Agon Orchestra

The Agon Orchestra (originally the Agon Ensemble) started in the 1980s as a platform for the up-and-coming generation of composers. In semi-official conditions, it presented pieces by P. Kofroň, M. Smolka, M. Pudlák and composers from abroad – J. Cage, M. Feldman, A. Pärt, S. Reich, G. Scelsi or K. Stockhausen. After 1989, their concert activity developed on stages both at home and abroad, Petr Kofroň became the conductor and Martin Smolka the artistic director. At this time, Arta Records and Audio Ego published a series of critically acclaimed CDs. The period culminated in a portrait disc of M. Smolka. After his departure (1998), Petr Kofroň (artistic director and conductor) and Ivan Bierhanzl (dramaturgy and production) became the leading figures. This time also saw a confluence with New York based composers (E. Sharp, J. Zorn, D. Lang, M. Gordon). The orchestra presented several operas by P. Glass (Fall of the House of Usher, Prague State Opera, 1999, La Belle et la Bête, National Theatre, 2003, and In the Penal Colony, Archa Theatre, 2005). A major inspiration for the orchestra was music from the underground rock scene. There were new versions of songs by F. Topol, M. Hlavsa, the group DG 307 and settings of poems by I. M. Jirous. At the 2012 Prague Spring, the Agon Orchestra played a programme of I. Acher, J. Cage, B. Eno, P. Kofroň, M. Nejtek and F. Zappa. Typornamento is an album of realisations of graphic scores by M. Adamčiak. In 2015, Czech Radio broadcast a six-part series, Agon Orchestra – 30 Years. Discography: Agon (Arta Records, 1991) Česká nová hudba 60. let [Czech New Music of the 1960s] (Arta Records, 1994) Grafické partitury a koncepty [Graphic Scores and Concepts] (Audio Ego, 1996) Red & Black (Audio Ego, 1997) Martin Smolka (Audio Ego, 1998) Filip Topol & Agon Orchestra (Indies Records, 2001) Pašijové hry [The Passion of Jesus] (Knihy Hana, 2004) Obešel já polí pět [I Walked Through Five Fields] (Guerilla Records, 2009) Magorova Summa [Magor’s Summa] (Guerilla Records, 2009) Typornamento (Guerilla Records, 2012) Petr Kofroň: Titan Symphony (Czech Music Information Centre, 2015)