (dulcimer band Slovacko Junior), disco music (Martin Hrdinka), dance show (dancing group Krok) and a “midnight surprise” (opera performance of Patricia Janeckova). The hosts for the evening were Tomas Hanak and Martina Postova.
The Czech Ball 2012 traditionally offered a selection of Moravian wines from the Czech Republic Wine Fund, Czech pretzels and small typical wedding cakes provided by the Czech Business Association of Bakers and Confectioners.
The final thank-you belongs to the following significant sponsors and partners of the event, without whose cooperation, financial contribution and valuable prizes to the raffle the Czech Ball 2012 could not be organised:
Skoda Auto, a.s. – main partner of the event
Budejovicky Budvar, n.p.
CEZ
Ceske aerolinie (Czech Airlines) – partner providing flight tickets for a number of the artists.
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Teacher and pupil, Eva Drizgova and Patricia Janeckova in Jaromerice nad Rokytnou
Jiri Benes, 01/08/2013
In the castle garden of Jaromerice nad Rokytnou, the final gala concert of the Peter Dvorsky International Music Festival in mid-August will present the young opera star Patricia Janeckova, who will perform alongside her professor and leading soloist of the Ostrava Opera, Eva Drizgova-Jirusova.
She personally prepared it for the concert with Eva’s husband and conductor Paolo Gatto. What is the relationship between the professor and her student? How does the seasoned long-time mainstay of the Ostrava Opera view the unusual talent, who has been talked about more and more recently, especially in Slovakia? How are they preparing for a joint concert? The following interview is not only about that, during which I had the opportunity to talk to both of them at once.
Jaromerice is looking forward to you, are you also looking forward to Jaromerice nad Rokytnou?
Eva: I’m definitely looking forward to it, not only to making music together, but above all to the lovely atmosphere of a summer vacation in a beautiful environment.
Patricia: I am really looking forward to Jaromerice. It is a great honour for me to sing at the Peter Dvorsky International Music Festival and at the final gala concert. I would like to take this opportunity to once again thank Mr. Peter Dvorsky for the trust and invitation shown. The audience here is certainly used to a very high artistic level, so my performance is also a challenge for me. I will try very hard to sing as well as possible and thus fulfill the expectations of the audience.
We would like to know more about your collaboration today, an excellent singer with extensive international experience from major opera houses and concert stages, with a young, talented girl…
Eva: We met Patricia a long time ago. I noticed a very beautiful child’s voice that sang in the solo trio of Geniu in the Ostrava production of The Magic Flute, where I had the role of Pamina. She might have been eight years old at the time. Later, when we agreed on my pedagogical leadership, I only found out how great a talent this is. I see it as a great responsibility. Considering that Patricia’s voice is gradually developing from a child’s to a woman’s, and at the same time she completes a number of demanding concerts, my task is primarily to prevent the choice of inappropriate repertoire, voice switching and gradually equip her technically.
Performance at the final concert of our festival is traditionally understood as extremely prestigious; do you prepare for it in any special way, or do you consider it one of your activities? According to which key did you choose the dramaturgy of the performance?
Eva: I never consider any performance to be “ordinary”, because each one is original, specific, and you need to thoroughly prepare for all of them and give the maximum possible performance. And as for the dramaturgy, of course it was mainly based on Patricia’s possible repertoire and the others adapted so that the concert’s dramaturgy was compact and interesting.
Patricia: I clearly rank the performance at the final gala concert of the Peter Dvorsky festival among the prestigious and exceptional opportunities of my singing this year. I don’t prepare in any special way, but similar to other performances, and my goal is always to achieve the best possible result according to my abilities. We were looking for new arias for this occasion. We had to find something that fits me well, and of course also what I can do technically. Classicism offered us several options and I think we made the right choice. Finally, listeners will judge it for themselves.
You will be accompanied at the concert by two gentlemen – Slovak tenor Peter Maly and conductor Paolo Gatto…
Patricia: I will meet Peter Maly for the first time. I heard he is very good. I will sing a duet with him from Donizetti’s opera Drink of Love. It is a novelty in my repertoire, which I rate as the most difficult, but at the same time the most beautiful, and I am really looking forward to it. I am convinced that it will be an excellent duet and a great final “sparkle”. Of course, I know the conductor Mr. Paolo Gatto personally, and for a long time, he is the husband of my teacher Eva Drizgova. He helps me a lot in studying the part, teaches me perfect Italian and accompanies me on the piano in singing lessons. Of course, he will also be a great support for me as a conductor at the gala concert.
Eva: Yes, I am already looking forward to this collaboration. Paolo and I are a well-matched team, we have done many concerts and opera performances together, and it is no coincidence that the two Thalias I won were always for the role I studied with him. We meet Peter Maly for the first time. However, I have collaborated many times with his teacher, the excellent singer Petr Mikulas, so I am very much looking forward to it.
The festival in Jaromerice is named after the internationally recognized singer Peter Dvorsky. Are famous artists role models for you?
Eva: Every excellent artist is an inspiration, and Peter Dvorsky is among the greatest, as a singer, but also as a person. He is a rare person. Natalie Romanova was and is my singing role model.
Patricia: Famous singers can mean a lot to beginning singers. Everyone will find their favourite, or even more favourites. In the case of opera, it is certainly very beneficial. This way, you will get to know many interpretation options and this can help in finding your own style. In any case, each pattern enriches the spectrum of my knowledge. I don’t have one special musical role model, but I really like the Slovak opera star Lucia Popp, who unfortunately is no longer with us. Her overall musical expression is a beauty in many ways. Her singing conveys a feeling of well-being and happiness, it is light, simple and at the same time sensitive and gentle. It’s a balm for the soul.
What is the most important thing for a young aspiring opera singer?
Eva: In addition to her voice, she needs to have singing and musical intelligence, health, strong will, hard work, perseverance, patience, courage and humility; humility, above all, to the musical work, to the author’s genius.
Patricia: Definitely professional management and private background. Today I know that the basis of success is a good teacher. In my case it is Mrs. Eva Drizgova and I am happy to have her. She has a lot of experience and would never allow me to make a wrong move at my young age, like singing something that isn’t right for me yet or otherwise hurting myself. I thank her from the bottom of my heart for her care.
Do you have the experience of a summer festival in nature, which is always dependent on the weather?
Eva: I have a lot of experience with summer festivals. They have their own specific atmosphere, nature often plays its role, but apart from the unfortunate rain, sometimes also in a very positive way. For example, when a frog jumps across the stage in The Cunning Vixen, or when the full moon shines beautifully over the treetops during Rusalka’s song About the Moon, it has an incredible charm.
Patricia: Not much yet. I sang once in the amphitheater and it wasn’t exactly the best weather. I hope the festival management has ordered the kind of weather we all wish for our evening.
Is your own artistic performance the most important for you, or do you also strongly experience the venue, your colleagues, the personality of the conductor or director, the audience?
Eva: It’s best if it all comes together. That is a wonderful holiday.
Patricia: The performance itself is of course the priority, but everything around, that is, colleagues, orchestra, conductor, performance venue and especially the audience, cannot be separated from the overall experience of the concert. Everyone is an inseparable part of it and contributes, each individually, to the tone of the festive moment. But it wouldn’t be possible without the audience. The audience is the quantity that gives meaning and energy to our performances. Only thanks to them can one experience what we call a great opera gala evening.
What is your favorite way to concentrate before a performance or to relax afterwards?
