Harafica Symphonic
Harafica Symphonic is a project by Petr Gablas, written in 2016–2017 for the band's anniversary and the composer's own thirtieth birthday. It brings together the originality and sound of the Harafica cimbalom band and a full symphony orchestra.
The programme draws on folk poetry. The composer works with lyrics and melodies from the song collections of František Sušil, František Bartoš and other great collectors of folk songs from Moravia and Slovakia. He also takes inspiration from composers whose work grew out of folk music – Leoš Janáček, Béla Bartók, Pablo Sarasate and others. From Janáček, for example, he uses parts of the Suite for Strings and combines them with folk songs in their authentic form, which Janáček himself arranged for piano and solo voice.
Béla Bartók's Romanian Folk Dances for small orchestra are a highlight too. In them Bartók set dances from Transylvania, combining the dances as local folk musicians might once have played them with his own art.
Two vocal soloists take part: Kristýna Daňhelová, an actress of the Brno City Theatre, and Tomáš Koláček, one of today's musical and vocal talents.
Together, the two ensembles and the soloists make for tremendous musical power and positive energy.