NODO – New Opera Days Ostrava presented a world premiere of Protracted Sinuous Movement of a Longitudinal Object , an opera by a composer and scientist Petr Cígler which was written directly for the festival. The performance took place on June 29 at the Antonín Dvořák Theatre. Petr Odo Macháček’s libretto explores the relations between a woman, a man, and a rattlesnake in a common … Read more
The opening evening of the New Opera Days Ostrava (NODO) biennale, which was held between the 27 and 30 June, offered a world premiere of William William, an opera by a composer and the festival’s artistic director Petr Kotík (*1942). The performance took place in the industrial milieu of the Hlubina coal mine. William William is, as the author … Read more
Antonín Dvořák’s rarely played oratorio Saint Ludmila concluded the Dvořák Festival held by the Manchester Hallé Orchestra. In the course of two weeks between May 5 and 21 the orchestra led by Sir Mark Elder commemorated the music by this renowned Czech composer by launching seven concerts of some of his most famous works. Among the … Read more
Escape Routines by Miroslav Srnka were given their first European performance during the 71st year of the Prague Spring Internatonal Music Festival. Premiered on 26 September 2010 at the Boston Symphony Hall, this piece for clarinet, violin, viola, cello and harp was performed on 21 May at the Prague Conservatory Concert Hall by the members … Read more
A new composition by Martin Smolka received its premiere at the international contemporary music festival Acht Brücken. Musik für Köln (Eight Bridges. Music for Cologne) whose sixth year was held between April 30 and May 10. The piece for violin and piano called lay, wail, purr, whirr, smooth, whoop, soothe (and this also is vanity) … Read more
Pivní oratorium (Beer Oratorio) by a composer and conductor Jan Kučera (*1977) received its premiere during the final concert of the 38th year of the Pardubice Music Spring International Festival, which took place on 10 May at the Suk Hall of the House of Music in Pardubice. Commissioned by the festival whose aim is to annually … Read more
Clarinet Concerto in D major by a well-known composer and jazzman Emil Viklický (*1948) received its world premiere during the 38. year of the Pardubice Music Spring international music festival. The sixth of the festival’s thirty concerts took place on 1 April in the Big hall of the Chrudim Museum. The concerto was performed by the chamber string … Read more
A new production of the opera Brundibár by Hans Krása was presented during this year’s mid-season festival held by Opéra de Lyon. Composed in 1938 yet premiered and more than fifty times reprised not until five years afterwards at the Theresienstadt concentration camp by the deported Jewish children, this over 30-minute-long children’s opera is, according to the … Read more
Pavel Zemek Novák’s new piece Seven Last Words received its world premiere during the 25th year of the Brno-based Easter Festival of Sacred Music. It opened the third of the festival’s concerts named ‘Still Hymn’ which took place on 22 March in the functionalist Church of Saint Augustine and during which the Ensemble Opera Diversa conducted by … Read more
The programme of the final concert of the 3-day Fokus Sport festival run by the Alte Oper Frankfurt included the composition Observing the Clouds by Martin Smolka. This piece from 2003, which, through its irregular and unpredictable rhythmical structure, expresses the dynamics of a badminton game, was performed on 12 March at the Alte Oper’s Great Hall … Read more
