Gabriela Rachidi is the music producer and Executive Director of the International Music Festival Český
Krumlov. She is the founder of ArtMuse, a music agency based in London and Prague. She has worked with
Plácido Domingo, José Carreras and The Tenors. She is a member of the jury in the international TV talent
competition Virtuosos V4+.
The IMF Český Krumlov (or Festival Krumlov) enters its 31st year this year. What interesting things have you prepared?
This year’s edition will be in the spirit of uniquely visual stage scenes and celebrations of musical anniversaries. From 15 July to 6 August 2022, it will off er 17 concerts at nine unique venues in the magical town of Český Krumlov and its surroundings.
The festival will open with a concert called Water and Fire in the poetic atmosphere of the castle lake, where the music will return after 27 years. The unique location promises not only an exceptional spectacle but also a real production challenge. The South Bohemian Philharmonic Orchestra will be seated on a stage on an otherwise inaccessible island, directly under the branches of hundred-year-old linden trees. This concert will feature G. F. Handel’s Water Music and Music for Fireworks.
Visitors can also look forward to a Night of Romanticism with Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B minor performed by the brilliant 15-year-old virtuoso Ryan M. Bradshaw. The Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra will accompany him under incoming Principal Conductor Petr Popelka. Together, in the second part of the concert, they will commemorate the 200th anniversary of César Franck’s birth with a performance of his most famous orchestral work, the Symphony in D minor.
We will pay tribute to the Baroque not only with the opening concert but also with the performance of Vivaldi’s opera Farnace in the castle’s Baroque Theatre and on the last weekend with the Baroque Evening when the audience will be completely enveloped by the art of this period thanks to Barocco sempre giovane (Baroque forever young) and dancers from the Hartig Ensemble in opulent period costumes.
It is really hard to choose just one among the chamber concerts with great Czech performers in the beautiful Masquerade and Mirror Halls. I would also like to mention an evening of John Williams’s fi lm melodies, Václav Hudeček’s birthday concert with young artists from four countries and fi nally, the Opera Gala, which will round off this year’s edition.
This year, we are also preparing the popular Festival Zone, which will off er the general public not only concerts, accompanying activities and talks, but also exercises with live music and openair cinemas. For palette and brush enthusiasts, the Krumlov Montmartre will be open.
The dramaturgy of the festival is also based on the genius loci of Český Krumlov. Is the location also a lure for attracting performers?
No doubt. This year, Český Krumlov is celebrating 30 years since the town’s breakthrough event — its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List. And the festival has been inextricably linked to it throughout this time. Krumlov is a town that is too good to see just once. Although neither my family nor I come from the town, it has always very much impressed each of us, which is why we have made it our second home thanks to the festival. And I know from experience that it has a similar eff ect on the stars of world music that we are able to invite to the festival because of the uniqueness of the setting, but also because of the growing reputation that the top performers who have appeared at the festival have given the festival. That is why the most challenging thing was to persuade René Flemming, the festival’s first big international star, to participate. Because you can talk about the uniqueness of the setting, describe it, and try to bring it closer, but the aforementioned genius loci simply has to be seen and experienced.
The festival would not have been possible without its sponsors. How do you manage to connect classical music and the financial sector?
Since its beginnings, the festival has been fortunate to have been supported not only by public funds but also by companies from the private and corporate sectors who have chosen to support it and who continue to be its partners. Our sponsors are aligned with the festival’s values and feel that it is important to cultivate society through artistic experiences. In addition, they appreciate the opportunity to invite their distinguished guests to an exceptional setting for a concert of high artistic quality. The festival also provides a platform for meeting personalities from the economic and artistic spheres, allowing our sponsors to expand their network of contacts and strengthen business friendships and partnerships. By doing this together, we create a balance so that it is sustainable in the long term and the benefits of the partnership are not just one-sided. Of course, we know that we could not do without the help of our partners and sponsors. We appreciate their trust all the more and appreciate that they chose us despite the competition of so many excellent cultural events.
Another form of support for cultural events that is currently gaining importance is patronage. This has always been the shortest economic link between art and its admirers. And this form seems to be regaining popularity today. We have also created the Friends Club and the Patrons Club for our festival supporters, where we want to thank our devoted audiences for their support with more exclusive benefi ts and musical experiences.
Thank you for the interview.
