Místa/Krajiny

A tribute to nature and folk songs: Tereza Richtrová releases her debut album Místa/Krajiny

For years, Tereza Richtrová, known from theatre stages in Olomouc, Brno and Ostrava as well as from the TV show Dobré ráno, has been writing down lyrics she perceives as a time-lapse record of the most important places where she has lived or simply endured. She gave them musical form in collaboration with Martin Kyšperský from the band Květy, and they are now being released on the album Místa/Krajiny, a personal map of landscapes, relationships and returns, firmly rooted in the poetics of folk song.

Tereza Richtrová became closely acquainted with singing at the age of seven at the conservatory where her father taught. Naturally, it all began with folk songs. Although she later studied classical singing and opera repertoire, performed in a folk punk band, sang in musicals, chansons and music written for drama theatre, she considers folk song its melody, poetics and fascination with nature set against the cycle of life as the essential foundation of her musicality. “My sources of inspiration are simple places, people, relationships. And nature is my religion,” says Richtrová.

“The lyrics on the album are a time-lapse of the most important places and landscapes I have passed through. People are only seemingly absent the landscapes are densely inhabited by specific individuals I have encountered,” the author explains. She decided to realize the album only two years ago. “At forty two, I finally took the lyrics out of the drawer. A big factor was the awareness that I am halfway through life and there is no time to wait,” she adds.

Tereza shaped the music together with Martin Kyšperský from the band Květy, who co-wrote the music and created the arrangements. “I did not want folkloric pathos, but someone who would roughen the texts a little and move them into the present,” she explains.

The individual tracks capture specific situations and personal experiences from everyday life and gratitude in Kouzlo malých věcí through painful relationships in Smutná to a return to the landscape of first love in Karpatská. Z hory stands in this map as a simple, almost folk-like song about searching for love. Alongside these are images of travel, inner conflict and returns in Boží muka and Z kruhu, as well as the experience of urban alienation in Libeň. There are also purely visual landscape returns in Jmelí and concise relationship miniatures such as Maják. “I have found that sometimes it is better to sing about sad things lightly. Not to push. And that when I sing, I touch my true self,” the author concludes.

The recording was created gradually in several phases from initial meetings in Brno and Prague through recording the basic tracks at a cottage in Podyjí to final vocals in Kyšperský’s studio. A number of distinctive musicians from across the scene contributed to the album, including Martina Trchová, Prune, Ondřej Kyas, Jiří Habarta, Josef Klíč, Martin Novák, Christopher Strandh, David Liber, Radim Hanousek and Michal Grombiřík. The final sound was shaped by Broněk Šmid.

Bio

Tereza Richtrová born 1982 in Brno has been involved in music since the age of seven. She studied classical singing under Irena Vašíčková Pollini and graduated with a repertoire of songs and operatic works Haydn, Bach, Rossini, Schubert, Dvořák and toured the USA with a school early music orchestra. At the same time, she was active in theatre at Studio Dům divadla Husa na Provázku and co founded the Brno folk punk band Terrariot. She graduated in drama acting at JAMU, worked in theatre engagements in Olomouc, Ostrava and Brno and spent five years hosting the Czech Television show Dobré ráno. She currently lives in Prague as a freelance actress and collaborates with Czech and international film and television productions. With her debut Místa/Krajiny, she presents herself for the first time as an author connecting the poetics of folk song with a personal reflection on landscape, relationships and the search for home.

Tracklist Místa/Krajiny

Kouzlo malých věcí 3:37
Smutná 3:35
Jmelí 3:44
Libeň 3:04
Sedí sokol 1:37
Z hory 3:43
Boží muka 3:25
Maják 1:39
42 3:55
Miluješ-li mňa 0:45
Karpatská 2:40
Pálava 4:01
Z kruhu 5:07

Credits

Music by Tereza Richtrová, Martin Kyšperský
Lyrics by Tereza Richtrová

Band members and instruments

Tereza Richtrová vocals 1 to 13, rainstick 8
Martina Trchová vocals 1 11 13
Prune vocals 1 11 13
Ondřej Kyas electric guitar 9 12
Jiří Habarta keyboards 1 2 3 6 9 11 12 13
Josef Klíč cello 2 3 4 6 7 11 13
Martin Novák drums and percussion 1 2 3 4 6 7 9 11 13
Christopher Strandh trumpet 12
David Liber double bass 1 2 4 6 7 9 11 12
Radim Hanousek bass clarinet 4 13
Michal Grombiřík cimbalom 6 11 12
Martin Kyšperský banjo 1, keyboards 1 3 7, acoustic guitar 1 2 3 4 6 7 9 11 12 13, harmonium 8, zither 2, electric guitar 2 3 6 9 13, ukulele 3, bass guitar 3, hang 7, finger snaps 7, balafon 11