The SOMA Interview Project

Jiří Trtík

• An interview with Czech composer Jiří, where classical music meets SOMA instruments.
Interview by Regina Pechenina.

INTRO

With roots stretching from punk-era teenage jam sessions to boundary-pushing operas, Jiří Trtík has become one of the most intriguing voices in contemporary Czech composition. As founder and artistic director of STRO.MY Ensemble, he masterfully weaves nature, electronics and classical forms into immersive sonic worlds. In 2024 he was hailed as “the most successful Czech composer of classical music outside of Czechia.”

Trtík’s projects range from his forest-site “Concert for Forest” to a bold reconciliation of Smetana’s Vltava with the FLUX instrument, exploring cultural heritage and musical futurism in one stroke.
Below is Regina’s conversation with him about forging new paths in sound, hybridizing tradition and electronics, and dreaming of operas where voices and machines sing as one.

1

It’s very nice to meet you, Jiří! Usually one becomes a composer at a more mature age, but what instrument did you start your musical journey with as a child? Please tell us what inspired you to take the composer’s path?

Nice to meet you too, Regina! Even though I had a big inclination towards art ever since I was a kid, I started writing music around the age of 15 when I got myself a guitar. We had a punk band with my classmates from high school and we were just having fun! My love and passion for music grew so much that later on, I decided to quit philosophy and study music professionally and become a composer.

Jiří

2

Which composers or pieces of music had the greatest influence on the development of your own style?

I like to connect the past with the present. You can learn something from every composer and I love exploring them. If I were to name just a few which have a significant influence on me it would be: Arvo Pärt, Leoš Janáček, David Lang, Johann Johannsson, Bedřich Smetana, Kurt Cobain, John Cage, Erik Satie, Nick Cave, electronic music & ambient music composers, and Nature. But there are many many more great ones. Music is like a Universe and every composer is a unique Planet.

Jiří

3

How do you approach creating new works? Do you have any special rituals or habits?

If it is a bigger commission, I like to take time and think a lot before putting notes on paper. It is very important for me that music has a meaning. This phase may take a half a year or a year. After I know exactly what I want to say, usually I write quite fast.
If we are talking about shorter compositions, I love to record improvisations and then write them down. Improvisations usually flow very naturally, like a river.

Jiří

4

How did you come up with the idea of introducing electronic instruments into academic music?

The worlds of classical music composition and electronic music production are unfortunately still very separated. Producers don’t know how to orchestrate or write notes, and classical music composers cannot produce music. This is so sad. I wish music schools and universities would do a better job connecting those two worlds. There is such a potential, so many unexplored areas. I was lucky to be invited for a symposium (in Sopot, Poland) of producers and music supervisors from Netflix, Universal Studios, HBO, etc. And it really opened my eyes, in four days I learnt so much about today’s music industry, and started learning music production. Today I almost cannot imagine making music without at least a touch of electronic music.

Jiří

5

You use SOMA Laboratory instruments in some of your works. SOMA instruments are often called “musical organisms”. Do you see them as an extension of your own artistic philosophy, or more as an alien element that challenges you?

I treat SOMA instruments absolutely equally as any other instruments in my music. They are sophisticated professional instruments with their unique colors and abilities. They pair very well with acoustic instruments too.

Jiří

6

Are the philosophy and concept of SOMA close to you, and if so, why?

It is close to me because it is very creative and inspired by nature. It pushes you outside of the usual musical box and forces you to think a little bit differently about music making, perhaps more intuitively since most SOMA instruments don’t have a visual “keyboard”.

Jiří

7

Some composers create fixed works that are performed the same way every time — like Beethoven’s symphonies — while others design open systems where music can keep evolving. For example, Karlheinz Stockhausen experimented with compositions where performers have freedom, making each performance unique. Do you see your music more as fixed works, or as evolving systems — especially when working with electronic instruments like SOMA’s FLUX?

In general my music has more of a fixed form, however, sometimes, there is a space for a little improvisation or certain differences. For example, in my opera Kafka’s Letter to His Father, there is a solo for Lyra-8. It is almost impossible to perform Lyra-8 the same way twice so there is a space for certain uniqueness of every performance but still within certain rules.

Jiří

Take a look at highlights from this opera:

8

You recomposed the work “Vltava” by Bedrich Smetana using FLUX in your arrangement. Please tell us what is the idea behind this recomposition, and what is the role of the FLUX here?

The composition reflects the transformation of the Vltava river over the last 150 years, especially the concrete dams built in the 20th century which are represented by the FLUX subbase register.

Jiří

9

Do you have any preferences in genres or styles of music that you would like to explore in the future? Perhaps, you have plans to write large musical forms such as symphonies or operas?

I feel there is so much potential in the theatrical, opera world. Especially in combination with electronic music instruments. I can imagine making an opera where one of the characters/singers will be represented by FLUX for example. FLUX is for me the “perfect singer” with just intonation, endless breath, unlimited registers, and unique colors.

Jiří

10

Do you think classical composition will eventually merge with electronic music as a standard practice, or will it remain a rare crossover?

I hope so, I wish so! It would be a win for both worlds!

Jiří

11

How do audiences — both classical and electronic — react when they hear a SOMA instrument inside orchestral music?

In my experience, many audience members always come after the performance and ask questions about what it is, how it works, etc. Most of them have never seen anything like this. They are fascinated and curious, even the conservative ones!

Jiří

12

What is your musical dream?

To create something meaningful.

Jiří

13

If Bedřich Smetana had access to SOMA instruments in the 19th century, how do you think “Vltava” would sound?

Great question and imaginary! He was rather a visionary and progressive composer, I think he would love SOMA instruments!

Jiří