Architectural Codes of Brno in Leos Janáček’s Orchestral Work "Sinfonietta" and Jiří Kylián’s Ballet

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to study Jiří Kylián’s ballet Sinfonietta, based on the orchestral work of the same name by Leoš Janáček. The methodology of the research is grounded in an interdisciplinary approach, combining methods of musicological, choreographic, and cultural analysis. The study partially applies stylistic analysis of Janáček’s Sinfonietta, identifying signs of national identity and architectural imagery. A choreographic analysis of Kylián’s ballet reveals parallels between the plastic language of dance and the formative principles of music. The iconological method (after E. Panofsky) is used to interpret the symbolic meanings of artistic forms within their cultural and historical context. A cultural interpretation method allows the works to be considered as part of the broader cultural space of Czech modernism. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the analysis of Kylián’s ballet Sinfonietta alongside Janáček’s orchestral composition of the same name. Conclusions. Kylián’s Sinfonietta, interpreted through an iconological lens, functions both as 1) a stage adaptation of Janáček’s music and 2) a symbolic reconstruction of Brno’s cultural space at the beginning of the 20th century. The musical movements themselves serve as architectural codes of the city (Castle, Royal Monastery, Street, Town Hall), and in Kylián’s choreography, they find a metaphorical embodiment. Each movement element, spatial structure, and bodily interaction expresses the archetypes of the urban environment and national history. The festive fanfare and upward leaps in the first movement represent a space of freedom, the new air of a liberated state. The Castle, symbolising stability and tradition, acquires a new dynamic reading in the female roles of the second movement – history is conveyed as a living motion that fuses past and present. The Royal Monastery, a place of spiritual focus, is reflected in the harmonic, almost ritualistic duet dances that seem to grow from the music and the depths of time. The Street (fourth movement) bursts with the energy of communal celebration; its choreography, both in form and spirit, captures the essence of a national festivity. The final movement, associated with the Town Hall, symbolises not administrative authority, but the integrity of civic life – expressed through the dancers’ circle, as an image of harmony and coexistence.