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Cover Amedeo Modigliani, Gypsy

Woman with Baby (detail), 1919,

National Gallery ofArt, Washington, 

Chester Dale Collection

nga.gov/music

76TH SEASON OF CONCERTS

MARCH 11, 2018/NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

I
Janoska Ensemble. Photo by Julia Wesely

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Program

Janoska Ensemble

Ondrej Janoska, violin

Roman Janoska, violin 

Frantisek Janoska, piano

Julius Darvas, double bass

MARCH 11, 2018/3:30

WEST BUILDING, WEST GARDEN COURT

Johann Strauss II (1825-1899)/ Boris Fomin (1900-1948)

Arr. Frantisek Janoska

“Die Fledermaus Overture a la Janoska”

Overture of the operetta Die Fledermaus

“T hose Were the Days” (Dorogoi dlinnoju,

Le temps des fleurs, Den langen Weg entlang)

Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962) / Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)

Arr. Frantisek Janoska

“Love’s Sorrow”

Frantisek Janoska (b. 1986)

“Musette pour Fritz”

(Homage for Fritz Kreisler)

Jules Massenet (1842 -1912)

Arr. Frantisek Janoska

“Thais Meditation”

Meditation from the opera Thai's

Georges Bizet (1838-1875) / Franz Waxman (1906-1967)

Arr. FrantisekJanoska

Carmen Fantasie
Intermission

Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992)

Arr. Frantisekjanoska

“Adios Nonino”

Roman Janoska (b. 1989)

“Melodie for Melody”

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) / Frantisekjanoska

Arr. Frantisekjanoska

“Rumba for Amadeus”

Piano Concerto no. 20 in D Minor, KV466, Allegro, Main Theme

Pablo de Sarasate (1844-1908) / Serbian Traditional

Arr. Frantisekjanoska

“Tarantella vs. Niska Banja”

Introduction et Tarantella, op. 43 / Niska Banja

Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840)

Arr. Frantisekjanoska

“Paganinoska”

Caprice no. 24

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The Musicians

The four musicians of the Janoska Ensemble have developed a vision for the modern

interpretation of works with their “Janoska Style” that is both virtuosic and profoundly personal. United by their family ties and always rooted in classical music, 

their repertoire ranges from popular classics to their own compositions and unique

arrangements ofjazz, pop, and world music.

Flaving frequently collaborated on projects over the years, the brothers Ondrej,

Roman, and Frantisekjanoska and their brother-in-law,Julius Darvas, have focused 

their artistic energies on the Janoska Ensemble since 2013. They instantly garnered

critical acclaim with their unprecedented arrangements and improvisational ingenuity, 

performing diverse programs on three continents. The ensemble’s debut CD, which

features a fresh take on works by Strauss, Kreisler, Paganini, Mozart, and Waxman, as

well as their own compositions, was greeted with enthusiasm when it was released in 

May 2016 at the Konzerthaus, Vienna. The Janoska Ensemble received its first gold

record in September 2017 for its albumJanoska Style (Deutsche Grammophon), and

is presently on its first US tour, performing a program based on this release.

The Janoska Ensemble has performed at the Seoul Arts Center, the Concertgebouw

Amsterdam, Prinzregententheater Munich, Yehudi Menuhin Festival Gstaad, and the

Istanbul Festival; toured Korea; and presented a New Year’s Eve gala performance— 

“T he Big Mulatsag”—at Vienna’s Konzerthaus/Fhe group has also performed with

the Vienna Symphony under the banner “Janoska Ensemble goes Symphonic.”

l he Janoska brothers and Julius Darvas come from music-making families— 

the Janoskas from six generations of musicians and Darvas from three generations of

double bass players. Ondrej Janoska, an alumnus of Boris Kuschnir’s renowned violin 

class, displayed his skills as a soloist from a young age with various orchestras and 

played first violin in the Vienna State Opera Orchestra/Vienna Philharmonic. His

younger brother Roman Janoska, who also received training in classical music from

teachers such as Pavel Vernikov, made a name for himself as a jazz violinist in various 

ensembles, including the Vienna Art Orchestra. Frantisekjanoska is both a pianist

and sought-after arranger and composer in stylistically diverse contexts. He is a

long-standing member of the Roby Lakatos Ensemble and musical director of Erwin

Schrott’s Rojotango Tour; annually he takes part in the Project Hollywood in Vienna

as a solo pianist. Double bassistJulius Darvas was born into a musically eminent

Hungarian family and has been a member of the Stage Orchestra of the Vienna State 

Opera since 2001. He is a regular substitute for the Vienna Philharmonic and has

made a name for himself as a jazz bassist.

