In regards to the inspiration for his piece, Štědroň said, “My idea was to pay tribute to rock and roll in general. Rock and roll came into existence as a fusion of various influences such as blues, jazz, gospel and country music. That was the reason why I used different styles as titles for the four movements.”

In creating the composition, Štědroň adds that he did not want to write just a crossover piece. “I explored theopportunity of the string quartet sound. I used it both in a classical way and in a form typical for rock-and-roll sound (e. g. imitation of an electric bass or snare drum). The result is actually a chamber guitar concerto with the string quartet as an accompanying band.”

Miloš Štědroň is a Czech Composer, pianist, musicologist, and pedagogue. He graduated from the Conservatory and the Janáček Academy of Music in Brno having studied piano and composition. He later studied musicology at the Masaryk University in Brno. In 2009, he received his Ph.D. in composition at the Academy of Music in Prague. Since 2002, he has taught composition, harmony, form analysis, and contemporary music at the Prague Conservatory.

He has a wide range of compositions: from chamber to orchestral works, theatre music to the film music, opera to musical. His compositions have been presented in Europe, the United States, and South America. He has cooperated with many theatres in the Czech Republic, including the Czech National Theatre and theatres abroad. For his compositions, he has received many distinguished honors, including the Alfred Radok Award for best stage music.

For more information about the composer, please visit www.orson.cz.

Location: National Gallery of Art       
West Building, West Garden Court
4th and Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20565

Concerts at the National Gallery are open to the public, free of charge. Admittance is on a first-come, first-seated basis, beginning 30 minutes before each concert.