Sylvie Bodorová facts for kids
Sylvie Bodorová (born December 31, 1954, in České Budějovice) is a famous Czech composer. She has written many different kinds of music since the late 1970s. Her pieces include music for solo instruments and large orchestras. Cities, festivals, and groups worldwide have asked her to create new music for them. She also helped start a Czech classical music group called Quattro in 1996.
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About Sylvie Bodorová
Sylvie Bodorová studied music composition at important schools in the Czech Republic. These included the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno and the Music and Dance Faculty in Prague. She also continued her studies in other countries, like Gdańsk and Siena, Italy. Later, she learned from Professor Ton de Leeuw in Amsterdam.
Sylvie Bodorová taught music at the Janáček Academy. In the 1990s, she was a visiting professor at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in the United States. She first visited the U.S. in 1993 for a special week at Miami University in Ohio. You can find many of her music scores in the University of Cincinnati's music library.
Her Music Around the World
Sylvie Bodorová's music has been played on every continent, even in Antarctica! In 1997, her guitar piece "Homage to Columbus" was performed there. She has won several awards for her music. Many places have asked her to write new pieces. For example, the Warwick Festival in the UK asked her for several works. These included Megiddo - Piano Trio in 2001 and Terezin Ghetto Requiem in 1998.
In 1999, she wrote music for Buenos Aires (Concierto de Estío for Guitar and Orchestra) and for Bochum, Germany (Saturnalia for Orchestra). After her Terezín Ghetto Requiem was very successful, the Prague Spring International Music Festival asked her to create a large work called Juda Maccabeus. This was performed in St. Vitus Cathedral in May 2002. Her Concerto dei fiori for Violin and Strings was first played at the Prague Spring Festival in 1997.
Her Terezin Ghetto Requiem for Baritone and String Quartet was performed in many places. These included Warwick and London in the UK, Berlin, and the Prague Spring Festival. In 2003, she wrote Mysterium druidum for Harp and Strings. This was for the Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival. For the same festival in 2012, she composed Rotationes for clarinet, violin, viola, and cello.
She also wrote Concerto for Violin, Viola and Strings for Camerata Bern. This piece was performed in Bern and Germany in 2005. In 2006, her piano concerto Come d'accordo was first played by the Prague Philharmonia. She also created a song cycle called Slovak Songs for famous singers Štefan Margita and Gabriela Beňačková. Another work, Amor tenet omnia, was performed in Luxembourg and France in 2007.
The oratorio Moses was first played in 2008 at the International Litomyšl Smetana Festival. In 2009, she wrote Carmina lucemburgiana for strings. This was a special request from the government of Luxembourg. In 2012, she finished Lingua angelorum, a song cycle for baritone and orchestra. This piece was inspired by Rudolf II and written for the singer Thomas Hampson. She also arranged Antonín Dvořák's Gypsy Melodies for Thomas Hampson. This was first played in Vienna in 2013.
Quattro and Other Interests
Sylvie Bodorová was part of Quattro, a group of Czech composers started in 1996. The group also included Otmar Mácha, Luboš Fišer, and Zdeněk Lukáš. She is also involved in helping restore the birthplace of the famous composer Gustav Mahler in Kaliště, Czech Republic.
Sylvie Bodorová has also written and arranged many pieces especially for children. Her music often includes parts that remind you of Johann Sebastian Bach's music. She also uses rhythms from Roma and Eastern European music, as her family has roots in Hungary.
Selected Compositions
Operas
- The Legend of Catharine of Redern, a long opera first performed in 2014.
Orchestral and Concerto Works
- Plankty, Music for viola and orchestra (1982)
- Pontem video, Concerto for organ, strings, and timpani (1983)
- Concerto dei fiori, Concerto for violin and strings (1996)
- Saturnalia for large orchestra (1999)
- Juda Maccabeus, a big oratorio for singers and orchestra (2002)
- Mysterium druidum, Concerto for harp and strings (2003)
- Come d'accordo, Concerto for piano and orchestra (2006)
- Moses, a large oratorio for singers and orchestra (2008)
- Symphony No 1 "Con le campane" for large orchestra (2011)
Chamber Music
Chamber music is written for a small group of instruments.
For Strings
- Giľa Rome, a meditation for solo viola (1980)
- Dža more, a Gypsy ballad for solo violin (1990)
- Megiddo for violin, cello, and piano (2001)
- Terezín Ghetto Requiem for baritone and string quartet (1998)
- Rotationes for clarinet, violin, viola, and cello (2012)
For Winds
- Saluti da Siena per clarinetto solo (1981)
- Panamody for flute and piano (1986)
- Vertumnus, five pieces for brass quintet (2004)
Vocal and Vocal-Instrumental Works
These pieces include singing.
- Terezín Ghetto Requiem for baritone and string quartet (1998)
- Ama me, a song cycle for baritone or mezzo-soprano and piano (1999)
- Sadaj, slnko, sadaj – The Setting Sun, seven Slovak folk songs for voices, harp, and piano (2005)
- Amor tenet omnia, three pieces for mixed choir, two pianos, and percussion (2007)
Guitar Works
- Baltic miniatures for solo guitar (1979)
- Violet diary for solo guitar, written for children (1985)
- Elegy for guitar solo – Homage to Columbus (1988)
- Concierto de Estío for guitar and strings (1999)
Harp, Piano, Organ Works
- Musica per organo (1982)
- Fade-outs, a fresco for solo piano (1987)
- Mysterium druidum for harp and strings (2003)
- Three Sonnets Sonata for Piano (2013)
Music for Children
Sylvie Bodorová has a special interest in writing music for young people.
- Cat colouring book for piano (1974)
- Tůňka – Small swimming hole, a small opera ballet for children (1976)
- Violet diary Cycle of children compositions for children (1985)
- Carousel for piano (2000)
Selected Recordings
Many of Sylvie Bodorová's works have been recorded. Here are a few examples:
- Jana Jarkovská - flute (2022), featuring pieces like Danza del diavolo and Hélios.
- Kristina Fialová - viola (2021), includes Gila Rome for viola solo.
- Jitka Hosprová, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra (2020), features Planctus for Viola and Orchestra.
- Trio Clavio (2018), includes Vallja e malit - Dancing Mountain.
- Kateřina Englichová – Fire Dance (2009), featuring Mysterium druidum for Harp and Strings.
- Quattro plays Quattro (2008), includes Bern concerto and Concerto dei fiori.
- Juda Maccabeus (2004)
- Never broken (2004), features Terezín Ghetto Requiem.
- Prague Guitar Concertos (1996), includes Tre canzoni da suonare.
