MATKO BOŽÍ, VYŽEŇ PUTINA

Perhaps we all still remember the scandalous case in which two members of Pussy Riot ended up in the harshest prison in Siberia. And all because they tried to sing a protest song in Christ the Savior Cathedral. In the stage composition Mother of God, Drive Putin Away, we return to the story and reveal various connections: the history of the Moscow cathedral, Putin's relationship with the Orthodox Church, the corruption of Patriarch Kirill, and the gradual increase in aggression in Putin's ideological language.

In the background, the question seems to echo: who is the heretic? Pussy Riot, risking their lives in their struggle for a better society? Or Putin and his apparatchiks, who abuse religion for their own power purposes? The musical-dramatic composition centers on a litany in which the members of Pussy
Riot turn to the Mother of God to help them fulfill their "dreams of a better history." In addition, various other musical genres and forms of political language alternate. The fascinating energy of the three actresses-vocalists, who rapidly alternate between singing, rhythmic recitation, ironic commentary, angry cries, and quiet grief, is accompanied by the musical commentary of the Brno Contemporary Orchestra, conducted by Pavel Šnajdr.

Author and director Jiří Adámek Austerlitz wrote the original sketch on commission from the Brno Contemporary Orchestra, and the later complete version was created for Czech Radio. We are now presenting it live for the first time.

Libretto: Jiří Adámek Austerlitz
Vocalists: Kateřina Císařová, Vendula Holičková, and Bára Mišíková
Music: Jiří Adámek and Brno Contemporary Orchestra
Musical arrangement and conductor: Pavel Šnajdr
Brno Contemporary Orchestra: Markéta Soldánová - flétna, Markéta Jašová - hoboj, Hanuš Axmann - klarinet, Jiří Sedláček - basklarinet, Antonín Kolář - lesní roh, Jan Červenka - trubka, Tomáš Netopil - trombon, Petr Hladík, Ladislav Bilan - bicí
Director: Jiří Adámek Austerlitz
Technical support: Pavel Havrda
Production: Maria Cavina, Karolína Schön