Eva: Concentration comes with the preparation for the concert itself. Everyone has their own conscious or unconscious rituals. I need to be calm, to be alone a little and to concentrate on preparing. We’ll see how I can handle it in Jaromerice, where I’ll also have to pay a lot of attention to Patricia. Such a little schizophrenia. So keep your fingers crossed!
Patricia: I don’t have any special way of concentration or rest. But after the concert, I like to sit with co-performers and friends.
Can you tell us about your immediate plans or a big dream that you wish to fulfill in the future?
Patricia: In September, I will start studying opera singing at the conservatory in Ostrava. My teacher will be Eva Drizgova. I’m looking forward to studying, I’m looking forward to new arias, new tasks that await me. And the public already knows my big dream – I would like to become a very good opera singer who will occasionally be able to ride a horse through nature.
Eva: I never had dreams in my profession. I was always just waiting to see what would come. Today it probably wouldn’t be enough, the world has become a place where everyone has to fight hard for their place. However, I will not change my position. In the new season, in addition to interesting concerts, I also have beautiful new roles waiting for me, for example Hedvika in the Devil’s Wall or the title role of Jenovef in Robert Schumann’s opera.
Business card:
Eva Drizgova-Jirusova (1962)
She is one of the sought-after singers of the opera and concert repertoire. She is a guest on many opera stages and co-operates with our best orchestras, including the Czech Philharmonic, the Prague Symphony Orchestra, the Brno Philharmonic and the Janacek Philharmonic in Ostrava.
Her vocal and technical dispositions allow her to interpret a very wide repertoire both in opera, cantata, oratorio and song work, not excluding the symphonic works of R. Strauss and G. Mahler. Thanks to her musicality, she is also a sought-after performer of contemporary music. She sang in almost all European countries, but also in Japan, where, among other things, she appeared in the title role of Janacek’s Cunning Vixen in the Japanese premiere with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. One of her most important roles is Rusalka, which she sang on a number of stages (ND Prague, Brno, Ostrava, Cesky Krumlov, Loket, Karlsruhe, L´Opera di Roma). She has performed with many foreign orchestras (for example, the Munich Philharmonic, Cologne Philharmonic Orchestra, Goteborgs Symfoniker, Odense Symfoniorkester, Slovak Philharmonic and others).
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By Milan Bator
The perfect Patricia Janeckova and Viennese classics after Ostrava
Viennese classic ‘after’ Ostrava? This is definitely nothing cold. Chief conductor Forster’s jocularity, the ringing laugh of singing supernova Patricia Janeckova and an orchestra that you can lean on like a rock. These are mostly positive impressions from the concert with which the Janacek Philharmonic opened 2016. The artists fulfilled all expectations and added something extra. Something very valuable that Richard Muller sings about in one song. Humor and a sense of happiness that no money can buy.
At the beginning of the concert, Roses from the South by Johann Strauss Jr. was played and this was followed by the aria Quando me’n vo’ from Puccini’s opera Boheme, in which Patricia Janeckova, a young Ostravan soprano of Slovak origin, presented herself for the first time. Janeckova performed a tickling waltz aria elegantly in a red dress. Her cultivated soprano met with the orchestra in a very good dynamic relationship, which did not overshadow the singing in any way, the intonation certainty was at an excellent level.
Every concert has its highlights. The first can be considered Aria Olympia from the opera The Tales of Hoffmann by Jacques Offenbach. The composed skit began with the visible nervousness of Forster, who looked behind the audience several times as if he was expecting someone. Finally, he waved his hand angrily and ordered the orchestra: “Pause!” At that moment, the entrance door to the stage opened and a huge usher [sic – Titusz Tobisz] appeared, carrying a puppet on his back, which was Patricia Janeckova!
He placed her on the stage, turned the key in her back loudly, and the puppet-Patricia began to sing an aria full of coloraturas. Janeckova portrayed the figure in an absolutely wonderful way, including mechanical movement and rotations – until the moment when the machine ran out. At that moment, Patricia collapsed with a loud exhalation and the wearer had to jump up and turn her again so that she could finish singing the aria. One of the funniest moments of the evening. I would also like to point out how brilliantly Janeckova sang the aria – taking into account the demanding movement creation.
Another highlight of the New Year’s concert was Voices of Spring for soprano and orchestra, in which Janeckova fascinated the audience for the last time in the regular program with her youthful yet mature performance, which was a showcase of elegant singing technique, delicate commitment and sweet vocal color. Of course, a more careful articulation could be kindly recommended here and there, and piano rather than pianissimo in dynamics, but the resulting impression was unreservedly captivating and Janeckova completely captivated the sold-out hall.
Heiko Mathias Forster was also able to graduate the New Year’s concert perfectly, he didn’t compromise for a minute and in two encores he was able to captivate the audience and involve them in the “event” with a very humorously controlled applause. The audience stood up several times and gave the artists a standing ovation. The audience also did not want to let Janeckova off the stage just like that, so the beaming star danced among the audience one more time in Giuditta’s aria from Meine Lippen Franz Lehar… everything was tuned to Viennese perfection.
©Association for Ostravan.cz 2013-2024.
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Fragments from Janacek’s May: Patricia Janeckova as the charming Galatea
3/6/2017 Milan Bator Music Review
The Janacek International Music Festival continued with this exceptional project. On Thursday, the baroque opera Acis and Galatea by Georg Friedrich Handel was performed in Ostrava’s Cooltour. First, children could watch it in the morning, then in the evening it was performed for an adult audience.
The baroque opera Acis and Galatea by the baroque master Georg Friedrich Handel was performed in an international singing production, the impressive scene was enhanced by the visualization of the Buchty and Loutky theater troupe. Ostrava soprano Patricia Janeckova shone in the role of Galatea, Benedikt Kristjansson, Patrick Grahl, Tomas Lajtkep and Tomas Kral appeared in other roles. The musical staging was prepared by Collegium Marianum headed by artistic director Jana Semeradova and directed by Vit Bruckner.
I personally got to know the puppet troupe Buchty and Loutky once during my student years with a great production of Gilgamesh, which left me with a deeply mystical experience. Some readers may remember the performance of Francesco Cavalli’s opera La Calisto, which was performed by the Buchty and Loutky ensemble at the St. Wenceslas Music Festival a few years ago. Even then it was a great experience.
Handel’s opera comes from an artistically happy period of his life, it was created in 1732 [revision] on the subject of a Sicilian fable handed down by Ovid; Handel chose the English text by John Gay, and set the pastoral theme of the lovers Acis and Galatea pursued by the jealous giant Polyphemus to music with his typically exuberant melodic invention, which created fabulous singing parts (especially in the bass field).
From the morning performance of the opera cross-sectional arias of the main characters were heard, in which soprano Patricia Janeckova and baritone Tomas Kral were the most interesting. He enjoyed the role of the giant Polyphemus with an expressive force that made the youngest Cooltour listener cry. Kral’s singing technique and vocal timbre have matured over years of intensive practice in the interpretation of baroque music into a truly delicious, intonation-wise and expressively brilliant performance. Despite her youth, Patricia Janeckova demonstrates her enormous talent both as a singer and as an actress, with which she managed the demanding role of Galatea.
In an interesting way, the inspiration of the puppet world was also reflected in the direction and real characters of the opera, who accompany their emotions with baroque gestures, similar to puppets. The two-sided inspiration found a very happy expression in this line. Thanks to Cakes and Puppets [Buchty and Loutky] the scene was lively, adventurous and gave a glimpse into a unique fantasy world full of pure poetry.
