Vojtěch Stříteský, a trained opera singer, has been associated with the genius loci of Litomyšl for most of his professional life. He also served as the Director of the Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice. Since 1992, he has been determining the dramaturgy of the Smetana’s Litomyšl National Festival as its Artistic Director.
Litomyšl is not only the birthplace of a musical genius, but also the venue of the Smetana’s Litomyšl National estival. Please introduce us to the genius loci of this town.
I am sure that this proverbial “spirit of the place” will positively appeal to virtually every visitor who comes to Litomyšl. And not only during the festival, at the turn of June and July, but at any time. In a relatively small area, the beautiful architecture of many centuries and historically signifi cant places of Czech history are combined here. Together with the almost ubiquitous art, galleries, museums and live culture, they create an unrepeatable atmosphere that you hardly experience in metropolises. But I would like to stress that far from being an open-air museum, it is a quite intensely vibrant place. There is a very good reason why Litomyšl uses the slogan “modern historic town”. Its natural centres are the castle hill with the Renaissance chateau, listed by UNESCO, as well as Smetana Square with its exterior arcades, two large churches and picturesque streets, nooks and corners, monastery gardens… It is generally known that Litomyšl is worth a visit — and I add that one day is not enough to enjoy and experience it.
You have been creating the festival’s dramaturgy for several decades. How has it changed over time?
Last year, we commemorated 75 years since the Czech Philharmonic with the conductor Rafael Kubelík started the festival tradition in this country. The dramaturgy of Smetana’s Litomyšl went through many twists and turns. It was subject to the infl uences of the times and the regime. Initially, the intention was to organise a purely monothematic, exclusively Smetana show. However, the prospects were not very good. So in the 1960s and 1970s, the programme began to include compositions by other Czech and later also Slavic composers. However, Verdi, for example, was not performed here until 1989! Fortunately, after the Velvet Revolution, all programme taboos fell, and today, we can present music without any ideological restrictions. In doing so, however, we are mindful of good traditions and the works of Smetana, but also, for example, those of Janáček, Dvořák and Bohuslav Martinů form the backbone of the dramaturgy of each festival year.
The festival is not only about music but also about other interesting programmes. Could you give more details to visitors and readers?
Not only us, the organisers of the festival, but also other municipal institutions make sure that every visitor has the opportunity to enjoy their stay with us between performances and concerts. And also to see and visit more than just the castle and maybe even discover the magical Litomyšl genius loci. I would certainly recommend a visit to one of the exhibitions of the concurrently running Smetana’s Creative Litomyšl (a cycle of art exhibitions), which is not only confined to the halls but, for example, with its open-air exhibitions adds lustre to the “Gallery called Litomyšl”. And it would be a sin to miss the relaxed atmosphere of the Festival Gardens! Everyone can enjoy them without the need to purchase tickets — starting with the little ones. It is not just classical music that is played here. Some young soloists and ensembles perform, and visitors can actively participate in some of the programmes. But they can also simply lounge in the deckchairs or on a blanket and perhaps order a picnic basket full of goodies.
What interesting things will you off er as the Artistic Director of the festival this year? What inspiring things can we look forward to?
We all hope that this year, the festival will fi nally be able to take place in an unreduced form! From 9 June to 5 July, we have prepared a really rich musical menu for visitors. I am quite sure that literally every lover of quality music can choose from the varied selection. For example, opera lovers can look forward to a recital by the famous Uruguayan bass-baritone Erwin Schrott, or to gala concerts of works by Bedřich Smetana, Antonín Dvořák or Giuseppe Verdi. For the traditional festival stagione at the rococo castle in nearby Nové Hrady, we have prepared Vivaldi’s opera Il Farnace with the Musica Florea ensemble. Our welcome guest will once again be the festival’s partner orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, led by its principal guest conductor Jakub Hrůša. We will welcome pretty much the entire array of top domestic performers and a number of guests from abroad — among others, singers Adam Plachetka, Jana Kurucová, Harold Meers and Dalibor Jenis; pianists Lukáš Vondráček, Ivo Kahánek and the young Ryan Martin Bradshaw; in the BACH XXII project, organist Jaroslav Tůma, violinists Josef Špaček, Jiří Vodička, Jan Mráček and Pavel Šporcl. The list is far from complete — we have prepared sixty performances, concerts and screenings for the twenty-five days of the festival! We have already published the detailed programme on our website and will be selling tickets in April. We look forward to seeing you!
Thank you for the interview.
Priority Business & Government is a media partner of the Smetana’s Litomyšl 2022 festival.
