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Artist: Janoska Ensemble
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Janoska Ensemble:

Vivaldi - The Four Seasons in Janoska Style

The Janoska Ensemble, one of the world's most innovative ensembles, is happy to announce the release of their fourth studio album: an exciting new interpretation of Antonio Vivaldi's timeless masterpiece “The Four Seasons / Le Quattro Stagioni”. This album marks another milestone in the ensemble's impressive career and will once again delight music lovers far beyond the classical world.

Vivaldi's works were deliberately chosen as baroque music provides an ideal basis for the Ensemble’s unique “Janoska Style” - characterized by virtuoso improvisations and cross-genre fusions. This style is particularly evident in the art of improvisation, which has become a trademark of the ensemble since it was founded. The four violin concertos shine in a completely new light thanks to the orchestral splendor of the ensemble and will be an integral part of their live repertoire in the future.
The Janoska Ensemble takes it even further: each movement of the Four Seasons is enriched by newly composed passages by ensemble member František Janoska, which are brought to life with breathtaking virtuosity by Ondrej, Roman and Julius. Vivaldi's original sonnets serve as a central theme and the musicians interpret not only the seasons, but also cultural change over the centuries. This artistic approach combines classical heritage with contemporary interpretation in a fascinating way.
In addition to their musical achievements, the Janoska Ensemble has performed on four continents and delighted audiences worldwide. Their two previous albums on Deutsche Grammophon have also achieved gold status, underlining the exceptional quality and popularity of their music.

Janoska Ensemble:

The Big B's

As broad-ranging and eclectic as its repertoire may be, the Janoska Ensemble always stands for a very special sound that offers audiences an intimate combination of sensuality and sophistication, airiness and precision. This miracle is based on the fact that the interpretations of the Bratislava-born brothers Ondrej, František and Roman Janoska, who have been making music together since childhood, also mysteriously evoke a kind of phylogenetic echo of the joys, sorrows and ecstasies of preceding generations. As a double bass player, Julius Darvas, who married into the dynasty, provides the very special zest that makes our trademark family sound even more appealing. Their sensuous ensemble sound is characterised by the way as a group they constantly oscillate between exploring their origins and curiosity about the unheard and unplayed.

When looking for a basic idea for their third album, the ensemble started from their own strength in improvising. The musicians asked themselves who the greatest improvisers in classical music were and came up with the names Bach, Beethoven and Brahms, whom they view as the main role models for the ensemble, yes, even their patron saints. Then they looked a little into the modern age, and immediately took Bernstein, Bartók and Brubeck on board. Then it was time for the test. With the Janoska Ensemble, playful gestures are also the result of profound reflection and concentrated improvisation by the four musicians. The sensuousness of this music is also a perfect fit for the curvy silhouette of the eponymous Latin letter B, which is originally from the Proto-Sinitic (or Proto-Chinese) alphabet and was used by Canaanite migrant workers around 1700 B.C. In its original form, the B resembled a house with an exit. The Phoenicians referred to the letter as bet, meaning “house.” This is an apt association for an ensemble whose musical foundations were laid some 150 years ago. As with the Proto-Sinitic B, the door remains open. This makes constant change possible. And so the boundaries between what is familiar and what is strange are blurred in a subtle way. Genres and styles sometimes dissolve in a manner that is light-hearted, then soulful.

Janoska Ensemble:

Revolution

The Janoska Ensemble continues to cut its own path in the classical world on their new album, Revolution. The album features works by Bach, Kreisler, Wieniawski, and the Beatles, from whom the Janoska Ensemble draws inspiration: "Just as the Beatles revolutionized pop music, we want, if you like, to revolutionize classical music. When we play classical music, we bring back the tradition of free improvisation that was taken for granted in Baroque times."