Even in a reduced form (the larger cast played only in the evening), the orchestra managed to create a very plastic sound full of natural expression and energy under the direction of Jana Semeradova. No one would have expected that at the very end the schoolchildren would stand up and shower the surprised puppeteers and singers with a long standing ovation. Impressive.
©Association for Ostravan.cz 2013-2024.
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Bravo, Patricia! The magical voice from Ostrava imbued Juliet with irresistible charisma.
10/12/2017, Milan Bator [excerpt]
The Moravian-Silesian National Theater’s musical entitled “Romeo and Juliet, a message of love” continued on Saturday with the premiere of the second cast, which was just as stellar as at the premiere on Thursday. Patricia Janeckova and Adam Zivnustka played the main roles, other characters were played by Josef Skarka, Lukas Adam, Jiri Mach, Michaela Horka and many others. The orchestra was again conducted by Jakub Zidek.
You can’t write anything other than miracle about Patricia Janeckova. In her Juliet, everything musical and dramatic were united. Although her voice is virtuoso and breathtaking in the best sense of the word, she imbued her Juliet with the charm of an ordinary girl who experiences her love with straightforward tenderness and irresistible charm. Her great singing technique perfectly serves expression and delivery, each syllable and word has such a pure, cultivated shape that it becomes magical. The balance and comprehensiveness of Patricia Janeckova’s voice is truly rare and unrepeatable. It is necessary to appreciate that Adam Zivnustka did not get lost by her side, and in joint duets the voices of both protagonists sounded well drawn and complemented each other beautifully in terms of color and dynamics.
©Association for Ostravan.cz 2013-2024.
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The gala evening with leading opera singers culminated in the joint singing of carols.
22/12/2017, Milan Bator [excerpt]
…the following duet of soprano Patricia Janeckova and tenor Ales Briscein, who sang Panis angelicus from the pen of the French composer Cesar Franck, also scored. What impressed me most about both artists was their musicality, precision, depth of expression and persuasiveness.
The carol Adeste fideles , which is attributed to John Francis Wade, was flown from America to England, performed by Patricia Janeckova, Ales Briscein, the NDM choir and orchestra. In this case, too, both soloists presented excellent performances with purposeful means of expression… the declamatory and breath-taking song Twelve Christmas Days by Frederic Austin was sung wonderfully by Patricia Janeckova. Janeckova’s colourful soprano does not tend to dazzle with power, but uses considerate and intelligent means of expression. It is balanced and refined throughout, the soprano also brilliantly dealt with the impetuous flow of speech.
The last two songs, Merry Christmas and We Wish you a Merry Christmas, were sung by the choir and all four soloists who gathered on stage at the end. The evening was not yet over, as the audience of the packed theatre found out with joy, because Jakub Klecker invited them to sing two Czech carols together.
©Association for Ostravan.cz 2013-2024.
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Patricia Janeckova will start the season of the Philharmonic and says: One thing has not changed for me, and that is the joy of singing
24/09/2018 Milan Bator
One of the greatest singing talents of today, the soprano Patricia Janeckova, will start a new concert season together with the Janacek Philharmonic in Ostrava. Before the concert, which will take place on Thursday, September 27, we asked Patricia for an interview. We talked about what’s in store for her, how important it is to rest and which music genres she prefers.
MB: At the opening concert of the Ostrava Janáček Philharmonic, you will sing the final scene from Leos Janacek’s opera The Adventures of the Vixen Bystrouska by Leos Janacek. How are you looking forward to it?
Patricia: I am very honored to have been invited to perform at the opening concert of the season. In Bystrouska, I have a small part of Zabacek, and in the next composition Moraviana, the composer Zdenek Merta entrusted me with the interpretation of the song Wandering Musicians.
M: On the ninetieth anniversary of Leos Janacek’s death in Klein’s sanatorium, Ostrava is commemorating him with a series of concerts. What place does Janacek’s music have in your heart?
P: I came across Leos Janacek’s songwriting during my studies at the conservatory. Of his opera works, the one closest to me at the moment is the opera Prihody lisky Brystrousky, from which I will sing the role that I mentioned at the JFO’s opening concert. But I hope that sooner or later this opera will be in my repertoire.
M: A few days ago, you sang in the project Sinfonia Fiseriana I, a musical-visual poem based on film and television music motifs by Lubos Fiser. Do you like watching movies? What genre do you prefer?
P: I don’t have much time left to watch movies, but if I have a spare moment, I like to watch romantic comedies or older Czech films, in which Lubos Fiser’s music plays a significant role.
M: In addition to brilliant film music, Lubos Fiser is the author of an extremely remarkable work. Is interpreting contemporary music one of your preferences?
P: I like to listen to contemporary classical music, but my heart is Italian bel canto.
M: In terms of genre, you operate in a very diverse repertoire – from baroque opera to contemporary film music. Is this stylistic plurality your goal? That is, are there any musical genres that you would rather avoid?
P: Yes, my goal is stylistic variety. It is understandable that some styles are closer to me. All the genres I have encountered so far have enriched and moved me in a certain way. For now, there isn’t one I want to avoid.
M: Are you still studying with Mrs. Eva Drizgova-Jirusova? I remember that it was this excellent soprano who jumped into opera and music right after the conservatory. Would you like to imitate her in this?
P: Yes, I am still studying under the guidance of Mrs. Eva Drizgova, now in my second year at the University of Ostrava. Of course, it cannot be compared, but I was already involved in the ‘music operation’, as you say, while studying at the conservatory. I performed in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, participated in music festivals at home and abroad. At that time I also completed my first opera experiences (Kominicek at the NDM, The Marriage of Figaro / Barbarina at the Kosice State Theatre, The Magic Flute / Pamina at the SND Bratislava or the festival staging of Handel’s opera Acis and Galatea with the Collegium Marianum ensemble).
M: Your Facebook profile is full of admiring comments, mostly from fans from abroad. They often send you quite amorous and personal messages. How does it make you feel?
P: These expressions of favour probably belong to the singer’s popularity, and I understandably take them very seriously. It is true that I have admirers from all over the world writing to me, and I am pleased that a significant part of my followers listen to classical music regularly. I really appreciate their interest and I am proud that there are quite a few of them who were led to listen to opera music by my singing.
M: Who do you see as your role model in your industry?
P: My great role model, and not only as a singer, is still my professor Eva Drizgova-Jirusova. And from the world stages, Anna Netrebko, Diana Damrau and others.
M: Your soprano is admired by a wide range of fans. It is interesting that it also attracts listeners who do not normally listen to opera and classical music. What do you have to do in order for your voice to work perfectly and not betray you? What is your daily vocal regime?
P: The most important thing for me is to be sufficiently rested, but you also need to take care of your voice with regular exercise. It is not possible without thorough and high-quality singing. I also can’t strain my voice too much. And of course, the basis is the correct singing technique.
M: What awaits you in this concert season? Do you have a busy concert calendar?
P: It’s quite fulfilling. I have to adapt the programme mainly to my study obligations at the university. In NDM , I am performing in the musical Romeo and Juliet for the second season, and for the first time I will sing Esmeralda in Bartered Bride. In October, I will perform at a concert for the 100th anniversary of the founding of Czechoslovakia in Kosice, and in November in Bratislava on Holocaust Day. In December, I should appear in Gong at a concert celebrating 100 years of culture in the Moravian-Silesian region. I am also very much looking forward to the concert in the church of St. John and Paul in Frydek-Mistek as part of the international festival “Souzneni”, where I will sing accompanied by the Pardubice group Barocco semper giovane.
