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Vladan Drvota / Opera Plus
On his debut album, clarinetist Marek Švejkar opens a dialogue between three eras and three worlds, where the solo clarinet bridges the mastery of tradition with the courage of modernism.
Bach – Berio – Boulez. Three names, three musical worlds, one instrument. Marek Švejkar presents a daring debut album connecting the Baroque mastery of Johann Sebastian Bach with the revolutionary language of Luciano Berio and Pierre Boulez—two icons of musical modernism whose 100th anniversaries are celebrated this year.
The album features the complete solo clarinet works of both composers. "The centenary felt like the perfect opportunity to fully immerse myself in their legacy and transform my experiences into this album," says Marek Švejkar.
Alongside technically demanding pieces such as Boulez’s Dialogue de l’ombre double, which combines live performance with a pre-recorded track, Bach’s Partita in A minor serves as a contrasting pole and the very inspiration that led Berio to the concept of "polyphonic music for a monophonic instrument."
"Originally, I didn't plan to record Berio at all, but in the end, I decided to dive into his solo works. It was a step into the unknown that significantly pushed my boundaries as a performer. I wanted the album to have genuine substance, not just technical gymnastics," Švejkar adds.
Marek Švejkar holds the Premier Prix from the Conservatoire National Supérieur in Paris, is a winner of several international competitions, and a member of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome. He has previously performed as a soloist with the Czech Philharmonic under Jiří Bělohlávek and collaborated with soloists from the Karajan Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic.
The album launch will take place on September 20, 2025, during the "Music at Three" (Hudba o Třetí) concert at Atrium Žižkov in Prague.
