Experimental Studio Bratislava Series 1-2-3

Prezentácia LP/CD (krst) Experimental studio series 1-2-3
Ex Tempre – vysielané 10.4.2015, Rádio Devín

: Ex Tempore – Radio DEVIN – Culture, art and classical music. 3rd channel of the Slovak National Radio

Experimental Studio Bratislava Series 1-2-3

Prof. PhDr. Ľubomír Chalupka, PhD.

Experimental Studio Bratislava Series music

EXS Bratislava presentation LP 4
LP/CD Exs Bratislava Presentation LP/CD
LP/CD Exs Bratislava Presentation LP/CD
LP/CD Exs Bratislava Presentation LP/CD
LP/CD Exs Bratislava Presentation LP/CD
LP/CD Exs Bratislava Presentation LP/CD
LP/CD Exs Bratislava Presentation LP/CD
LP/CD Exs Bratislava Presentation LP/CD
Peter Dogwiler, Ľubomír Chalupka
Peter Doggwiler, Ľubomír Chalupka

Different music…

The socio-cultural situation and the ideological relations of the 50s and 60s of the 20th century were not favourable for modern compositional lines and techniques in Slovakia. In spite of this, a new avant-garde-oriented generation of composers grew up, represented by names such as llja Zeljenka, Roman Berger, Ladislav Kupkovič, Peter Kolman, Pavol Šimai, Jozef Malovec, Miro Bázlik, and Ivan Parík, along with the new generation of musicologists such as Ivan Mačák, Peter Faltin and Miroslav Filip, all of whom tried to catch up with what was missed and to keep up with the development in the rest of Europe. While composers in Paris, Cologne, Tokyo and in Warsaw were well-equipped, working from quality electronic studios, the Slovak composers were experimenting with sound on simple commercial “Sonet duo” tape recorders made by the Czechoslovak Tesla brand, as well as on borrowed four-track mixing-desks at home. They sharpened not only their acoustic and analytical abilities but a new composition technique as well – the technique of collage. Later on, they transformed their initial work experiences with sound into composing and providing sound for films at the Sound Studio of Czechoslovak Television in Bratislava (c. 1961-1969) which, however, under pressure from management, soon turned its attention away from experimentation in electroacoustic music.

Soon, however, Triková réžia (1964) – a newly established audio workstation of the Czechoslovak Broadcast in Bratislava, originally establishedat the initiative of Slovak directors – lent composers a helping hand. In 1965, Triková réžia acquired the official status of electroacoustic studio and from then the formation of the Experimental Studio of the Czechoslovak Broadcast in Bratislava (knows as Exs Bratislava) can be dated. The founding team of Exs consisted of Peter Kolman as director, and Peter Janík as sound engineer in 1968, the creative team was broadened sound engineer Jan Backstuber. Thus, the fifty years of Exs tradition began to unfold, on the ground of which several generations of composers and sound engineers alternated. In this regard two additional studio members need to be mentioned: Víťazoslav Kubička, script editor of Exs (1980-1991) who can be credited for the revival of production and presentation of electroacoustic music (in the regular broadcast “Exs is calling /Ex tempore” , and in the concert presentation of electroacoustic music), and Juraj Ďuriš, who started at Exs in 1978 as a sound engineer. Ďuris was a composer of electroacoustic music both at home and abroad, who later took the post of script editor (1991-2001) and, as a studio director may be credited for the expansion of creativity of his team as well as for establishing international relations.

Thanks to a high level of professionalism and the dedication of the creative team to avant-garde production, the Exs very soon established itself in the European experimental environment. The studio liaised with partner institutions as well as with the leading figures of electroacoustic music – Karlheinz Stockhausen, Jozef Patkowski, Mauricio Kagel and others. Its well-defined aesthetic-artistic programme and artistic production of high quality ranked the Exs among the most progressive Europeans studios representing characteristic electroacoustic schools. Awards were not long in coming (Dartmouth College 1968; Bourges 1973-1977; Boswil 1974; Varese 1979, 1985, 1987; Stockholm 1987, 1988 among others); nevertheless, during its existence, the Exs often faced adverse consequences of the socio-political situation and of increased commercialization of art and production.

After the fall of the totalitarian regime, the production and presentation of electroacoustic music intensified. Vigorous contacts with foreign countries and the increased number of events represented a new era for Slovak electroacoustic music. Inspite of that, the working space for the studio’s intense experimental production was gradually closed down within the public institution, and the Exs faced new challenges in terms of the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava.

Going through the rich history of Exs’s existence, it must I be noted: not the building, not the room, nor the best technical equipment formed the core of the Exs – neither in the past, nor today. The core has always been formed by creative workers, people, who – across the historical cross-section of the studio’s existence – withstood the socio-political, ideological and commercial pressures, and who – in an effort not to stagnate at any point – repeatedly looked for new forms and ways of implementation of intermedia art, overlooking time and effort. These are the people about whom so little is spoken, and who deserve attention of art-historians, simply because they stood behind many creative accomplishments, behind many awards. The truth is that – despite the international acceptance – only a little attention was paid to the Exs’s creative team in the media or in the professional press. There are only a few academic on media professionals in Slovakia who have devoted their work to the consideration and impact of the musical or literary production of Exs which forms such a valuable – even though not always appreciated – part of Slovak intangible cultural heritage. Therefore, it is more than necessary to capture this piece of the artistic history: one accepted in the international context and formed as a musical production of a unique experimental studio.