At the turn of the year, I have three New Year’s concerts in Poznan with the Poznan Philharmonic. Next year, my long-standing collaboration with the Janacek Philharmonic will continue – for example, in May I will be a guest in the ‘Classics on the Screen’ concert series, and I will also continue to collaborate with the Baroque ensemble Collegium Marianum. I was again invited to perform at the autumn Lednice-Valtice music festival, and several performances abroad are also in the works. In addition, two weeks ago I auditioned for an interesting opera project in Rome.
M: You once wrote that in your childhood you didn’t have fear on stage at all. Do you ever struggle now?
P: It’s true, I didn’t know stage fright as a child, I just enjoyed singing. Along with maturity and gaining experience comes a sense of responsibility, criticism, doubts and nervousness. But one thing has not changed for me, and that is the joy of singing.
©Association for Ostravan.cz 2013-2024.
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Opening concert of the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra: Snow-white Janeckova, red-hot Kasik
28/09/2018, Milan Bator [excerpt]
On Thursday 27 September, the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra opened its sixty-fifth concert season. It did so in a venerable way: with music by Moravian composers and symphonic classics. The first half of the evening was impressive thanks to the great soloists: Jan Martinik, Patricia Janeckova and Martin Kasik delighted with their performances and showed that this region is a real incubator of talents…
Ostrava, and the whole of Northern Moravia and Silesia, are alive with the music of Leos Janacek this year. Dozens of concerts, projects and opera productions are reminiscent of this volcanic meteor composer, who was able to read human voices, faces and mental processes in a unique way and transformed them in an original way into suggestive, exact and artistically captivating musical stylization. From Janacek’s work, the audience first listened to the Final Scene from the opera The Cunning Little Vixen… in which soprano Patricia Janeckova sang a few tones.
After the orchestral introduction to Zdenek Merta’s Moraviana, Patricia Janeckova’s voice spread out into silence with natural beauty and unobtrusive unpretentiousness. The young soprano evidently has mastered the laws of song interpretation and has not deviated an inch from her simplified and transparent expression. Her singing touched the essence of the archetypal Moravian folk song. It may sound strange, but Janeckova’s Wandering Musicians sang with a kind of age-old beauty that erased age boundaries… Merta’s Moraviana gives the greatest opportunity to the piano – Patricia Janeckova’s soprano had a rather episodic role in the following verses – which culminated in the final clean vocal, but despite this, the young soprano managed to assert herself and sang her role uniquely.
©Association for Ostravan.cz 2013-2024.
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Patricia Janeckova will beautify the program of this year’s Souzneni
December 3, 2018
The noble singer Patricia Janeckova will be one of the stars of this year’s Souzneni [Harmony] festival. In the following interview, this charming vocalist from Ostrava reveals why she considers the concert in Frydek-Mistek, which will take place on December 13 in the church of St. John and Paul, to be unique. At the same time, you will also read how Patricia Janeckova usually spends the Christmas holidays and what she is planning for next year.
As part of the Souzneni festival, you will perform in a completely unique company, namely with the world-renowned violinist Hana Kotkova and the excellent chamber ensemble Barocco semper giovane. Why music connoisseurs should attend this concert, what would you entice them to do?
P: The program of the Christmas concert in Frydek-Mistek has been put together very carefully and will be truly exceptional. In my performance, for example, Bach’s cantata “Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen” or Vivaldi’s “Gloria Patri” for soprano, violin and continuo will be heard. I will meet Hana Kotkova, the Barocco semper giovane ensemble and the conductor Josef Krecmer for the first time and I am really looking forward to the collaboration. I believe that the special atmosphere of the concert will be enhanced by the fact that the Czech Radio will record the concert and broadcast it for all lovers of beautiful music at Christmas time, namely on December 25 from 12 to 1 p.m., on the Vltava station.
The concert in Frydek-Mistek will take place in the church of St. John and Paul. Do you like to sing in churches? What do you see as the biggest difference in singing in theatres, concert halls and churches? Do you perceive a different atmosphere in churches and the fact that they are sacred buildings?
P: Sacred buildings in the vast majority have excellent acoustics and it is no coincidence that they are increasingly sought after as concert venues, and that the vast majority of recordings of this music are made there. In addition, works of this orientation were usually composed directly for temple performance. And I am always grateful for the opportunity to sing in these spaces. The indescribable spiritual dimension of churches undoubtedly affects both the performers and the audience.
The Souzneni festival presents, among other things, Advent and Christmas customs. How are you doing with your Christmas customs?
P: I always spend Christmas with my closest family. It’s called the ‘holiday of peace and tranquility’, but like everywhere else, the pre-Christmas hustle and bustle reigns here. Christmas cleaning is the worst. But after all that comes a beautiful evening full of joy and love. We never particularly followed customs. No scale under the plate, no slicing of an apple, no casting of lead or shell boats. In short, just carols, gingerbread and potato salad, for which I would die.
You have also been performing in the Moravian-Silesian National Theatre in the role of Juliet in the musical Romeo and Juliet for about a year now. What do you see as the biggest plus of this role for your singing career?
P: The role of Julia greatly enriched me and moved me mainly as an actor. Until then, I had almost no experience with acting. I had to empathize with Julia and understand her. Realizing what love means to me, sympathizing with Romeo, being one body, one soul with him. We worked very intensively, we rehearsed with colleagues not only in the theater but also in our free time. I learned to sing musically, to use more chest register.
I also gain further acting experience at the Moravian Theater in Olomouc, where I am a guest in a drama troupe. First, in the village drama ‘Bozi mlyny’ by Jan Vrba, and now we are rehearsing the well-known Czech musical ‘The Hop Pickers’, which will premiere on January 25.
In 2014, you became the absolute winner of the worldwide singing competition Concorso Internazionale “Musica Sacra” in Rome. How important was this victory to your singing career?
P: Every such success, especially at the international level, means a certain career leap for the performer – it depends, of course, on the circumstances, but also on luck. Based on my victory in Rome, I received, for example, an internship at summer singing courses in Arezzo, Italy, or an invitation to perform at the international Terras Sem Sombra festival in Portugal. And, of course, international publicity and new professional contacts are related to this.
From the past back to the present. When you look back on this year and recapitulate, what would you emphasize?
P: First of all, I am happy that I fulfilled my study obligations and started my second year at the University of Ostrava in the fall, where I study opera singing under the guidance of Eva Drizgova-Jirusova. A significant one for me was my repeated return to Rome years later, where I successfully auditioned for the role of Gilda in the forthcoming film version of Verdi’s opera Rigoletto. The project should be implemented next year.
As far as concert work is concerned, I have had a number of very enriching and stimulating concert and festival performances, such as at the Rudolfinum with the Prague Symphony Orchestra Orchestra, at the Talentinum Zlin, at the Slovak festival Pro musica nostra, and my first recital with pianist Michal Barta at Zlata Koruna as part of the Summer Festival of the South Bohemian Philharmonic; also the opening concert of the Janacek Philharmonic Ostrava season, as well as performances with the Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic and the Baroque ensemble Collegium Marianum.
And what can your audience look forward to in the coming year?
