“I see a certain symbolism in the performances of these two American orchestras, as it was at the Prague Spring in 1947 that the legendary American conductor Leonard Bernstein made his European debut, and his return to the festival in 1990 was the last European performance of his life. In 2025, we will also commemorate the 80^th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, where Americans played a crucial role in liberating our country. Just as we worked tirelessly for years to secure the Berlin Philharmonic’s opening concert this year, we have been striving for decades to bring the orchestras from Boston and Chicago to the Prague Spring. We are delighted that in 2025, this ambitious mission will finally come to fruition, with wonderful conductors and works that have earned both ensembles international respect and acclaim,” says Pavel Trojan, Director of the Prague Spring.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by its current chief conductor Andris Nelsons on 14 May 2025. In the year when we will commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the death of the composer Dmitri Shostakovich, they will perform his Symphony No. 11 and Violin Concerto No. 1 with soloist Baiba Skride. It is worth mentioning that the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s recording of the complete Shostakovich symphonies with Andris Nelsons for Deutsche Grammophon has won three Grammy Awards

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra will perform on 20 May 2025 under the baton of Jaap van Zweden, who is currently concluding his tenure as chief conductor of the New York Philharmonic. Under his direction, Gustav Mahler’s Sixth Symphony – a work in which the composer not only foresaw the fateful events of his later life but also encapsulated all the passion and contradictions of his relationship with Alma Mahler – will be performed.

Both concerts will take place in the Smetana Hall of the Municipal House in Prague. Tickets are available from 3 June on the Prague Spring website www.festival.cz. The complete festival programme will be published on 22 October. Ticket sales for all concerts of the 80^th Prague Spring International Music Festival will begin on 23 October 2024 at 11 am at the festival.cz website.

“This concert closes a year in which we celebrated Czech music as an important part of our identity. Czech music, which is not just our local national affair, but has a truly global potential. Thus, between the opening concert with My Homeland performed by the Berlin Philharmonic and the closing concert, where the Czech Philharmonic with a Czech programme is conducted by an American conductor, there is an imaginary arc of a strong symbolic message. As an international music festival, we also want to contribute to Czech culture,” says Pavel Trojan, director of the Prague Spring Festival.

The organisers also incorporated the belonging to the Year of Czech Music into the ticket prices in the individual categories, which were sold in the amounts of CZK 2024, 1904, 1874 and 1854. “This highly symbolic concert thus concludes the 79th year of the festival, which aimed to pay tribute to famous composers from ancient chapters of Czech music, but also to bring new perspectives on these famous works, provoke discussions and reflections on the meaning of Czech musical identity and the position of Czech music in the world. It was equally important for us to give a representative space to the work of contemporary Czech composers. This is so that our descendants will have something to celebrate in the Year of Czech Music in the next hundred years,” says Kateřina Koutná, spokeswoman for the festival, explaining the organisers’ thoughts behind the concerts.

The organisers will announce the first taste of what Prague Spring has prepared to celebrate its 80th anniversary on the morning of the festival’s final concert, 3 June 2024.

Orchestra as a flock of birds

“For a long time art has turned mainly inwards, towards individual feeling. Superorganism tries to aim at the layer above the individual,” says Miroslav Srnka. Since 2016, when Kirill Petrenko premiered his opera South Pole with Rolando Villazón and Thomas Hampson in the lead roles at the Bavarian State Opera, he has been one of the most closely watched composers of our time. “Bees or ants are communities of individuals of one species that survive only in synergy and self-organization. The orchestra may be a perfect example of similar human self-organization, with fascinating precision, discipline, and coordination,” Srnka says of the piece, which he wrote as a joint commission from the Berlin Philharmonic, NHK Symphony Orchestra Tokyo, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, and Czech Philharmonic. “Superorganisms is composed almost entirely of virtuoso solo voices from a completely individually divided orchestra, yet there are no solos in the entire piece and the individual voices are hard to tell apart. The music in these pieces only emerges from the ripples of shared energy. Like a school of fish or birds, where we can’t follow one creature, yet we can watch the movement of the whole for hours. Superorganisms are four different species to auditory observation. They have arisen in an age that will not be able to solve its problems without the coming together of human superorganisms.“

American conductor at home in classical and contemporary music

Czech audiences are already familiar with the American conductor David Robertson: they have already heard Olivier Messiaen’s Turangalîla in Prague and Bartók’s opera Bluebeard’s Castle at the Prague Spring Festival. The American artist is a true phenomenon. He has led the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra as chief conductor, served as principal guest conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and, as a protégé of Pierre Boulez, became the first American music director of the Ensemble Intercontemporain. He is equally at home in the classical-romantic repertoire as he is in contemporary music. Since his debut in 1996, he has been one of the key conductors at New York’s Metropolitan Opera, where he opened the 2019-20 season with a hugely successful production of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, and subsequently won a Grammy Award for his recording of the opera. He has conducted some of the world’s finest orchestras, including the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and the New York Philharmonic, among others.

