60 years after its Russian premiere, the Stanislavsky Theatre in Moscow put on a new production of Jenůfa, Leoš Janáček’s most famous operatic work. Sung in Russian, the piece was premiered on 28 February. The creative team was led by the theatre’s long-standing collaborators, director Alexander Titel and conductor Evgeny Brazhnik. Alternating in the leading roles are Elena Bezgodkova and Elena Guseva (Jenůfa), … Read more
One of the fifteen premieres of Oper Köln’s 2017/18 season is The Emperor of Atlantis. A one-act opera, composed by Viktor Ullmann in 1943 in the Theresienstadt concentration camp, received its premiere on 24 February on the modern, glass-fronted stage at Offenbachplatz. The production was created by a house team consisting of directress Eike Ecker and conductor Rainer Mühlbach. … Read more
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
As a part of their 49th season, the Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice introduced Little Words, a new song cycle by composer and the orchestra’s former music director Marko Ivanović (*1976). The piece attracted the attention of the Prague Spring festival, too; that is why the audience in the Suk Hall of Pardubice’s Dům hudby on 19 February had a chance … Read more
One of the nine opera performances Staatstheater Kassel (Hesse) produced this year was Janáček’s Jenůfa. The sold-out premiere which took place on 10 February was preceded a few days earlier by a public talk introducing not only the most famous of Moravian composers and his music but also the background of the Kassel production. The opera was directed … Read more
On 4 January, PKF – Prague Philharmonia gave world premiere to an orchestral version of YIN – Nostalgia and Hope by composer Ondřej Štochl (*1975). Its chamber version for vibraphone and 12 instruments had been premiered 2 years ago in Brno; just like then, the solo part was now played again by the excellent Martin Opršál. The orchestral transcription maintained … Read more
Led by their artistic director Pavel Šnajdr, the Brno Contemporary Orchestra on 31 January in Besední dům, Brno, presented the first of the two concerts commemorating and celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of Czechoslovakia. It was named FROM CZECHOSLOVAKIA and the programme consisted of new pieces by Petr Bakla, Luboš Mrkvička and Marián Lejava … Read more
On 31 January in the Smetana Hall of the Municipal House, the Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK gave world premiere to Concerto for oboe and orchestra by Jiří Gemrot (*1057). Just like his Trio for oboe, harp and piano, the composer dedicated it to a leading Czech oboist Vilém Veverka. “The first attribute I would think of is ‘lyrical’,” the … Read more
On 28 January, Opéra National de Lorraine in Nancy, Eastern France, presented a new production of Janáček’s Katya Kabanova. It was created by German opera director Philipp Himmelmann who decided to highlight the tragic nature of the story; the spectators are thus even offered handkerchiefs upon entering. The music director is an Irish conductor Mark Shanahan. Popular … Read more
On 18 January in the St Agnes Convent, violoncellist Petr Nouzovský and accordionist Ladislav Horák gave premiere to Introduction and Tango, a new piece by composer and choirmaster Petr Fiala (*1943). The concert was a part of the chamber series held by the Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK. The two-part composition was written directly for these two leading Czech instrumentalists, … Read more