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Program Notes

What is Janoska Style? Steeped in classical music since childhood, the ensemble draws

on instrumental traditions passed from father to son. Yet, it is unlikely that any earlier

generation could so uniquely and fluidly combine the classical canon with presentday music. Each member of the group is an award-winning virtuoso in his own right;

together they form a chamber “Dream Team.” As evident on their recordings, they

are equally at home rifling on Paganini with dueling violins, mixing czardas and Balkan

folk with a Strauss waltz, or composing an original rumba a la Mozart. Their interpretations trace each work back to its source of inspiration, yet make each piece 

thoroughly modern. “Our challenge is to create something the original composer

would be proud of,” says Frantisek, who does the arranging for the group. “Artistic

license is very important to us in all the pieces we play,” Roman says. “It allows us

to continuously create new versions, and that is what constitutesJanoska Style.” Adds

Julius, “We arrange and compose music ourselves and on our own terms. None of our

concerts are ever the same. They are a string ofspontaneous reactions.”

Grammy-winning Hollywood composer Lalo Schifrin noted, “As one of the

most original groups of highly talented musicians, the Janoska Ensemble is unique in

its interpretation of classical music, jazz, Latin, and other genres. The four musicians’

inspiration is inexhaustible.” The Salzburger Nachrichten wrote, “They play with stupendous musicality, racing along with virtuosity virtually off the cuff, and the arrangements

alone are stunningly refined.”

Among the selections on today’s concert: “Die Fledermaus Overture a la Janoska”

takes Strauss’s themes in a variety of stylistic directions. “Musette pour Fritz” honors

Fritz Kreisler, using its basic structure to produce a minor-key musette with room

to improvise. “Paganinoska” imagines what Paganini might have written today and

becomes a musical face-off between Ondrej performing the music as written and

Roman, a consummate jazz violinist, with an extemporaneous response. “Melodie

for Melody,” composed for Roman’s daughter, allows the violins to sing, and “Rumba

for Amadeus” is Frantisek’s paean to his son and the man he’s named after—Amadeus 

Mozart. The piece uses the Piano Concerto no. 20 in D Minor as the jumping off

point for a thrilling rumba pulsing with Latin rhythms. “Adios Nonino,” written by

Astor Piazzolla for his father, is an appropriate and emotional number for an ensemble

in which family and music tradition are so closely entwined.

No wonder Andreas Grofibauer, chairman ofthe Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, raves: “The Janoska Ensemble has achieved something very special. The four

musicians... have created their own unmistakable sound made up of great virtuosity, 

a literally inexhaustible wealth of musical ideas, and bewitchingly mellow sonorities.

It is with apparent effortlessness that they blend these different styles and genres to

produce a heartwarming and refreshing style. A true feast for the ears!”

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Upcoming Events of the SeventySixth Season of The W illiam

Nelson Cromwell and F. Lammot

Belin Concerts

Unless otherwise noted, all programs

take place in the West Building,

West Garden Court.

The Canales Project

Hear Her Song

A celebration of the choices of

extraordinary women

March 18, 3:30

Benedetto Lupo, piano

Featuring solo piano works by Debussy

Celebrating Cezanne Portraits

March 25, 3:30

The 6821 Quintet

Music by Michael Djupstrom,

Mamiko Hirai, and Kunihiko Murai

Presented in conjunction with the

National Cherry Blossom Festival and

the Ryuji Ueno Foundation 

March 26, 12:10

East Building Auditorium

Richard Stoltzman, clarinet 

Mika Stoltzman, marimba

Duo Cantundo

April 1, 3:30

Music by Bill Douglas, Chick Corea, 

Torn Takemitsu, and John Zorn

Heinavanker Ensemble 

Featuring ancient Estonian songs

and folk hymns

Celebrating Michel Sittow: Estonian Painter

at the Courts ofRenaissance Europe

April 8, 3:30

Fretwork

Featuring the music ofAlexander Goehr

and J. S. Bach

April 15, 3:30

Inscape Chamber Orchestra

Saint-Saens, Carnival oftheAnimals, with

new verses by Marc BamuthiJoseph 

Mahler, Symphony no. 4, chamber version

April 22, 3:30

The Westerlies

The Songs We Sang: American Vocal

Music ofthe 20th Century

April 29, 3:30

Julia Bullock, soprano 

John Arida, piano

May 6, 3:30

Ranky Tanky

Celebrating Outliers andAmerican

VanguardArt

May 13, 3:30

Christina and Michelle Naughton

Music by Mozart, Schubert, Bolcom,

Bach/Kurtag, Debussy, Chopin, and

Lutoslawski

May 20, 3:30

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