“The members of the Janoska Ensemble are wonderful musicians and I have always loved hearing them perform live.” - Anna Netrebko, soprano
“The Janoska Ensemble is one of the most original groups of extremely talented musicians, who are very unique in performing classical music, jazz, Latin and other genres. Their inspiration is inexhaustible and they deserve
everyone’s attention and enthusiasm.” - Lalo Schifrin, Hollywood composer
The Janoska Ensemble is composed of three brothers—Ondrej, František, and Roman Janoska—from Bratislava, and their brother-in-law Julius Darvas. Each of them has received world-class soloist training, rewarded with numerous awards, and the musical tradition has been deeply rooted in their family for over six generations.
The Slovak ensemble performs over 100 concerts a year on renowned stages and festivals worldwide.
Recording for Deutsche Grammophon, they released their debut album in 2016, Janoska Style, which was immediately acclaimed by the press and quickly awarded a Gold Disc. This was followed by Revolution, recorded in the legendary Abbey Road studios in London and released in 2019, and more recently in 2022, The Big B’s, which was a great success and became one of the best-selling albums on the label. A fourth album, The Four Seasons, released in November 2024, marks the 300th anniversary of Vivaldi’s masterpiece through the Janoska style.
But what exactly is the “Janoska style”? It involves classical works in new arrangements, with influences extending into today’s music! A key element is the lost art of improvisation, particularly based on classical music. The Janoska Ensemble creates new synergies and unprecedented bridges between the original work and its modern interpretation, combined with a fusion of improvisation and creativity: in short, the Janoska style.
“I was very impressed by the discovery of the Janoska Ensemble, by their unique sound combined with a virtuoso performance of the highest quality. Their exciting interpretations and creative arrangements in their very individual style produce a new, innovative, and refreshing approach to musical creation. I wish them the great success they deserve!” – Mischa Maisky, cellist.
The four members of the Janoska Ensemble perfectly embody all the criteria of the “Janoska style”: solid classical training, decades of practice since childhood, a deeply rooted musical tradition, a high level of technical perfection, and a profound joy of playing and performing, including the art of free improvisation. All of this makes the ensemble more than the sum of its parts; it is a perfectly balanced musical family.
The double bassist Julius Darvas is also the concertmaster. He describes the “Janoska effect,” as he calls the interaction during a concert: “The mood of the audience has a direct effect on our enthusiasm to play, especially when it comes to improvisation: we give – we receive – we give more – we receive more… and so on. Then, the energy begins to flow properly in the concert hall!”.
Ondrej JANOSKA, violon
Roman JANOSKA, violon
František JANOSKA, piano
Julius DARVAS, contrebasse
