BITTOVA Iva & Bang On A Can All Stars
Superchameleon




Indies Scope Records
Repubblica Ceca

 

"Trust me, Iva Bittová is pretty much a sure-fire guarantee of exquisite, unrepeatable musical experiences. Whether what emerges is high-flown or sensual, earthy or erotic, you dont just hear her music, you experience it. Yet no matter how heady the audio experience may be, if you know her music you remain keenly aware that hearing is but one of six senses. For the complete Bittová experience, that vital visual element must be imbibed too."
From Ken Hunts notes to Superchameleon

So much has already been written about Iva Bittová, about her multi-genre music and talent, her success in the Czech Republic and abroad. Once again Iva Bittová is here to surprise us with something new. Superchameleon is Iva Bittovás debut music DVD. As the title suggests, it reveals many sides of her ever-changing musical character.

The DVD is divided into three parts. The first is an exceptional, ninety-minute concert with the New York-based contemporary music ensemble Bang On A Can All-Stars. The concert was recorded in the Palace Akropolis in Prague on 26 March 2006. The concert repertoire is from the BOAC All-Stars and Iva Bittovás Elida studio album recorded in New York, which won general appreciation and critical approval. The reception to touring Elida in late 2005 prompted the decision to film the performance. However, the programme opened with Iva Bittová just voice, violin and solo magic performing material from her past and present.This DVD is preserved proof positive, as never before, of the mesmeric atmosphere she can create and conjure, no matter whether alone on stage or in the good company of New Yorks Finest, the BOAC All-Stars.


The DVDs second, no less important or impressive part is a choice from the Czech Television archives. The result is a treasure trove of 18 songs. Totalling some sixty minutes, this material captures Iva Bittová in varying incarnations and in a variety of projects rock, folk, folkloric and classical. The oldest footage is with the band Manana from 1984. Other performances include collaborations with the Czech string quartet, the Skampovo kvarteto (Skampa Quartet), the Czech band Dunaj, the Dutch group N.B.E. and Pavel Fajt. Naturally, Superchameleon has to include performances from the magisterial White Inferno, which Iva Bittová recorded with Vladimir Vaclavek.

The last and shortest part of Superchameleon is an exclusive, 12-minute video-collage created specially for this project. The five-part collage includes footage from her first major film appearance in the film Rosy Dreams also known as Rose-tinted Dreams and an assembly of rare scenes. The whole is a flicker-book of impressions of an indefinable artist.