Tribute to Czech greats

Josef Špaček has established himself on the international scene as a top performer of Czech music. “Playing with aplomb, Špaček has combined a clear tone and bold-sounding lower register with impeccable technique and subtlety of expression,” wrote the UK Guardian in 2015 about his recording of Czech violin concertos with the Czech Philharmonic and Jiří Bělohlávek. The recording also includes Leoš Janáček’s Wandering Soul, which will be performed at the final concert. The native of Hukvaldy wrote them in the 1920s, but he never finished the work and used the material in his opera From a Dead House. The composers Leoš Faltus and Miloš Štědroň reconstructed the concert from the original sketches and returned the work to its original form. The next piece of the evening will be Mazurka for violin and orchestra, which is one of Antonín Dvořák‘s most popular compositions. The piece, based on an unmistakable melodic idea, was written at the request of the composer’s German publisher Simrock, who wished to build on the success of Slavonic Dances.

The gala evening and the entire festival will be closed by the symphonic poem Praga. In it, Josef Suk, a pupil and son-in-law of Antonín Dvořák, paid tribute to “royal Prague”, as he wrote in the score. The mysterious introduction invites us to imagine a mist over the Vltava River, a view of Vyšehrad, and in the sudden brightening we can see a panorama with Prague Castle. With Bedřich Smetana’s My Country, the emblematic work of the Prague Spring, Suk’s masterpiece is also linked by the Hussite chant Who Are God’s Warriors, which permeates the entire work. In the monumental conclusion, the chorale is heard by the full orchestra, joined by the organ of the Smetana Hall of the Municipal House.

Do you remember the first time you heard this opera?  

As a very young ensemble member of the Opera of the National Theatre. At the time, I was tasked with learning the role of the First Reaper, a very short part in Act II. I watched what was going on from backstage, and it always completed disarmed me. Smetana succeeded in taking a short piece of Czech history and writing something beautiful about it in three acts, illustrating the nature of human relationships and important values. In retrospect, I realise how much impact Libuše had on me back then. And yet it was not and really still is not my favourite Smetana opera. But there is something about it that touches me deeply. 

Is the opera not deserving of being in the repertoire? 

Smetana wrote clearly that he wanted it played only on important occasions, and I think that if someone has such a wish, it should be complied with. On the other hand, because Libuše is seldom produced, stage directors approach it cautiously. Were it produced as often as Rusalka or The Bartered Bride, we might also see more daring treatments of it. 

So what do you think Libuše is like? 

A calm, just, sensitive, and caring woman who tries to please others, but who never goes beyond the boundaries of her convictions. She is someone that society looks up to and trusts. A kind of authority that is not forced. A good person. And not hysterical! And that, in the end, is why I decided to accept this role. I realised that the dramatic character of Libuše can be done differently than just by straining to make a big sound.

And what finally convinced you to accept the role of Libuse? 

The conductor Jakub Hrůša with his questions about what Libuše is really like. He wanted me to discover that for myself, he gave me time, and he didn’t push me. Really, in the end, it’s always about the person you set out on such an adventure with, and at this time I probably would not have attempted it with anyone other than him. From a conductor, I need certainty that he isn’t going to ruin me. I made the definitive decision after Káťa Kabanová at the Glyndebourne Festival, and now I’m sure it will be a lovely experience, even if for some it might be a bit different from what is expected. In short, it will be a Libuše of my own. 

For its day, the opera has a strong feminist subtext… 

…something very daring from Smetana! An educated, clever woman is capable of finding a solution even in a seemingly impossible situation and can remain someone everyone looks up to, whose opinion is still valid in society. She puts her personal life on the line and shows trust in her advisors, who she has given the task of deciding about it. That is a beautiful gesture, after all! 

Standing in opposition to Libuše is Krasava, a character invented by the librettist Josef Wenzig. 

What kind of opera would it be if we didn’t have a bit of drama? Smetana composed Krasava as the opposite of Libuše. She brings something tempestuous to the story. The contrast between her and Libuše has to be huge. 

Besides the opening fanfares, the most famous part of the opera is the concluding prophecy. How does one feel when singing the words “my Czech nation shall not perish”? 