P: I am currently preparing for two New Year’s gala concerts that await me at the turn of the year in Poznan with the Poznan Philharmonic under the baton of the renowned conductor Lukasz Borowicz, which I am really looking forward to. My collaboration with the Ostrava Janacek Philharmonic will continue, this time on the series of ‘Film Melodies’ concerts. I was once again approached by the director of the Lednice-Valtice music festival, where I will perform with the Collegium Marianum ensemble and the Barocco semper giovane orchestra. In the fall I also have a concert in the Prague Church of St. Simon and Jude – ‘Early Music’ with the Prague Symphony Orchestra. At the Moravian-Silesian National Theatre, Jiri Myron Theatre, the successful musical ‘Romeo and Juliet’ remains in the repertoire, and in May 2019 the opera ‘Così fan tutte’ will premiere, in which I will play the role of Despina. There are also several foreign performances currently in the works, and of course, as I already mentioned, I should be filming the film version of the opera Rigoletto in Rome.
Are you one of those people who make New Year’s resolutions? And what would be your wish for the next year both for yourself and for other people?
P: I make New Year’s resolutions, but secretly, just for myself. And then I will either praise myself or scold myself (laughter). I would like to be met with the most interesting musical challenges and for the music-loving audience to have many experiences with beautiful music.
©1993 – 2024 POLAR televize Ostrava, s.r.o
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Even at this elite level, reviewers can beg to differ. For Jan Venclik, Patricia’s opening performance was ‘muffled, lacklustre’, while for Ales Blum she was ‘technically perfect, with excellent tone creation’. Venclik mellowed subsequently however, making use of the terms ‘beautiful, proficient, enchanting’ while Blum remained effusive throughout.
Another example of the pressures accompanying live performance in this most extreme of technically demanding vocations.
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She is young, beautiful, with incredible singing talent. Who are we talking about?
It’s the soprano PATRICIA JANECKOVA (21), who is rightly considered one of the greatest talents of today. She fell in love with opera as a child and since her childhood triumph in a television competition nine years ago, she is living her dream. Thanks to concerts, she travels all over the world, but she doesn’t forget the Czech audience either. Soon she will be performing at the biggest classical music festival in our country.
You have been singing since you were a child. When did you begin to gravitate towards the opera?
P: I remember that when I was eight years old, I attended elementary art school and because of my young age I could only sing folk and non-classical songs. But I longed for something harder. So I tried the audition to the theatre, where I was accepted and joined the choir. Later, the solo roles began to appear.
Opera is one of the most difficult genres. Why did you choose that?
P: We always had a place for serious music at home, because dad plays contrabass with the Janacek Philharmonic Ostrava. As a curious child I listened to different things on CDs that I have at home. I found out that I was closer to the opera singing than the pop one. I started imitating it and it started to interest me so much, I realised that it’s really what’s most suited to me.
Who do you think you inherited your musical talent from?
P: I don’t know of anyone who sang in our family. It is said a paternal great-grandfather might sing at parties, but not any others that I know. But the music hearing and sense of intonation and rhythm definitely comes from dad.
Is there someone with whom you are consulting about singing and working with to progress?
P: From the age of twelve I have worked with Eva Drizgova – Jirusova, the first lady of opera in Ostrava. She took care of me after she heard me sing the spirit in The Magic Flute, and she has me under her wings to this day.
You were twelve years old when you won the entertainment TV show Talentmania. How has your life changed since then?
P: At that time I was still in elementary school and just singing as a pastime. Conservatory and college didn’t come until the moment I realised that I wanted to carry on this direction and devote my whole life to music. So it changed really in that I started to take the singing very seriously.
Various offers certainly started coming in after your triumph…
P: Yes. I started performing at various corporate events, later also with the Ostrava, Prague, Zlin and Pardubice Philharmonics. A big advantage is that it meant I was experiencing a lot of different things. The disadvantage is that I didn’t have that much time to spend with my peers, which made me miss a few experiences from childhood. But I didn’t really see it as a big problem.
A few years ago you started devoting time to the theatre. How different is it compared to the concert stage?
P: It is a lot of fun. I have already played an opera, a musical, and even a drama. I’m just missing an operetta (laughs). My theatre beginnings are connected with the musical Romeo and Juliet by Boris Urbanek which currently we are still playing in the Moravian-Silesian Theatre. In January though the derniere is waiting for us, so I’m a little sad about that. I attend the theatre in Olomouc, where I sing in the opera Cosi Fan Tutte by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. There are also more and more solo concerts thanks to cooperation with S.V.A.B. promotion, which is very fulfilling to me. In addition I am also performing with the baroque ensemble Collegium Marianum, but I also devote myself to other eras of music.
At the end of December, you will participate in the international classical music festival entitled Czech Touches of Music. Are you looking forward to it?
P: I’m really looking forward to it, because in the Smetana Municipal Hall of Prague there are perfect acoustics. I already had the opportunity in the past to sing there. The first aria I will perform will be by Friedrich von Flotow, The Last Rose, from the opera Martha or The Market at Richmond, then Olympia from the Tales of Hoffman by Offenbach. It’s very difficult but so beautiful that everybody wants it. Another work then will be Fruhlingsstimmen by Johann Strauss, which is also quite challenging, but I can’t wait.
How do you prepare for the concert?
P: My preparations are not dizzying. The repertoire I have already sung, so I don’t have to learn anything. The sheet music, lyrics, rhythm, everything I have gone through with my teacher so we only brush up on the technical things that are needed before going ahead with the concert.
Which language do you prefer to sing in?
P: Definitely in Italian. I love Italy and everything related to it. Maybe I should have been an Italian woman (laughs). But I enjoy also English, German and at the moment I’m starting with the French language. The only thing that I don’t yet have experience with is Russian.
Do you speak Italian fluently, or do you only use the language when singing?
P: I understand, but I’m not yet speaking it. I had Italian as part of the subjects in the conservatory but there were a lot of people there and I didn’t learn much. Currently I study Italian by myself.
You live in Ostrava. How are you managing to combine school and work in the Czech Republic and abroad?
P: I think it can be done because there are no longer such strict rules in college regarding attendance. Plus there are very willing and accommodating professors who understand that I also have my responsibilities, and they support me. Also my family, whom I don’t see that often because mom lives in Slovakia, but we still manage.
You are a young, beautiful woman who certainly does not need to seek the attention of men. You have your worshippers. Do they write to you?
P: Which worshippers do you mean? (laughs) I haven’t had that experience.
You really don’t get admiring messages from men?
P: Maybe yes, but I don’t know about it. I have blocked these options on social networks. But I like to read the comments people from all over the world on my official Facebook, who thank me for singing to them and that I give joy. To hear those words I am very pleased.
You also have time for your private life and fun with friends?
P: Definitely yes. Your friends you always find time for, I would not allow myself to neglect them. And to spend time on yourself too. In moments when I need to breathe I’m going to take a bath, watch a movie and just spend time doing nothing.
What kind of music do you like to listen to in your free time?
P: I especially like film music and piano and orchestral pieces. But I also enjoy even old hits from The Beatles, The Doors, Led Zeppelin and others. In summer I also like to go to festivals. It’s not just the classics I’m crazy about (laughs).
What are your dreams and goals for the future?
P: It is a very firm goal to finish college. I have a bachelor’s thesis waiting for me and a master’s degree in two years. And given that I’m not very studious, I have great concern about it. Otherwise I’m really looking forward to everything that will come, especially for large foreign trips. In negotiations there is a concert in Japan and also in India. I like to discover new things, new cultures and taste the food in these places.
