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Martinů at the Prague Spring 2024 festival
Tuesday 14 May 2024, 6.00 pm
Dvořák Hall, Rudolfinum, Prague, CZ
The concert will feature one of the concerts selected by the finalist, among which could be also the second violin concerto by Bohuslav Martinů.
PKF – Prague Philharmonia
Marek Šedivý (conductor)
More informaiton: https://festival.cz/en/koncerty/finale-souteze-housle/
Wednesday 15 May 2024, 8.00 pm
Dvořák hall, Rudolfinum, Prague, CZ
75 YEARS OF THE PRAGUE SPRING COMPETITION
In 2024 we mark the 75th anniversary of the Prague Spring International Music Competition. Over the three quarters of a century since it was established, the competition has helped to launch the stellar career of numerous Czech and foreign musicians. Now they will be coming to Prague once more from various parts of the world in order to join forces in a special gala concert to celebrate the birthday of a contest that means so much to young musicians. They will be accompanied by the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, headed by renowned conductor Jakub Klecker.
The Prague Spring competition also provided a springboard for the dazzling career of the Pavel Haas Quartet, today one of the world’s best and – in the eyes of critics and audiences alike – most highly regarded string quartets. To round off the gala concert, accompanied by the Radio Orchestra, they will perform String Quartet with Orchestra, a work by Bohuslav Martinů dating from the beginning of the 1930s, in which the four-member group assumes the role of soloist, as in a Classical concerto.
More information: https://festival.cz/en/koncerty/75-let-souteze-prazske-jaro/
Saturday 18 May 2024, 8.00
Smetana Hall, Municipal House, Prague, CZ
ORCHESTRA DI SANTA CECILIA & HRŮŠA
One of the best orchestras in the world under the baton of the most renowned Czech conductor of today will performe The Frescoes of Piero della Francesca.
“From the moment it became known that I would be coming to the Prague Spring in my role as principal guest conductor of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, I worked on the idea to present music that blends both Italian and Czech cultural traditions,” states Hrůša on the programme’s conception.
“We’ll be bringing The Frescoes of Piero della Francesca by Bohuslav Martinů: it was these artworks in Arezzo which inspired the Czech composer to write the piece. The programme also features the last work written by another great Slav émigré composer, Sergei Rachmaninoff – his swan song, the Symphonic Dances. Both Martinů and Rachmaninoff were active in the United States in key periods of their lives. This was also the home of George Gershwin, whose Concerto in F for piano will be performed by my concert partner of many years, Kirill Gerstein, who often appears in the USA.”
More information: https://festival.cz/en/koncerty/orchestra-di-santa-cecilia-hrusa/
Wednesday 22 May 2024, 8.00 pm
St. Anne’s Church – Prague Crossroads, Prague, CZ
Since its founding in 1948, the Polish Radio Choir – Lusławice has been one of Europe’s best vocal ensembles. They are now coming to Prague led by their choirmaster Marie Piotrowska-Bogalecka to present a programme combining the music of Polish composers with works by Martin Smolka and Bohuslav Martinů. The concert will feature a selection of his Czech Madrigals.
More information: https://www.martinu.cz/en/news/2234-prague-spring-2024-czech-madrigals/
The complete program can be found at https://festival.cz/en/