Viola (wine bar)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Prague wine tavern Viola , which opened in 1963 , in the past also known as Poetická vinárna Viola (Poetic Viola Wine Bar ) or later Divadlo Viola (Viola Theater), is still a meeting place for domestic and foreign intellectuals, artists, poets and musicians of the alternative scene. In the 1960s, it was one of the avant-garde companies on the cultural scene in Czechoslovakia .

history

The founding of the Viola wine tavern goes back to the idea of Jiří Ostermann , a great admirer of jazz and the poetry of the Beat Generation , whose followers in Czechoslovakia called themselves beatniks at the time . The Viola wine tavern opened on July 22nd, 1963, not far from the then established Reduta jazz club . The program offered was a combination of poetry and jazz. Well-known artists, some of them actors from the National Theater as well as poets belonging to the avant-garde, took part in the readings, which were usually accompanied by jazz interludes.

The first staging was called “Komu patří jazz” (Who owns jazz), staged by Ostermann based on motifs from a poem of the same name by Ivan Diviš . It was a series of recitations and jazz music, with poems by Ginsberg , Vosnesenski , Ferlinghetti and others, which was one of the most successful of the early days: the production achieved 100 repetitions. Similar successes from the same period were the pieces "Poezie Allena Gingsberga" (poetry by Allen Ginsberg, 61 repetitions) and "Džez náš vezdejší" (Our jazz this side, 61 repetitions).

Just two years after the founding, there was a dispute as a result of the ever increasing desire to bring more conception into the artistic direction as well as more commitment and professionalism and to change the more than progressive idea for the time. This pragmatic direction prevailed in the artistic council of the theater and a separation occurred: Ostermann left Viola with some other contributors and was replaced as head of the artistic council by Vladimír Justl . Other popular artists increasingly appeared on the stage, including those from the National Theater , such as Rudolf Hrušínský , Karel Höger , Radovan Lukavský , Zdeněk Štěpánek and others. Theatrical collages and other dramaturgical elements have been added to the repertoire, and there are also regular performances for children. The average audience rate is over 90 percent. In the history of the Viola Theater, three artistic directors (or directors) have alternated:

  • Jiří Ostermann, 1963–1965
  • Vladimír Justl, 1965–1992
  • Miluše Viklická, since 1992

Performances

In the first two years the following performances (selection) were staged in Viola, in which the poems by Ferlinghetti , Corso , Evtuschenko , Vosnesensky , Diviš , Shakespeare , Browning , Ginsberg , Rexroth , Hulan and others were in the foreground:

Viola, 1963-1965

  • Komu patří jazz , first performance on July 22nd, 1963, 100 repetitions
  • Klaunyjáda damúr , first performance on August 12, 1963, 25 repetitions
  • Poezie Allena Ginsberga , first performance on September 28, 1963, 61 repetitions
  • Džez náš vezdejší , world premiere on March 20, 1964, 61 repetitions
  • Startuji ze San Francisca , first performance on June 24, 1964, 15 repetitions
  • Poezie Gregory Corsa , premiered October 14, 1964, 17 repetitions
  • Howl , first performance in April 1965, 7 repetitions
  • Jazz III. , First performance on November 10, 1965, 14 repetitions

reception

Viola, as well as similarly oriented alternative scenes in Czechoslovakia, was the focus of the inquisitorial criticism of the communist party. Especially the art associations have after the XX. At the CPSU party congress, however, it gradually fought for relative independence from the party at an early stage (as the Kafka conference also held in 1963 shows), so that the party's criticism had no direct consequences. Abroad, the performance in viola generated a number of positive echoes, as many foreign correspondents visited and reported on Viola and similar clubs. For example, Paul Underwood, correspondent for The New York Times , wrote in October 1963:

“... is Klub Viola, one of the most popular centers of Prague nightlife. It is surprising to find such a place in communist-ruled Czechoslovakia. It would be inconceivable a year ago. It's the type of club in Greenwich Village, New York, where young people recite domestic and foreign poetry to the accompaniment of jazz music. Some of the most popular include selections from works by American beatniks such as Allen Ginsberg and Gregory Corso. Viola is the expression for the upright gait that captured Czechoslovak writers, whether communist or non-communist. As a member of the Czechoslovak Writers' Union emphasizes, a process is underway that is becoming increasingly powerful and cannot be stopped. "

building

The wine tavern and the Viola theater are located in an Art Nouveau building that was built in 1906/1907 for an insurance company by converting an older building that was also converted in 1894. In 1988 the interior was restored again.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Tomáš Gajdošík: Divadlo Viola Praha - medajlonek , in: Divadelní Luhačovice August 28, 2010, online reprint at: luhacovice.cz/
  2. ↑ a b c Jiří Ostermann - beatnik a exulant z Violy , publication of the Radio of the Czech Republic Český rozhlas 7 - Radio Praha, online at: krajane.radio.cz / ...
  3. ^ Divadlo Viola. History , online at: divadloviola.cz / ...
  4. ↑ Paul Underwood: Poets of Prague challenge party , in: The New York Times, issue of October 20, 1963, online at: query.nytimes.com / ... (archive; only readable by purchase or subscription), quoted here according to: Jiří Ostermann - beatnik a exulant z Violy , publication of the Radio of the Czech Republic Český rozhlas 7 - Radio Praha, online at: krajane.radio.cz / ...
  5. ↑ Divadlo Viola , information from the Theater Architecture in Central Europe (TACE) project, online at: theatre-architecture.eu / ...

Web links