Would you like to live abroad? Would that appeal to you?
P: Not currently. In time I won’t resist it, but for now I’m happy in the Czech Republic.
Petra SMIDOVA
©Anopress IT.
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Katerina Pincova 18/09/2020
…in [Regina Coeli] the vocal part of Patricia Janeckova dominated… this young soprano, who has been working with Collegium Marianum for a long time, excelled in this aria, which perfectly suits her light but sonorous and not too vibrato voice. The high technical maturity and the “fluency” of the voice, which sometimes mixes with the ability to colour the character of individual phrases, made this number a great experience…
because of the subsequent high expectations, it could be in the following choral numbers…. that the listener feels a slight disappointment…. we could hear a possibly disproportionate pressure on the vocal chords. But then an amazing transformation took place in the “da capo” of Zelenka’s aria, when the soprano dropped her voice into a softer position and let it play with individual notes, creating exactly the desired effect… which drew the audience into thunderous applause…
©operaplus-cz.
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A detailed background to this piece can be found on Studi Vivaldiani, commencing page 69. Warning: 156 page download.
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Milan Bator 29/12/2022
Patricia Janeckova is once again spreading joy by singing. It is challenging to regain the original strength and fitness, she says –
Patricia Janeckova returned to the boards of the Moravian-Silesian National Theatre in Ostrava after the first part of treatment for an insidious disease. Her lovely voice can also be heard on the current Christmas album of the well-known oboist Vilem Veverka. The Ostrava artist collaborated on the recording at a time when she was not into singing at all. But the talented soprano is a great fighter, moreover, she can support others herself. For example, a concert that will help the firefighters and policemen of the Moravian-Silesian region in January.
Several months have passed since the treatment you underwent in the fight against an insidious disease. Probably most people will be interested in how are you and how do you feel now?
P: As you rightly mentioned, the main part of the treatment is behind me. On the one hand, I feel happy and freed from the feelings and consequences of treatment that accompany a person when they have this disease in them. On the other hand, almost a year has passed and during that time I fell out of my normal work pace, which is not easy to jump back into. It is quite difficult to regain the original strength in the voice and overall physical condition. But I don’t give up.
You managed to get to your feet, you are incredibly brave. What is it like for you to return to the boards of the Moravian-Silesian National Theatre, where you are engaged?
P: Although I am engaged with the NDM, I am nevertheless in a musical ensemble. And the first role I got after my illness was, paradoxically, in an opera. I had the opportunity to play the role of Esmeralda in the production The Bartered Bride, which is ideal for the “return”. Its size is not that demanding, but it is very effective and gratifying, so I could not have asked for a better opportunity. In my home ensemble of musicals, I am waiting for beautiful returns to West Side Story , to the musical Flowers for Mrs. Harris, and I am also looking forward to the upcoming premiere of the beautiful title Sweeney Todd.
I saw you at the premieres of the musical Producers and productions of the Jonas and Tingle-Tangle cabaret, but this time in the audience. It seems that the theatre accompanies you almost every step of the way…
P: I try to be an honest viewer and if I can, I always like to support my musical colleagues from the audience. Another theatre whose premieres I never miss is the Arena Chamber Stage, where my partner is engaged. And I like to visit the Petr Bezruc Theatre on occasion. It is therefore not an exaggeration to say that I have theatre at work and at home…
Nevertheless, you also devote yourself to other areas of the singing industry. We can hear you, for example, on the new album of the most famous domestic oboist Vilem Veverka. How do you remember this collaboration and what songs did you sing on his Christmas album?
P: I had the honour of meeting Vilem Veverka for the first time at a joint concert as part of last year’s Smetanova Litomysl festival. Subsequently, I was approached to guest on his Christmas record, which I happily accepted. The result is classic compositions such as Ave Maria in a very interesting and original musical arrangement, as well as the well-known Czech carols Chtic, aby spal and Ticha noc . We filmed in May, i.e. at the most difficult stage of my treatment… Thanks to the relaxed and professional approach of everyone involved, the result is fantastic in my opinion and I am very happy for this cooperation and experience.
A lot of people have been through the battle with cancer with you. They supported you and helped you financially or with kind words and attention. Did it help you get through a tough time?
P: Of course, the illness made it impossible for me to work, which logically had a significant impact on my financial situation. In this regard, I am grateful for the existence of a transparent account within the For Artists Endowment Fund, which literally saved me. I also greatly appreciate the warm words of support and messages from here and abroad. However, the truth is that not all messages were nice. This is probably part of human nature.
What about Christmas this year? Can you tell us how things went with Patricia Janeckova?
P: I really enjoyed Advent this year and was really looking forward to Christmas. As a result, the holidays were magical, after all, like every year. It is not by chance that this period is said to be magical. I tried to eliminate the pre-Christmas frenzy in the malls, which paid off. The reward was peaceful days in a very close family circle. In short, exactly the way I like it.
In support of you, the Cas pro zivot concert organized by Radio Cas will take place on January 7 at the Evangelical Christ Church in Ostrava. How can people help you?
P: People will help the most by coming. An important and beautiful part of the concert is the fact that the funds from the entrance fee will go partly to support my treatment and partly to the Police and Firefighters Foundation. However, for me personally, it is also very important that I have the opportunity to do what I like the most again – that is to sing in front of a full hall. Visitors can also look forward to other guests from among my colleagues from the NDM musical ensemble.
In the next part of the concert, other very interesting bands will perform.
P: Yes, among other things, it will also be the well-known band Cechomor.
Are they among your favourite bands? What kind of music do you actually listen to, if it’s not classical and musical?
I admit that contemporary Czech music is a bit outside my sphere of interest. My profession predisposes me to listen to so much music that in my spare time my favourite band is silence and peace. And if I have to choose one example for all, it is the rock band Led Zeppelin, which is far from a classic, but for me it is a balm for the soul. Even for the ears.
I had to look for other performers of the Radio Cas concert: for example, I unfortunately did not know the electric string trio Inflagranti. However, the program also attracts singers from the Moravian-Silesian National Theatre. Who exactly will it be?
P: As already said, my favourite colleagues will be Martina and Lukas Vlcek, Hana Fialova and Tomas Krpec. I am glad that these exceptional artists decided to support not only me, but also the important components of the police and fire department. The result will definitely be worth it. We look forward to seeing you!
©Association for Ostravan.cz 2013-2024.
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https://monitoring.anopress.cz/orig/MyOrig?h=69249269
MY WORLD STOPPED 16/03/2023
Young Front Magazine TODAY – SCARLETT WILKOVA
PATRICIA JANECKOVA Child Miracle. That’s what was said about her when she won the Talentmania competition. She was twelve, she sang opera arias with ease, and Karel Gott, Peter Dvorsky and other stars expressed their amazement. Surviving success at such a young age was a tough test. However, she underwent a much harder one now.
– What do you remember from the day you found out you had a tumor in your breast?
P: I remember everything from that day exactly. It was last year on January 31st, a Monday. And it was beautiful. The sun was shining, the roads and trees were frozen, so everything glistened in the sunshine. The doctor called me saying that I should come as soon as possible to get the results, because she can’t tell me them on the phone. My partner drove me to her. I remember that when I came out of the ambulance, it was already cloudy. These are details that I will probably remember for the rest of my life.
