GLAGOLITIC MASS
IN AN UNDERGROUND CATHEDRAL
Audio installation using the DodekaOtto 20-channel Ambisonic system at the Žlutý kopec Water Tanks.
A multichannel playback of Janáček's celebrated Glagolitic Mass and original compositions it has inspired. The composers are Filip Dobrocký, Katarína Gustiňáková, Marek Krajňák and Patrik Rašman, students of the Department of Composition and Multimedia at the Faculty of Music of the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts (JAMU), together with their teacher and audiovisual artist Jiří Suchánek.
From October 13 to November 17, 2026, during the opening hours of the Žlutý kopec Water Tanks (Tvrdého 15).
The installation is located in the Water Tank No. 2.
Part of the TIC BRNO accompanying program for the Janáček Brno festival 2026.
In cooperation with the Faculty of Music at the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts.
The DodekaOTTO is a 20 channel sound sculpture based on the OTTOsonics project, which is comprised of a lightweight aluminum structure in the form of a dodecahedron. This open hardware platform has been designed at the Tangible Music Lab in order to provide a mobile environment for the realization of interactive multichannel installations. Its minimalist design consists of 30 aluminum tubes, which are structurally held together by 20 digitally designed aluminum plates integrating standard OTTOsonics speakers.
For multi-channel listening, it is recommended to stand in the center of the sculpture.
The world premiere of Leoš Janáček's Glagolitic Mass took place in December 1927 in Brno. The concert was also broadcast on the radio and was a great success, as contemporary reviews attest. They particularly praised the distinctive treatment of the Old Church Slavonic Mass text, which Janáček "resolved entirely in his own way: wholly without tradition, indeed against tradition." The composer, then seventy-three, was at the height of his creative powers. The older he got, the more progressive and youthful his music became. After the premiere of the Glagolitic Mass, Ludvík Kundera wrote in his review: "Janáček, an old man, a man of firm faith." The composer's reply was brief and unequivocal: "No old man, no believer! Young man!"
What you will hear and at what time:
Starts at 10:30
LEOŠ JANÁČEK: GLAGOLITIC MASS / INTRODUCTION
→ FILIP DOBROCKÝ: ODGLAS
"Odglas" is a spatial ambient variation on the Introduction to Janáček's Glagolitic Mass, created for the watertank's long reverberation time. Minimalist patterns are layered and dissolve into echoes, allowing the piece to explore the depths of the watertank and let the space itself resonate. "Odglas" means "echo" in Interslavic, a modern counterpart to Old Church Slavonic.
Starts at 11:30
LEOŠ JANÁČEK: GLAGOLITIC MASS / GOSPODI POMILUJ
→ KATARÍNA GUSTIŇÁKOVÁ: RIEKY
"Rieky" is based on Gospodi pomiluj, the movement of the Glagolitic Mass known as the "Kyrie" in the Mass Ordinary. The title "Rieky" is an anagram of "Kyrie".
Starts at 12:30
LEOŠ JANÁČEK: GLAGOLITIC MASS / SLAVA
→ MAREK KRAJŇÁK: ACOUSMA
This adaptation of "Slava", the third movement of the Glagolitic Mass, takes data from it, such as rhythm, spectral evolution and phrasing, and morphs these with a processed version based on the principles of the original piece.
Starts at 13:30
LEOŠ JANÁČEK: GLAGOLITIC MASS / VĚRUJU
Starts at 14:30
LEOŠ JANÁČEK: GLAGOLITIC MASS / SVET
Starts at 15:30
LEOŠ JANÁČEK: GLAGOLITIC MASS / AGNEČE BOŽIJ
→ MAREK KRAJŇÁK: AGNUS SPECTRALIS
This composition explores the spectral transformation of a recording of "Agneče božij", a movement of the Glagolitic Mass. The original musical material interacts with a processed layer, creating a parallel musical unfolding through spectral structures derived from the same sonic foundation.
Starts at 16:30
LEOŠ JANÁČEK: GLAGOLITIC MASS / ORGAN SOLO (POSTLUDIUM)
→ PATRIK RAŠMAN: POOOOOOSTLUDIUM
This composition is based on a recording of the "Postludium" movement of the Glagolitic Mass, which it transforms into ambient layers through time-stretching and various other processes. Further manipulation of the recording adds structures that complete the atmospheric whole.
Starts at 17:30
LEOŠ JANÁČEK: GLAGOLITIC MASS / INTRADA
→ JIŘÍ SUCHÁNEK: RADIANT
"A point on the celestial sphere from which the meteors of a particular meteor shower appear to radiate." This free electroacoustic adaptation of a section from "Intrada" draws on the selection, fragmentation, and spectral layering of sound segments to evoke a dramatic atmospheric event.
Recording used for the audio installation:
Glagolitic Mass for soloists, mixed choir, organ, and orchestra, set to an Old Church Slavonic text
Soprano Elisabeth Söderström, alto Drahomíra Drobková, tenor František Livora, bass Richard Novák • Organ: Jan Hora • Prague Philharmonic Choir, choirmaster Lubomír Mátl • Czech Philharmonic • Conductor: Sir Charles Mackerras
SUPRAPHON, 1987