Iva Bittová (born 22 July 1958) is a Czech avant-garde violinist, singer and composer. Her music is a blend of rock and East European music which she describes as “my own personal folk music”.  Her violin playing mixes different techniques, including playing the strings with various objects and plucking them like a banjo, Iva Bittová has said: “The violin is a mirror reflecting my dreams and imagination. I believe there are fundamentals to my performance, such as the music’s vibration and resonance between violin and my voice.” Her vocal utterances range from traditional singing to chirping, cackling and deep throat noises…That relationship is beautifully explored on this album – recorded at Auditorio Radiotelevisione svizzera, Lugano, and produced by Manfred Eicher– which expresses the essence of Bittova’s unique and extraordinary solo work. The pieces here, modestly-titled ‘Fragments I-XII’ resist definition. An idiosyncratic ‘folk’ music, contemporary composition, improvisation, any and all of these may apply from moment to moment. Bittová’s music is a living, changing thing: “Deciding on a name for my style of music is far from over yet”. Iva Bittová was previously showcased in 2007 on the widely-acclaimed ECM album “Mater” by composer Vladimír Godár. This eponymously-titled disc now marks her solo debut for the label.

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