The Brno crematorium will transform into a concert hall for one evening

Brno - The hall of Brno crematorium will transform into a concert hall for one February evening. The functionalist space has been chosen by the chamber ensemble Brno Contemporary Orchestra, which focuses on contemporary classical music. The concert scheduled for February 9 will commemorate the building's author, Ernst Wiesner. This was announced to ČTK by Lucie Šnajdrová on behalf of the orchestra.

It has been 130 years since Wiesner was born on January 21. His most famous works include the crematorium building. Wiesner was convinced that modernist form should not be self-serving and must serve to enhance internal experience, offering a spiritual dimension for a respectful farewell to the body and soul of the deceased.

"With this concert, which is not liturgical, but spiritual, which will not take place in a sacred, but in a respectful space, we would like to connect with Ernst Wiesner's vision and at least symbolically raise a 'chimney' connecting this world with the world that survives us and transcends us," stated dramaturg Viktor Pantůček.

"The crematorium should not be seen only as a place of final farewell, but as a gateway to light, to eternity. Besides, who was at the crematorium in the evening? I certainly wasn't, and I am curious about how it will be," added Pavel Šnajdr, the artistic director and conductor of the orchestra.

The composers of the selected pieces are Salvatore Sciarrino, Pavel Zemek Novák, Witold Lutoslawski, and Krzysztof Penderecki. According to Šnajdr, they are "classics of contemporary music." Along with the Brno Contemporary Orchestra, the vocal ensemble Ensemble Frizzante and pianist Nikol Bóková will also perform.