Alena Cierna, Musicologist

Translation – Adriana Végh

 

ExsBratislava
Experimental Studio Bratislava, Peter Janik, Peter Kolman (1968)

Iná hudba …

Spoločensko-kultúrna situácia a ideologické pomery 50. a 60. rokov 20. storočia na Slovensku neboli priaznivo naklonené novodobým kompozičným smerom a technikám. Napriek tomu tu vyrástla nová, avantgardne orientovaná skladateľská generácia reprezentovaná menami Ilja Zeljenka, Roman Berger, Ladislav Kupkovič, Peter Kolman, Pavol Šimai, Jozef Malovec, Miro Bázlik, Ivan Parík a nová generácia muzikológov ako Ivan Mačák, Peter Faltin a Miroslav Filip, ktorí sa snažili dohnať zameškané a udržať krok s európskym vývojom. V časoch, keď v Paríži, Kolíne nad Rýnom, Tokiu i vo Varšave mali skladatelia k dispozícii kvalitne vybavené elektronické štúdiá, slovenskí skladatelia experimentovali so zvukom v domácom prostredí na jednoduchých komerčných magnetofónoch československej výroby značky Tesla „Sonet duo“ a zapožičanom štvorvstupovom mixážnom pulte. Tu si cibrili nielen svoje sluchové a analytické schopnosti, ale aj nové techniky kompozície – techniku montáže a koláže. Neskôr prvotné skúsenosti z práce so zvukom pretavili do ozvučovania filmov vo Zvukovom pracovisku Čs. televízie Bratislava (cca 1961 – 1969), ktoré však čoskoro pod tlakom vedenia odvrátilo svoju pozornosť od experimentovania v oblasti elektroakustickej hudby. Pomocnú ruku skladateľom vzápätí podalo novo etablované zvukové pracovisko Čs. rozhlasu v Bratislave – Triková réžia (1964), ktorá pôvodne vznikla z podnetu slovenských režisérov. Roku 1965 Triková réžia získala oficiálny štatút elektroakustického štúdia a od tých čias možno datovať vznik Experimentálneho štúdia Čs. rozhlasu Bratislava (Exs Bratislava). Pri zrode Exs stál pracovný kolektív v zložení Peter Kolman vo funkcii dramaturga a Peter Janík ako majster zvuku. Roku 1968 tvorivý tím doplnil zvukový majster Ján Backstuber. Tak sa začala odvíjať päťdesiatročná tradícia Exs, na pôde ktorého sa vystriedalo niekoľko generácií skladateľov i zvukových majstrov a technikov.

Vďaka vysokému stupňu profesionality a zanietenosti tvorivého tímu pre avantgardnú tvorbu sa Exs veľmi skoro etablovalo v európskom experimentálnom prostredí. Štúdio nadviazalo kontakt s partnerskými inštitúciami, ako aj s poprednými predstaviteľmi elektroakustickej hudby – Karlheinzom Stockhausenom, Józefom Patkowským, Mauriciom Kagelom a ďalšími. Vyhranený esteticko-umelecký program a kvalitná umelecká produkcia zaradili Exs medzi najprogresívnejšie európske štúdia, ktoré predstavovali charakteristické elektroakustické školy. Ocenenia nedali na seba dlho čakať (Darmouth College 1968; Bourges 1973 – 1977; Booswil 1974; Varese 1979, 1985, 1987; Stockholm 1987, 1988 a i.), no aj tak sa Exs počas svojej existencie neraz potýkalo s nepriaznivými dôsledkami spoločensko-politickej situácie, či so vzrastajúcou komercionalizáciou umenia a tvorby.

Po páde totalitného režimu (1989) sa produkcia i prezentácia elektroakustickej hudby zintenzívnila. Činorodé kontakty so zahraničím a zvýšený počet podujatí znamenali novú etapu slovenskej elektroakustickej hudby. Napriek tomu sa priestor pre intenzívnu experimentálnu tvorbu štúdia na pôde verejnoprávnej inštitúcie postupne uzatváral a Exs čakali nové výzvy v spojení s Vysokou školou múzických umení v Bratislave.

Preberajúc sa bohatou históriou existencie Exs je nutné na záver ešte poznamenať: nie budova, nie priestory, ani najlepšie technické vybavenie nikdy netvorili a ani dnes netvoria podstatu Exs. Vždy to boli, sú a aj budú tvoriví pracovníci, ktorí naprieč historickým prierezom existencie štúdia odolávali spoločensko-politickým, ideologickým i komerčným tlakom a ktorí v snahe neustrnúť na jednom bode opätovne hľadali nové formy a spôsoby realizácie intermediálneho umenia, nepozerajúc na čas či vynaložené úsilie. Sú to práve títo pracovníci, o ktorých sa tak málo hovorí a ktorí si zaslúžia pozornosť historikov umenia, pretože stáli za nejedným tvorivým úspechom, za nejedným ocenením. Pravdou je, že napriek medzinárodnému ohlasu sa Exs a jeho tvorivému tímu v médiách i v odbornej tlači dodnes venovalo len málo pozornosti. Na Slovensku je totiž len málo odborníkov, ktorí sa venujú reflexii hudobnej či slovesnej tvorby Exs, tvoriacej hodnotnú, i keď nie vždy docenenú súčasť slovenského nehmotného kultúrneho dedičstva. A preto je viac než potrebné zachytiť tento kus umeleckej histórie v podobe hudobnej produkcie jedinečného experimentálneho pracoviska akceptovaného v medzinárodnom kontexte.

 Alena Č i e r n a

 

Experimental Studio Bratislava, Backstuber, Malovec
Experimental Studio Bratislava, Ján Backstuber, Jozef Malovec