Kryštof Kohout Matinée
The Bartók World Competition prize-winner and graduate of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London makes his Prague Spring debut performing works by Clara Schumann, Béla Bartók and Vítězslav Novák.
Programme
- Clara Schumann: Tři romance pro housle a klavír op. 22
- Béla Bartók: Sonáta pro sólové housle
- Vítězslav Novák: Sonata in D minor for Violin and Piano
Performers
- Kryštof Kohout – violin
- Edward Leung – piano
Another of the many exceptional, young Czech talents to be given an opportunity to make their debut at the Prague Spring is violinist Kryštof Kohout, prize-winner at the Bartók World Competition in Budapest and scholarship recipient on the Classeek Ambassador Programme 2024–2025. This 26-year-old graduate of the Pilsen Conservatoire and Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London has already given concerts in the Philharmonie de Paris and the Elbphilharmonie, London’s Wigmore Hall, Vienna’s Musikverein and Carnegie Hall in New York. He is also a founding member of the Fibonacci Quartet, the first ensemble ever to win both main prizes (1st Prize and the Audience Prize) in the prestigious Paolo Borciani International String Quartet Competition in Italy. This season they will undertake a tour of Europe, stopping off at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Wigmore Hall and Vienna’s Konzerthaus.
A personal connection
“What I especially like about this programme is its personal dimension. The works represent some of the main influences behind my musical inspirations and passions, while each of them was fundamental to its composer, who had a strong connection to it,” says Kryštof Kohout. “Clara Schumann’s world is timeless. It conceals within it great depth and magical intimacy, yet it also has the fresh immediacy and natural qualities of the human voice. Bartók fascinates me with his blend of supreme craftsmanship and unbridled musical imagination. His Sonata is exciting, one-of-a-kind, with a huge range of colours and moods. And, finally, Novák’s piece brims with intense emotions while, at the same time, communicating deeply with the environment from which it grows. I view the opportunity to discover the richness of Czech music to be a great fortune and a constant source of inspiration, and I am delighted to be able to present this remarkable work at the Prague Spring.” “It is a rare privilege to find in Kryštof Kohout an artistic partner whose musicality, curiosity and humanity continually enrich both our musical collaboration and friendship,” adds American pianist Edward Leung. A graduate of Princeton University and the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, he is a 2025-2027 Making Music Recommended Artist and a Bösendorfer-Amadeus Young Artist, and he was named a Rising Star of the 2025 Edinburgh International Festival.
Clara Schumann wrote her Three Romances for 19th century virtuoso violinist Joseph Joachim. Bartók’s Sonata for Solo Violin was commissioned by legendary 20th century violinist Yehudi Menuhin. And at the Prague Spring’s traditional matinée we may well discover a new 21st century violin superstar.
