17th of November, 2019, 30 years from the Velvet Revolution, famous victory as one point in history but thirty year journey to fight it, victory of ideals but long-term process of their realization. Polemic on social and human values, which keep the democracy healthy and functioning, discussion over the threats, risk factors and power manifestation, which lead the democratic building to fall. What really means the word freedom? How freedom bounds us to keep it alive?
We put all these layers into our Keys of Freedom, which came to light from professional artistic cooperation within our Institute freedom. We created life sequence of music, dance and visual, which offered the audience the insight to key moments of past times, key threats for democracy, key values, which constitute democracy, and experience these esthetically and emotionaly, enter the atmosphere of the time and truly feel it inside themselves…
Great composition Crux by Czech author Luboš Fišer for violin solo and percussion played by Jana Kubánková and Daniel Mikolášek opened the whole evening. This composition was written as a protest to the process of violation of nation by normalisation raising after the entrance of the Warsaw Contract Armies to our country in 1968. An authorial video by visual artist Pavel Tichoň tied up thematically. In six minutes audience could watch ver originally defined key moments of the past 50 years of politics in our country, with taste of satire and light overstatement.
Composition by Martin Hybler “Oligarch, the Globalizer” with great dance choreography of Šimon Kubáň followed. This composition was created about 14 years ago as a vision of potential threat of people entering the high leves of society and politics with aim to capture the power by their money and destroying democracy. The character of Oligarch was performed by Šimon Kubáň, played by IMUZA Company with conductor Martin Hybler.
Ten minutes of fresh old american jazz followed. Bohemia Saxophone Quartet captured the audience with great but smooth sound and beautiful musical characters. During the whole composition audience could watch a presentation of famous citations of world leading personalities about democracy. Old American jazz was an inspiration but also a symbol of freedom for our country so this performance was more than symbolic part of the programme.
Second authorial video by Pavel Tichoň followed. This work was named “Key Keys” and dealed with key human values we should open in ourselves on the way to reach freedom and democracy.
At the very end of the programme an arrange of old St.Wenceslav Chorus by Martin Hybler named “Veritas vincit – Verity wins” was played by IMUZA Company, on canvas audience could see the pictures of famous and key demonstrations on Wenceslav Square in Prague as a symbol of national fight for truth and freedom.
Keys of Freedom were presented on festive evening of 30th Anniversary of the Velvet Revolution in city Turnov, Czech Republic.
Photos by Ester Havlová.