Janoska Ensemble are Ondrej, František and Roman Janoska and Julius Darvas
Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in music?
The first inspiration was our parents. Our family has been making music for 6 generations. I play the double bass – 3rd generation in the family. We were brought to music with a lot of joy.
Who or what were the main influences on your musical life and career?
We saw that our parents prepared for concerts. Our parents were always well dressed and took us to many rehearsals and performances. We got the first lessons from our parents, and then we all studied in Vienna at universities with elite professors. We wanted to create our own music, so in 2013 we developed our own musical style, the Janoska Style.
From there it went very fast to a record contract with Deutsche Grammophon, and many important concerts following.
What have been the biggest challenges of your career so far?
The challenge is always to create new works that are unique, and to enchant people in the concerts and to bring smiles to their faces. Our audiences should be charged with energy and enthusiasm.
Which performances / recordings are you most proud of?
Our first CD Janoska Style immediately won a gold medal.
Our second CD, Revolution, contains our own compositions, classical works, and also a tribute to the Beatles. The CD was mastered in the Abbey Road Studios. The Beatles revolutionized pop music, and we want to have a revolution in classical music.
Which works do you think works best?
We play a lot of genres very authentically, but the Janoska Style is our baby. Our improvisations are very much based on classical music. We want to make the music more free and break the wall between the performers and the audience. Unfortunately, this forgotten art of improvisation in baroque music, for example, has largely been lost today.
How do you make your repertoire selection from season to season?
We already have 5 programs which are very different. We also have one project with orchestra. We are soloists, the orchestra is accompanying us, and it is very demanding.
The pieces we like are simply played and everyone in the ensemble contributes his opinion and personality. We also teach young students and give master classes.
Do you have a favorite concert venue to perform in?
We play tours on 4 continents around the world. We love to play in Vienna at the Musikverein. There is a beautiful acoustic, and also in Seoul at the Art Center.
Who are your favorite musicians?
J.S Bach, Jascha Heifetz, Oscar Peterson, Stéphane Grappelli, Miles Davis, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson….there are too many to write about. All of these musicians had great personalities.
What is your most memorable concert experience?
A great concert was at the Wiener Musikverein Golden Hall with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra conducted by Adam Fischer.
How do you define success as a musician?
Great success is when the audience is happy after the concert.
Success is also when many friends and fans are present. Also if one can participate in big festivals, and if one is accepted in the arts community.
What do you think about the most important ideas and concepts to be conveyed to aspiring musicians?
It is important to create something new. Music offers so many ways and is inexhaustible. One should always stand by his roots and remain authentic. …find himself in music.
What are your most valuable possessions?
Most valuable: family and music. We all have children and are already sharing our musical heritage with them.
Janoska Ensemble’s new album Revolution is available now on the Deutsche Grammophon label
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