40 years of the Agon Orchestra — In The Penal

As part of its autumn season, in which the Agon Orchestra celebrates its 40th anniversary, it will present a revival of Philip Glass's opera based on Franz Kafka's short story In the Penal Colony.

American composer Philip Glass (1937) comes from a family of Eastern European Jewish immigrants. His grandparents came to America from Volhynia, Ukraine, in the early 20th century, and his father, Benjamin Glass, owned a record shop on South Howard Street in Baltimore.
After studying mathematics, philosophy and music in Chicago, New York and Paris, Philip Glass earned his living as a taxi driver in New York, among other things. Along with other composers such as Steve Reich, Terry Riley and John Adams, he is often referred to as a representative of minimalism in music.
The Minimal Music movement emerged in the 1960s as a reaction to the complicated post-war aesthetics of post-serial music, which was not entirely accessible to a wider audience.
Minimalists drew on non-European sources (African and Indian music), and their characteristic feature is repetitive patterns, harmonically close to modern jazz and rock.
Over time, they gained popularity and are now among the most frequently performed contemporary composers.

The Agon Orchestra has performed three of Glass’s operas to date: “The Fall of the House of Usher” (premiere 1999, Prague State Opera, conductor Petr Kofroň, director Petr Tyc), “La Belle et la Bete / Beauty and the Beast” (premiere 2003, National Theatre, conductor Petr Kofroň, director Petr Forman) and “In the Penal Colony” (premiere 2005, Archa Theatre, conductor Petr Kofroň, director Miroslav Bambušek).

Cast:

• Jiří Hájek — officer
• Ondřej Koplík — Traveller

Agon Orchestra conducted by Marko Ivanović

In the original English with Czech subtitles

Premiere 30 October 2025 at 7:30 p.m., first repeat performance on 31 October 2025 at 7:30 p.m.

“What is the verdict?” asked the traveller.
“Don’t you know?” said the officer in surprise, biting his lip.
“I apologise if my explanations are disordered; I beg your pardon. Previously, the commander usually gave the explanation, but the new commander has relinquished this honourable duty. However, such a distinguished visitor” — the traveller protested with both hands, but the officer insisted — “such a distinguished visitor with the form of our judgement is another novelty that” — he had a curse on the tip of his tongue, but he recovered and said only: “I have not been informed of anything, it is not my fault.
In any case, I am probably called upon to explain what kinds of judgements we have, because here” — he tapped his breast pocket — “I carry the relevant hand-drawn sketches of the former commander.”
(Franz Kafka — In the Penal Colony)
The project is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, the State Cultural Fund, the Czech Music Fund Foundation and the OSA Foundation.

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