The composers’ association Konvergence dedicated this year’s last concert to the youngest generation of Czech composers and composition students. It was held on 12 December, as usually in St. Lawrence Church in Lesser Town, Prague. The evening was closed with the world premiere of All Ending, a piece by composer, director, poet and translator Ian Mikyska (*1994), performed … Read more
After forty years, Antonín Dvořák’s Rusalka returned onto the stage of Oper Leipzig, Germany. The new production by Dutch director and scenographer Michiel Dijkema was premiered on 3 December. Focusing on the fairy-tale archetypes of the tragic story, Dijkema crated a mysterious, eerie scenery on the stage, including the lake and moon on a night sky. Most of the … Read more
The BERG Orchestra ended this year’s season on 5 December with a concert in the St Salvator Church, Prague. They presented the Czech premiere of Circle for 4 trios, conductor and audience by the Chinese composer star, Oscar and Grammy winner Tan Dun. The second part belonged to the world premiere of a space composition shadows by day, Light by night by Czech … Read more
As a part of the chamber cycle of the Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK, Bohemia Saxophone Quartet gave a concert on November 23 at the Convent of St Agnes of Bohemia. It included the world premiere of Sherlock Holmes, a new piece by instrumentalist, multi-genre composer and FOK’s long-standing collaborator Martin Kumžák. The audience also had a chance to hear E. Bozza’s Andante … Read more
On November 17 in the Mozart Hall of Reduta, Brno, Ensemble Opera Diversa introduced the first opera by Vienna-based composer and musicologist Lenka Nota I Am the Princess of Fools. It tells the story of Božena Němcová as written into the libretto by a famous Czech documentary director Olga Sommerová. “Božena is a friend of all Czech women … Read more
On November 16 in the theatre hall of Metropol, České Budějovice, the South Czech Philharmonic gave world premiere to Lachian Pictures, a new piece by composer and clarinettist Aleš Pavlorek (*1971). This suite for small orchestra drew inspiration from the Lachian folklore, which is manifested also in the titles of its four movements – Lachian Janáček, Lachian Yodel Songs, … Read more
Less than three years since Jenůfa, Theater Aachen in Aachen, Germany, presented another of Leoš Janáček’s operas – Katya Kabanova. The premiere took place on November 12, led by the theatre’s current music director Justus Thorau. The production was created by the Czech-born director Tibor Torell who presents the story as chain of visions of the heroine, who thus … Read more
On November 11, Theater Bremen, Germany, presented a new production of Dvořák’s Rusalka. Directed by Anna-Sophie Mahler, it became already the fourth opera featuring a strong female lead she staged in Bremen, following Carmen, Maria Stuarda and, five years ago, Janáček’s Makropulos Affair. Mahler set the plot into the rooms reminiscent of the socialist Czechoslovakia of the 70s and instead of on the … Read more
One of the guests of the 20. international festival of contemporary music and multimedia projects Meetings of New Music Plus, held between October 11 and December 6 in Brno, was the Prague-based ensemble MoEns. Their concert took place on November 9 at the Chamber Hall of the Faculty of Music of Janáček Academy of Music and Performing … Read more
Opera povera ensemble introduced a second part of their experimental project Echo – Metamorphoses, subtitled “All that connects sound and space can become an opera.” It was created by Rocc (*1979), Slovenian opera director and opera povera’s art director, and composer and musicologist Vít Zouhar (*1966). “Content-wise, we tried to return to the original inspiration of the very first … Read more