– Can such a report be believed at all at the age of twenty-three?
P: Maybe age doesn’t play that much of a role. You never want to hear this information.
– I understand, but there is still a difference when a woman in her sixties hears it and when she is twenty-three, isn’t there?
P: Of course it was a huge shock. At first I wondered if I would be able to have children. If I ever get over it. Initially, the doctor told me that it was inflammation of the mammary gland. Well… it wasn’t. I went for another examination. I drove calmly for the results, I didn’t think I could hear such bad news. Within minutes, my life completely turned around. And even in such a situation you have to be stronger than others.
– As in?
P: You have the task of informing your loved ones.
– Which method did you choose?
P: My partner was waiting for me at the hospital in the car, so he was the only one who heard it face to face. Mom and sister live in Bratislava, so there was no other option but to call. I also called my singing teacher and manager. The reactions were completely different. In such a situation, it becomes clear who can cope with bad news and how. Of course, my mother took it the worst, I had to calm her down. But I’m not the type to break down, so I told everyone that we have to take it as a fact and believe that it will be good.
– It’s paradoxical that the sick usually behave more bravely than us, who don’t know how to react, what to say.
P: But that’s natural. No one hears news like this normally, it’s always a premiere.
– In what situation did the disease catch you? Did you have a lot of work, big plans?
P: I was cast in the lead role at the Antonin Dvorak Theatre in Ostrava, I was supposed to play Smetana’s Two Widows. That was the first big thing I had to let go of. Another one got me a little confused while studying in college. I had the lead role at the State Opera in Prague in the opera Ball at the Savoy Hotel, and I wrote it as a topic for my master’s thesis. Since I couldn’t rehearse and then even perform, I lost the topic for my master’s thesis at the same time. Of course, there were many other concerts in the framework of various festivals before me. Everything had to be interrupted.
I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO LONG HAIR – You quite openly shared the progress of the treatment on social networks. Is it because it’s normal for your generation to share everything, or was there another reason?
P: I knew from the beginning that I would not hide the disease. I didn’t want anyone to have the feeling that I was cancelling the show just because I was lazy. At the same time, I’m not one to pour my heart out publicly, so I decided to share the disease in a purely informative way. I wrote what awaits me each week, what I have accomplished. I kept my emotions for those closest to me. I didn’t share what I was really experiencing because it was incommunicable anyway.
– You also showed rather rough pictures when you are in the hospital, without hair…
P: It took me about three months before I decided to publish the picture. Let’s face it, hair is important to us women. When a woman chooses to cut her hair short or shave her head of her own volition, voluntarily, it is different from being forced to do so by treatment. The feedback was positive. People still tell me that short hair looks good on me, but for me, short hair is a reminder of the bad I’ve been through. Takes me back to a bad time. I’m looking forward to having my long hair again.
– Until then, everything seemed to be going exceptionally well for you, you were said to be a child prodigy. Was it so, or was it more about appearances from the outside?
P: It didn’t feel like I was doing anything special. I sang because I enjoyed it and I was good at it. I would definitely not call myself a prodigy, but maybe it could seem that way to some. I started singing at the age of four, basically the same as other kids in the choir. My parents signed me up for various clubs, but I gradually left them and stayed with singing. Over time, elementary art school wasn’t enough for me, I wanted to sing something harder, but it wasn’t possible there.
– Why?
P: Singing teachers must follow a certain curriculum. It is precisely given which repertoire belongs to which year. And I always wanted to sing something heavier. At the age of eight, I auditioned for Lena Zivocka, who runs the children’s opera studio at the Dvorak Theatre, then I entered the conservatory, then the Faculty of Arts of the University of Ostrava, where I studied opera singing. For years, I have been taught by the same professor, the first lady of the Ostrava Opera, Eva Drizgova. My beginnings were completely ordinary, everything came over time.
– After all, it’s not usual for a little girl to sing opera arias. Weren’t you a little exotic among your peers?
P: Sometimes I made them laugh. But opera was natural for me. My father is a double bassist in the Janacek Philharmonic, the mother used to play the violin. Since I was a child, they took me to the theatre and to concerts, we had a large collection of CDs with classical music at home. I listened to them, I liked the music better than what was on the radio.
I WAS SHY – Children who devote themselves to a field intensively and at a high level sometimes say after a while that they lost their so-called ordinary childhood. Wasn’t that your case too?
P: It was at the expense of childhood. I spent little time with my peers. I often went to performances, I always had to learn something new. And learning mathematics and physics in elementary school was hell for me. I seemed to have everything going well and a great life, but it was challenging at times.
– How did you manage to win Talentmania? You were only twelve and suddenly you were giving interviews, you were being talked about and written about everywhere.
P: The competition itself was fine. I always came, sang, bowed and left again. I didn’t mind it at all, I enjoyed singing and I didn’t care if I won or not. I was still a child. After the victory, a more difficult chapter began. I was not used to cameras, cameras, voice recorders. I couldn’t talk to adults, I was shy.
– Did you enjoy the success at all?
P: To some extent. Interesting offers came, my life changed. I sang with Peter Dvorsky, with Adam Plachetka, Karel Gott christened my CD. This is actually incomprehensible to me to this day and I appreciate it very much. I had the opportunity to sing with the Czech Philharmonic, the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Zlin, Brno, and Ostrava Philharmonic Orchestras. These are huge bodies and standing in front of them is an experience, even greater for a child. It is a great power and a hard to describe feeling when a big orchestra is playing behind you.
– Didn’t you go through a period when you started to miss not hanging out with your friends like other girls at fifteen or sixteen?
P: I stopped enjoying singing at the conservatory, it seemed like I was burning out. I felt certain pressures and started to ask myself: Am I doing this primarily for myself or for someone else?
– What do you mean by pressure?
P: For example, I took part in the Peter Dvorsky competition in Karlovy Vary, it is a very well-known singing competition. I finished third, which was a huge achievement because I was singing in a higher age group than I should have been. When I came back, some people around me asked why I wasn’t the first. Everyone kept telling me I was the best, and suddenly I wasn’t the first. Third place was a huge success for me. But few appreciated it.
– This is similar to when athletes describe how frustrating they are when everyone keeps expecting them to perform at their best.
P: It is similar. Expectations tend to be high. In addition, I had a fairly strict upbringing. My parents didn’t just let me out, and in retrospect, I understand that. It is good to have the child under control. On the other hand, it is necessary to maintain some measure. So I tried to catch up with everything when I moved away from my parents.
ALWAYS ON THE ROAD – Have you ever wondered if the constant pressure to perform and a lot of responsibilities did not bring stress and if it could be one of the causes of illness?
P: The doctors told me that there could be many factors, but it’s true that I didn’t have much time for myself. My life once consisted of packing a suitcase, going somewhere, singing there, then driving back, washing my things, packing another suitcase and going again. There is a lot of talk about stress these days. It might have had some influence, but it might not have. I don’t know. There’s no point in looking back on it. I want to remember the good things that I experienced thanks to travelling. I performed in various places in Europe, an unforgettable experience was a work trip to Mexico. When I was sixteen, I won a sacred music competition in Rome. I also like to remember that, thanks to that I was in Rome for the first time, which I fell in love with.
– How is life for you now?