When I sang it at home for the first time, tears welled up in my eyes, and I was shaking all over. I was all emotional, like when one has a dream in which you get past all those visions, and suddenly at the very end you wake up to reality and you sing those last words. It’s amazing music to an amazing text. And then I seriously can’t sing it through to the end! I get past all the prophecies and images, and then at the moment that everybody’s waiting for, I just give up! So look here, Kateřina! Emotions belong in your head, not in your throat! 

The diverse range of festival concerts is illustrated by an unexpected pair of intimate musical encounters in the form of a song recital by Miah Persson on 16 May and Collegium Vocale Gent under Phillipe Herreweghe the day after. At their concerts, listeners could reach into the depths of their souls in Persson’s melancholic dive into Nordic songs, or touch the celestial heights in Renaissance madrigals – depending on their nature. A completely different experience was provided by the first day dedicated to young listeners, Sunday’s SpringTEEN, which literally took over the entire area of the St. Agnes Monastery. A variety of sounds and noises came from all corners, with children jamming with a robot, carving instruments out of carrots and cucumbers, or imitating the sounds of the African savannah.

However, the eventful first days of the festival also included the Prague Spring International Music Competition: the 75th anniversary edition of the competition, which took place from 7 to 14 May, attracted 90 young musicians from 21 countries. After the final round on 13 May at the Rudolfinum, the jury decided to award the first prize in the horn section to Zhicheng Jin from China, who also won the audience prize donated by the Friends of Prague Spring, which was awarded for the first time this year. The other winners were Nicolas Ramez from France and Felipe Santos Freitas da Silva from Brazil. The final of the violin competition was even more exciting for the Czech audience, as the young Czech representative Jan Novák made it to the final triple. He won second place, the Audience Award, the Czech Music Fund Foundation Award, the Oleg Podgorny Award, the Czech Centre Award, the Gideon Klein Foundation Award and the Mercedes-Benz Company Award. The jury awarded the first place to Japanese violinist Tsukushi Sasaki, while the third place went to French violinist Marie-Astrid Hulot. On the evening of 15 May, former laureates and now famous performers came to pay a symbolic tribute to the 75th year of the competition, which helped many of them to launch their musical careers. The evening opened with the premiere of Sylvia Bodorova’s Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra, and the final spectacular piece by Petr Wajsar, composed especially for the occasion, brought together all the protagonists of the evening on stage: The Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra, led by Jakub Klecker, was joined by trumpeter Gábor Boldoczki, cellist Victor Julien-Laferrière, oboist Johannes Grosso, clarinetist Anna Paulová, bassoonist Jan Hudeček, french horn player Kateřina Javůrková and the Pavel Haas Quartet.

What to look forward to in the coming days?

The second third of the festival will also feature some stellar moments: on Monday evening, the conducting legend Riccardo Chailly will be in Prague again after 23 years, coming with his home “team” Filarmonica della Scala. Together they will accompany the star young pianist Alexander Malofeev, who will play Tchaikovsky’s famous Concerto in B minor. The second event on Monday will be like something out of another musical world, when an experimental tribute to the piano, Pianofonia by Michal Rataj and Jan Trojan, will resound between the planes of the main hall of the National Technical Museum. The composers, who will perform various piano objects on an unusual stage, will be accompanied by Ivo Kahánek and Michal Nejtek on pianos and the percussionist Štěpán Hon.

A sold-out Rudolfinum awaits Jiří Habart’s conducting debut on Tuesday 21 May. The day after, the vaults of the Prague Crossroads will ring with the voices of the Polish Radio Choir – Lusławice, which has a programme of a combination of Czech (Smolka, Martinů) and Polish (Penderecki, Górecki, etc.) composers – the last tickets for the concert are still available. On the other hand, the jazz evening with Camila George, Seong-Jin Cho’s piano recital, Matinee at the Monastery with Vilém Vlček and Iveta Apkalny’s monumental organ concert are all sold out. The last tickets for the concerts of the upcoming Chamber Music Weekend are still available for the Alinde Quintet and Z.E.N. Trio on Saturday and the tribute to Antonín Rejcha at the Agnes Convent on Sunday.

More at  https://www.visitczechia.com/en-us/things-to-do

The Prague Spring Competition was founded in 1946 and has since become one of the most important musical events of its kind in the world. Each year it attracts hundreds of young musicians seeking recognition and the opportunity to showcase their art to an international jury and audience. The competition disciplines rotate each year, which is unique even internationally and ensures a diverse and broad spectrum of musical disciplines.

This year’s edition also featured two new compositions that were specially commissioned for the occasion. These works, by Miroslav Srnka (Apprivoise-moi for violin) and Three Prague Pictures for French horn by Kryštof Marek, brought an additional challenge to the competition and also focused the competitors’ attention on contemporary Czech repertoire.

