Osnabrück: The Greek Passion

29 April 2022, 7:30pm, Theater Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany Bohuslav Martinů: The Greek Passion (premiere of a new production) Directed by: Philipp Kochheim, music director: Andreas Hotz Cast: James Edgar Knight (Manolios), Susann Vent-Wunderlich (Katerina), Rhys Jenkins (priest Grigoris), Erik Rousi (priest Fotis) and others Following performances: 4, 15, 19, 22 and 27 May 2022

Göteborg: Three Fragments from Juliette (staged premiere)

13 April 2019, GöteborgsOperan, Göteborg, Sweden Bohuslav Martinů: Three Fragments from Juliette (staged premiere in collaboration with National Theatre Brno) Directed by: David Radok, music director: Marko Ivanović Cast: Kerstin Avemo (Juliette), Joachim Bäckström (Michel) Language: French Following performances: 18, 24 and 26 Apr, 10 and 12 May 2019

Carnegie Hall: the American premiere of ‘Juliette’

22 March 2019, Carnegie Hall, New York Bohuslav Martinů: Juliette (The Key to Dreams) – American premiere, concert performance American Symphony Orchestra, Bard Festival Chorale (director: James Bagwell), cond. Leon Botstein Cast: Sara Jakubiak (Juliette), Aaron Blake (Michel) and others

Czech music as the main theme of this year’s Leamington Music Festival Weekend

4 – 7 May 2018, Royal Pump Rooms, The Parade, Leamington Spa, UK Leamington Music Festival Weekend Seven concerts of music by Antonín Rejcha, Bedřich Smetana, Antonín Dvořák, Leoš Janáček, Josef Suk, Bohuslav Martinů, Ervín Schulhoff, Klement Slavický and Luboš Fišer Ensemble 360, Pražák String Quartet, Guarneri Trio, Ivan Klánský, Jana Vonášková-Nováková, Martin Kasík, Nicholas Wearne

A Russian premiere of Bohuslav Martinů’s Greek Passion

For the first time ever, Bohuslav Martinů’s operatic masterpiece The Greek Passion was performed in Russia, at the State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre in Ekaterinburg. The premiere took place on 19 April with reprises over the following three days. The first of the opera’s two versions was directed by Thaddeus Strassberger and conducted by the theatre’s chiefconductor … Read more

Wuppertal: Julietta

On 3 March, Oper Wuppertal in North Rhine-Westphalia presented a new production of Bohuslav Martinů’s Julietta. It was the historically first performance of the composer’s operatic masterpiece in Western Germany. The production was created by an Israelian directress Inga Levant, who had already worked on The Tales of Hoffmann in Wuppertal this year. In Julietta, she once again focused on … Read more

Daniel Skála: Vrstvení (world premiere)

The South Czech Philharmonic presented Vrstvení (Layering), a new piece by composer and top-class cymbalist Daniel Skála (*1981). It was performed on 21 and 22 February in the church of Saint Anna, České Budějovice, under the direction of Marek Prášil. “The title of the piece refers to the main principle of composition I used here,” Skála said. “Instead of melodies and … Read more

Miroslav Srnka: Piano Concerto (Czech premiere)

Piano Concerto by Miroslav Srnka got selected as one of the pieces presented at Prague Radio Symphony orchestra’s last pre-Christmas concert which was held on December 19 in Rudolfinum. As the internationally best-known Czech contemporary composer currently, Srnka was a perfect choice for the evening which bore the title “Czech Traces In The World” and whose program included … Read more

Venice. Bohuslav Martinů: Mirandolina

Five performances of Bohuslav Martinů’s Mirandolina were held at the renowned Teatro La Fenice (Venice) in the first half of July. Directed by Gianmaria Aliverta, this opera from 1953-54 based on a comedy La Locandiera (The Mistress of the Inn) by Carlo Goldoni (1707-1793) was this time set into a present-day wellness centre of a modern hotel. The conductor is … Read more