P: I am shortly after the end of treatment. I try to have more time for myself. I returned to the Jiri Myron Theatre, where I was a guest before. We just premiered the musical Sweeney Todd: The Devil’s Barber. I’m dusting off older productions, more are coming. I missed the theatre. Even during the most difficult chemotherapy that took place last spring, when I was totally drained, I missed it so much that when I just gained a little strength, I went to play two shows. I remember my colleagues wondering what I was doing there when I was sick. But the shows helped me, they gave me hope to come back.
– What was it like to slow down from the original hectic life?
P: Our life is very fast. We are always in a hurry, we are working. Suddenly you are lying at home and have time to think. You have to save your strength for each next day. It was as if my world had stopped, but it was running normally. What I once considered natural was suddenly rare. I imagined what it would be like if I could pick myself up, go somewhere, experience something there. The normal thing of going out has become extraordinary. I had to keep my distance from people, my immunity was basically zero, anything that could endanger me. A minimum of people came to me, and even then in masks.
– What gave you the most hope?
P: My partner. He didn’t give up, he went through it with me, even though he knew he was going to have a tough year. He did it brilliantly. He is an actor in the Arena Chamber Stage, of course he had to work. When there was a threat that I would have to be home alone for a long time, my mother would sometimes come from Bratislava. Our two dogs also helped me.
– Which do you have?
P: We have an older hybrid who already likes his peace. When I got sick, we bought a Dalmatian puppy so that there would be joy, energy and life at home.
I TRUSTED THE DOCTORS – What did the treatment actually entail?
P: Sixteen chemo treatments. Basically, I was always in the hospital from January to July. I had surgery in August. After a month of recovery, I started radiation. This went on for a month, every day except weekends. I also drank various supporting teas and juices, but I decided to trust doctors and modern medicine above all.
– Did you feel like it was a lost year?
P: At first I thought I would lose a lot of time. But then some moments dragged on endlessly and others went by nicely. I was also afraid that I would not get back into the shape I was in before the illness.
– Like you won’t sing so well anymore?
P: I was emaciated, I weighed under fifty kilos after chemotherapy. Opera singing is hard work, so I wasn’t sure if I could do it. Vocal chords are a muscle, they need training. It’s similar to when a runner doesn’t train, he also runs less. So now I’m starting to struggle. I need to get back in shape to tighten everything up physically. But it’s getting started. I have offers for some festivals. Maybe in a year I’ll be where I was.
– Was there anything good about that year? When someone survives a serious illness, they sometimes say that their view of the world has changed.
P: There was probably nothing good about it. Maybe it’s that I’ve learned to take time for myself. I also learned who is worth being with and who is not. Well, if I helped someone who is going through the same thing by sharing the disease, I would be happy about that.
CLOSE UP — Brave; The first time we spoke, it was her first big interview after winning the competition. She was slightly embarrassed and unsure. She laughs. She even remembers where it was and what she was wearing. Someone completely different is sitting in front of me now. And although we have a much more difficult and unpleasant topic, she is no longer embarrassed or uncertain. It is known that she does not easily talk about some things, but she decided to handle it. She is already a young lady who is not easily thrown off.
©anopress.cz
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20.
Book and author:
Die zentrale Steuerung des bewussten Gesangs am Tonsitz.
Author: Brigit Franke-Borries
ISBN 978-3-347-41043-5
Publisher: Tredition, Hamburg, 2021
Title:
German:
Die zentrale Steuerung des bewussten Gesangs am Tonsitz.
Für alle Stimmlagen, Leistungsstufen und Gesangsrichtungen.
English:
The central control of singing using conscious voice placement.
For all vocal ranges, performance levels, and singing styles.
(see: https://vocalwisdom.com/voice-placement/ )
The author:
Birgit Franke-Borries studied classical singing, musical theatre, and vocal pedagogy at the Carl Maria von Weber Academy of Music in Dresden and subsequently worked for 11 years at the Dresden State Operetta. After leaving the former GDR, she worked freelance as a state-certified vocal teacher, giving individual lessons and courses, thus boasting many years of successful experience in vocal training, vocal pedagogy, speech training, and voice therapy.
Summary:
This textbook was created though there are now sufficient textbooks, documentations, and courses on the functions involved in singing and the physiological processes. But there are no usable documents or illustrations on how and where the singer can activate them to produce a healthy, freely vibrating, pure, beautiful, sustained, modulated, and expressive voice that resonates dynamically up to the high registers in the vocal seat without tension or poor posture.
The findings to date are primarily thanks to interested ENT (ear, nose, throat) specialists. This is true and important, and yet not surprising that they are of only limited use in vocal training. Especially since they have led to some erroneous speculations and interpretations of vocal technique – and continue to do so. I also believe that teachers dealing with singing voices, in addition to their vocal pedagogical and artistic responsibilities, should at least be familiar with the most important physical and physiological processes in their context and effects.
Content:
Preface 5
Content 7
Introduction 11
Title of the book 13
With the opera reform to dynamic classical singing 24
Beginning from scratch 29
Voice related movements of the vocal cords 34
Gifts of nature for the singer 38
Well educated singers are artists 39
Central control using conscious voice placement 39
Dynamic sound-related classical singing technique 43
The preconditions 44
Vocal cords require subglottic air pressure 61
Why learn the dynamic vibration technique 68
Mental singing makes learning easier 69
Only with real singing 82
Emotions are the driving force behind singing 83
Why warm-up singing 91
Healthy vocal training is always needed 98
Classical vocal training 102
Well-trained singers are specialists 104
Various explanations of vocal technique 112
Missteps and maladaptations 117
Non-closing vocal cords 136
Functional vocal disorders of the singing voice 137
Questions 138
Different vowel openings 140
My development 146
Reminiscence 151
Literature 154
single Pages:
Page 104:
Well-trained singers are specialists in virtuoso and dramatic sound production.
To do this, like any sound artist, they first get to know their instrument. The only difference is that the violin, piano, trumpet, etc., has already been perfectly crafted by a qualified professional — while the singer must first learn to perceive themselves as a sound instrument that is fully integrated into a naturally
occurring vibration process.
Therefore, classical singing lessons always at first focus on recognizing and removing incorrect tensions that inhibit vibration and movement, in order to change them in favour of freely vibrating physical, mental, and emotional behaviours.
Regarding this, they seek out well-trained singing teachers who, in addition to their artistic and vocal pedagogical flair, support them with knowledge, patience, and empathy as they learn this dynamic art of singing, so that the “right” chemistry develops.
And they search for singers on television or YouTube who have mastered this free flowing art of singing, so that they enjoy experiencing these vocal artists live in an opera, concert, musical, or festival.
Page 105:
Here are a few examples:
Elsa Dreisig & Romain Louveau with “Youkali” by Kurt Weill.
Asmik Grigorian sings “O Mio. Bambino Caro” from the opera Gianni Schicchi by Giacomo Puccini.
Eberhard Büchner sings “The Grail Narration” from the opera “Lohengrin” by Richard Wagner.
Anna Netrebko sings (2007) “Rusalka” by Antonin Dvorak
Asmik Grigorian sings the “Song to the Moon” by A. Dvorak
A brief note to this song: Here, too, the highest note of the song does not require a high breath if it is struck after a sound related inhalation, with increased force at the pitch seat of the hard palate.
Here you can witness the development of a young singer:
Talent 2010, 12-year-old Patricia Janeckova sings “Once upon a time in the west”
In 2017, Patricia Janeckova sings “Laudate Dominum” by W. A.Mozart
In 2018/19, Patricia Janeckova sings “Ceny Jantar” and other works.
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La Celestia 