Vojtěch and Irena Havel in the Church of St. Joseph

 

Irena Havlová (born 26 May 1959, Rychnov nad Kněžnou) graduated from the Faculty of Science at Charles University in Prague (1984) and began focusing on music during her studies. Vojtěch Havel (born 19 May 1962, Prague) graduated from the Prague Conservatory, studying cello and piano (1984). He continued to devote himself to music together with his wife Irena Havlová, and their collaboration became so close and harmonious that they can now be regarded as a single artistic entity. Their collaboration dates back to the mid-1980s, when the experimental ensemble Capella Antiqua e Moderna was founded. The group confidently performed works of European classical music ranging from the Renaissance to the present day, while the Havels developed their distinctive approach to both traditional and contemporary compositional techniques and performance practices. Thanks to its originality, the ensemble attracted a wide audience and received critical acclaim. The first phase of their work concluded in 1990, when they collaborated intensively with singer-songwriter Oldřich Janota (recording Chlumec Live), marking the beginning of a new stage in their independent artistic development. 
 
In the first half of the 1990s, the Havels visited India three times. Inspired by its folk and spiritual music, they created a four-CD authorial collection (Agni, Maha Rudra Yagya, Sri Maháprabhuji Bhajans, Sri Mádhavánanda Bhajans). They also made two original films on the theme of India’s spiritual life (Agni, Maha Rudra Yagya). They continued their work in film, resulting in the audiovisual project Tajemná gamelánie (directed by Viliam Poltikovič). In the years that followed, Irena and Vojtěch Havel contributed to cinema on several occasions, composing music for feature films such as Cesta pustým lesem by Ivan Vojnár and Hranice stínů by Martin Miller. In addition, they have authored music for numerous short and documentary films, as well as a wide range of stage music for television and theatre productions across various genres. From 1990 onwards, the Havels began refining their distinctive musical language, resulting in a series of profile albums (Malé modré nic, Tajemná gamelánie, Háta H., Yoganidra, Hudba ticha, Něžně ke světlu). In the second half of the 1990s, they continued to develop their original style, leading to several notable projects that gained recognition both in the Czech Republic and abroad (Marnost křídel, Den v Benediktu, Jako motýl na tvé dlani). During this period, their intensive concert activity took them across Europe, as well as to Canada and the United States. Together with avant-garde visual artists and theatre-makers Petr Nikl and Jana Svobodová, they also travelled to Africa and Japan as part of the performance Slunovrat. 
 
Throughout their long artistic career, they have collaborated with a wide range of outstanding Czech and international artists, including drummer Alan Vitouš, guitarist Tony Ackerman, flautist Jiří Stivín, shakuhachi player and performer on various Japanese instruments Vlastislav Matoušek, as well as dancers Karel Vaněk and Eva Černá, and visual artist Radek Pilař. Thanks to their remarkable versatility, refined expression, and originality, Irena and Vojtěch Havel are sometimes loosely associated with various musical genres for the sake of easier classification. Yet the long, meditative soundscapes of their music—often inspired by Eastern philosophy—together with the electrifying form of communication between the performers during live concerts, make it difficult even for critics to clearly categorize their work. The range of expressive means they employ is so diverse, multifaceted, and constantly evolving that any attempt to define the essence of their musical dialogue inevitably falls short. Their music carries a strong sense of poeticity, with a clear influence of non-European cultures. In their compositions, they use a wide variety of instruments (cello, piano, viola da gamba, bells, Tibetan bowls, and others). The Havels regard their artistic work as a vocation, and their music as a gift through which they convey a peaceful spiritual message.

foto: Jan Jirsa