The juries, composed of the world’s leading musicians and teachers, evaluated the performances of the competitors in the fields of french horn and violin. The french horn jury was headed by André Cazalet from France. Other jurors this year were Luca Benucci from Italy, Jörg Brückner from Germany, Jindřich Petráš from the Czech Republic, Zuzana Rzounková from the Czech Republic, Will Sanders from the Netherlands and Szabolcs Zempléni from Hungary. The violinists were evaluated by a jury headed by Ida Kavafian from the USA. She was joined by Hana Kotková from the Czech Republic and Switzerland, Sergej Krylov from Italy, Daniel Phillips from the USA, Liviu Prunaru from Romania and Belgium, Soyoung Yoon from the Republic of Korea and Josef Špaček. The contestants went through three rounds, where they performed in both compulsory and optional pieces. The whole competition culminated with the final performances on 13 and 14 May.

In the french horn finale, the audience heard the Concerto for french horn and Strings Op. 65 by Othmar Schoeck and Morceau de Concert Op. 94 by Camille Saint-Saëns accompanied by the Pilsen Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Chuhei Iwasaki three times.

The judges evaluated three excellent performances and, after a thorough judging process, determined the following order:

1st prize – Zhicheng Jin, China 
2nd prize – Nicolas Ramez, France
3rd prize – Felipe Santos Freitas da Silva, Brazil

During the second final evening – in the violin category – the Dvořák Hall of Prague’s Rudolfinum was the venue for the performance of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Concerto in D major, Op. 61, Johannes Brahms’ Concerto in D major, Op. 77, and Jean Sibelius’ Concerto in D minor, Op. 47. The concerts were performed in cooperation with the Prague Philharmonia under the direction of conductor Marek Šedivý. Each competitor concluded their performance with an encore of their choice lasting 4 minutes.

The finalists gave great performances and the jury had a difficult task, but in the end they decided that they are the laureates of the Prague Spring 2024 competition:

1st prize – Tsukushi Sasaki, Japan
2nd prize – Jan Novák, Czech Republic 
3rd prize – Marie-Astrid Hulot, France 

The first prize winners will not only receive a financial reward, but also the opportunity to perform at next year’s Prague Spring Festival. New this year for both disciplines was the audience prize, which was awarded to Zhicheng Jin from China for his performance on the French horn and, unsurprisingly, to Jan Novák from the Czech Republic in the violin category.

Next year’s competition will focus on cello and oboe. This year’s event is also expected to attract top young musicians who will compete for recognition and prestige.

The Prague Spring Festival continues to support young talents and contributes to the development of music culture not only in the Czech Republic but also internationally. We would like to thank all the participants, juries and organizers for their efforts and we look forward to the next edition full of musical discoveries.

Today the audience rewarded the Berlin Philharmonic with a prolonged standing ovation. The same concert will take place at the Municipal House on Monday.

The Berliner Philharmoniker has a rich history with the Prague Spring Festival, having performed in the Czech Republic at the invitation of the festival a total of seven times, with the exception of two concerts. The first time was in 1966 with the legendary Herbert von Karajan, the last time in 2014 with Sir Simon Rattle. In May 2020, the orchestra was to open the Prague Spring Festival with works by Gustav Mahler, but the pandemic of covid-19 made this performance impossible. Founded in 1882, the orchestra has a wide repertoire with a focus on the music of the German classical and romantic greats. It is one of the most renowned interpreters of works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Wagner and Gustav Mahler.

Opening concert, Berliner Philharmoniker, Kirill Petrenko, Smetana: Má vlast, Obecní dům /12.5.2024/ © Pražské jaro / Prague Spring Festival 2024 – Petra Hajská

“In the Year of Czech Music, which marks the bicentenary of Bedřich Smetana’s birth, the Berliner Philharmoniker will perform his My Country. And we think this is the best contribution we can make to this Smetana’s birthday. Because Czech music becomes truly world music when it is interpreted by foreign artists,” Pavel Trojan, director of the Prague Spring Festival, told ČTK.

Before the concert, the Municipal House hosted the opening of a new accompanying project of the Art Salon Prague Spring festival, for which Czech visual artists Petr Nikl, Ivan Pinkava, Milan Grygar, Daniel Vlček, Jakub Roztočil and Ira Svobodová worked on the theme My Homeland. The works will be on display for the public from 13 May at the Rudolfinum and the Municipal House. On Sunday, 26 May, the collection will be auctioned at the 91st Kodl Gallery auction at Žofín. The proceeds will benefit the Prague Spring Festival.

Read the full article at ČTK (only in czech language)