Competition Finals: Harpsichord
The three best young harpsichordists accompanied by the Collegium 1704 and the Prague Philharmonia will compete in works by Johann Sebastian Bach and Bohuslav Martinů in honour of the Czech queen of the harpsichord, Zuzana Růžičková.
Programme
- Johann Sebastian Bach: Koncert pro cembalo a smyčce č. 1 d moll BWV 1052
- Bohuslav Martinů: Concerto for Harpsichord and Small Orchestra H 246
Performers
- Prague Philharmonia
- Vojtěch Spurný
- Collegium 1704
The three best young harpsichordists who pass through the demanding selection process to reach the finals of the Prague Spring competition 2027 will face off in compositions separated by two centuries. In the first part they will perform the “Vivaldiesque” Harpsichord Concerto in D minor BWV 1052 by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) dating from 1738; the work on the programme for the second part is Concerto for Harpsichord and Small Orchestra by Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů (1890–1959) from 1935. This piece, commissioned by legendary French harpsichordist Marcelle de Lacour, is fascinating not only for Martinů’s typical, warm poetic sensibility, but also for its instrumental lineup, which comprises a mere nine players, where the sound of the harpsichord blends intriguingly with that of the piano.
Famous prize-winners
The harpsichord category was incorporated into the Prague Spring competition relatively recently; it was first introduced in 1994 and, that very first year, the top prize went to one of the most respected harpsichordists of this century, two-time Grammy Award nominee Jory Vinikour. Subsequent years produced eminent prize-winners such as Jean Rondeau (2012), Anastasia Antonova (2017) and Czech harpsichordist Monika Knoblochová (1999). Conductor Vojtěch Spurný, who will guide us through the final evening with the Prague Philharmonia, was awarded an honourable mention at the Prague Spring harpsichord competition in 1994.
Dedication
The Prague Spring harpsichord competition 2027 is dedicated to the Czech queen of this instrument, Zuzana Růžičková (1927–2017).
