Although marimba begins to figure more prominently as a solo instrument in concert halls across the world and numerous world-renowned marimbists, such as Keiko Abe and Shoko Araya of Japan, Orlando Cotto and Dave Samuels of the United States, Robert van Sice of Holland and Nebojsa Jovan Živkovič of Germany, to name but a few, have brought the marimba technique to stunning perfection, this instrument is still felt to be rather out of place in both classical and contemporary chamber music. That is why Miroslav Kokoška approached two other outstanding musicians, violinist Pavel Prantl, concertmaster and head of the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, and Miloslav Klaus, one of the foremost Czech classical guitarists, and together they have decided to revive and develop Kokoška´s previous Prague Marimba Trio project (see below) as the Prague Chamber Session.

Both interpreter and composer, Kokoška uses the marimba in transcriptions of old masters and his own compositions as a kind of bridge connecting classical music with modern feeling for jazz, making use of other percussion as well. Combining virtuosity with untraditional instrumentation, the Prague Chamber Session trio not only lends a new sound to old chamber music classics, but also a new dimension to both classical and modern music-making, suggesting closeness to jazz improvisation. Combined with the brilliant eloquence of violin and the dignified beauty of classical guitar, the rich and mellow sound of the marimba enhances the unique ”post-modernist” effect of the trio´s performance.

The repertoire includes both trio (J.D. Zelenka, Haydn, Mysliveček, Vivaldi) and duo compositions (Halvorsen, Martinů), transcribed in a masterly manner, some more or less freely, the marimba taking over the viola part while making the most of its own exotic sound and technical potential. Next to Paganini´s pieces in the original format, there are also Kokoška´s own compositions written for the trio, where his ties to jazz are apparent.

The three virtuosos have also devised a programme combining the trio repertoire with that of the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, where each of the trio members plays as soloist. See PROGRAMME PROPOSALS

Kokoška´s project is a follow-up to his previous ten-year experiment in turning the marimba into a regular chamber music instrument, the Prague Marimba Trio, which began to give successful concerts, first at home and later across Europe, in the early 1980s. Having become a chamber trio of the Czech Television, this original and attractive ensemble was sent to represent Czech chamber music in co-production programmes of other European televisions (such as that of German ARD Prague – the City of Music, the Czech TV programme Prague in Monte Carlo, an Austrian TV programme about major Czech interpreters) and appeared at several music festivals (in Finland, a Czech TV documentary was shot about them). The Trio was a frequent guest in domestic music programmes and Miroslav Kokoška also appeared in popular music and jazz TV clubs trying, with his marimba, to entice audiences into the world of chamber music. Wherever they played, the Trio had met with a very warm reception and favourable critical acclaim.