On Friday, July 14, the Krumlov Festival (formerly IMF Český Krumlov) will open with the French Night concert. Four weeks of music will be framed by 18 concerts of the main program at 12 venues in Český Krumlov and its surroundings, four of which will be the first time the festival will take its audience to. The accompanying program in the Festival Zone will offer more than 60 other free activities.
After many years, the festival’s opening weekend will return to the poetic scenery of the Summer Riding Hall in the Castle Garden. The opening concert on July 14 called the French Night will commemorate one of the key dates in history – the Fall of the Bastille on July 14, 1789. Pianist Alexander Melnikov will perform Camille Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 5 accompanied by the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Robert Jindra. Other works by French Impressionist and Romantic composers will be accompanied by original choreography by Jiří Bubeníček.
“We are honored that not only famous Czech and foreign musicians but also artists from other disciplines, such as choreographer Jiří Bubeníček and his company Les Ballets Bubeníček, have accepted the invitation to the festival. Thanks to such cooperation, we create truly original projects that combine classical music with ballet in this case, and with acting or pantomime in other concerts. Together with the charming atmosphere of our town, this combination creates the festival’s unique character and exceptional experiences,” says Gabriela Rachidi, director of the Krumlov Festival.
“Ballet and classical music will also be combined in the evening Il Boemo & Wranitzky, where after more than 150 years we will present the renewed premiere of Pavel Vranitzky’s ballet The Forest Maiden, choreographed by Andrea Miltner, conducted by Mark Štilec and the Wranitzky Kapelle. The Mucha Quartet with mime Vladimír Kulíšek will create a literally ProMIMEnt Connection in the Prádelna Cultural Centre. The last production, which will cross the boundaries of art forms, will be Classical, but Comical. Together with Jan Budař, we will embark on a revelatory acting/musical journey, in which classical music is not serious at all – but rather light-hearted, mischievous, and the audience need not be afraid to laugh along,” says Rachidi, the director of the festival.
The second concert of the opening weekend on the July 15, Opera Gala will mainly present the operatic works of Guiseppe Verdi, whose birth will be 210 years ago this year. Soloists Zuzana Markova and Charles Castronovo will be accompanied by PKF – Prague Philharmonia under the direction of David Giménez Carreras.
The evening on July 22 Viva España! will include the Czech premiere of the Movimiento sinfónico “Musas y resuello” by trumpeter Pacho Flores. Guitarist Rafael Aguirre will perform the romantic Concierto de Aranjuez. Zarzuelas, melodies from Spanish operettas, will be performed in an authentic interpretation by Spanish singers and the PKF – Prague Philharmonia led by conductor Manuel Hernández-Silva.
Vadim Gluzman and Young Talents will mentor the most outstanding artists of the upcoming generation from five countries – winners of the Virtuosos V4+ competition – at the concert on July 28.
The Bernstein Meets Gershwin concert on July 29 will present classical and musical works by two American composers who pushed the boundaries of classical music. The singer-wife duo Nikki Renée Daniels and Jeff Kready from New York’s Broadway will be accompanied by the North Bohemian Philharmonic Teplice with conductor Jan Kučera.
On August 5 the festival will end with the Famous Opera Choirs and Carmina Burana. The Czech Philharmonic Choir of Brno and the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Daniel Raiskin, have invited top international soloists Adriana Kučerová, Anthony Gregory, and Boris Prýgl for the culmination of the 32nd edition of the festival.
Especially the smaller, chamber concerts will bring the audience to new places, perhaps undiscovered by classical music and its listeners. “This year we want to bring music and its listeners to different, perhaps even a little experimental places. The Prádelna Cultural Centre will host a ProMIMEnt Connection combination of the Mucha Quartet and pantomime, Josef Špaček and Miroslav Sekera will play the most beautiful duets of the 20th century for violin and piano at the Municipal Theatre Český Krumlov. The Korean String Quartet and cellist Meehae Ryo will pay tribute to Brahms at the Egon Schiele Art Centre, and the Alinde Quintet concert with a discussion of the Memory of the Nation at the Krumlov Synagogue will commemorate the South Bohemian Jewish community,” says Marie Rydlová, the festival’s spokeswoman.
The festival will not forget the traditional concert venues. The Masquerade Hall will host the pianist David Kalhous and his guests on July 20, and the Smetana Trio on July 27. The organ concerts on July 23 and 25 in the Church of Corpus Christi and the Golden Crown will be performed by participants and teachers of the Mecca of Organists masterclasses Christophe Mantoux, Jaroslav Tůma, and Pavel Svoboda. On August 3, the vocal quartet Bohemia Voice will perform at St. Nicholas Church.
From Friday to Sunday, the Festival zone – the fringe festival offers free multi-genre concerts, talks with artists, art, movement, and educational activities, modern technologies in music, and much more. The Monastery Garden will combine the music of various genres with visual arts, historical photography, yoga, theatre, and other activities. Other activities include Saturday art workshops, Sunday music picnics, Krumlov Montmartre – painting under the guidance of an experienced painter, a summer cinema, and more.
Program of the 32nd Festival
- / 7 – Fri / 21:00 – Summer Riding Hall
French Night - / 7 – Sat / 21:00 – Summer Riding Hall
Opera Gala – Opera Gala - / 7 – Sun / 11:00 – Monastery Garden
Musical Picnic with Unique Quartet
19 / 7 – Wed / 20:00 – The cultural center Prádelna
ProMIMEnt Connection
- / 7 – Thu / 19:30 – Masquerade Hall
David Kalhous and his guests - / 7 – Fri / 19:30 – Castle Riding Hall
Il Boemo & Wranitzky
- / 7 – Sat / 20:30 – Brewery Garden
Viva España! - / 7 – Sun / 11:00 – Corpus Christi Church
Organ Matinee
25 / 7 – Tue / 19:30 – Church of the Assumption, Zlatá Koruna
Concert of Sacred Organ Music
25 / 7 – Tue / 19:30 – Municipal Theatre
Josef Špaček and Miroslav Sekera
27/ 7 – Thu / 19:30 – Masquerade Hall
Smetana Trio – Smetana Trio
28 / 7 – Fri / 20:00 – Castle Riding Hall
Vadim Gluzman and young talents
- / 7 – Sat / 20:30 – Brewery Garden
Bernstein Meets Gershwin - / 7 – Sun / 11:00 – Egon Schiele Art Centre
Tribute to Brahms
2 / 8 – Wed / 19:30 – Synagogue Český Krumlov
Alinde Quintet
3 / 8 – Thu / 20:30 – St. Nicholas Church, Boletice
Bohemia Voice
- / 8 – Fri / 19:30 – Castle Riding Hall
Classical, but Comical - / 8 – Sat / 20:30 – Brewery Garden
Famous opera choirs and Carmina Burana
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The Krumlov Festival (formerly IMF Český Krumlov) is one of the most important Czech classical music festivals. It has been traditionally held in Český Krumlov since its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1992. Its concerts connect the interiors and exteriors of this town and other historically and culturally interesting locations in South Bohemia. The festival has so far been held in more than 40 venues and this year’s 32nd edition will also enliven several unusual locations with music. In addition to the variety of concert venues, supporting young artists and connecting music with other art forms is central to the festival. Chamber, symphonic and choral works are often presented in combination with dance, acting, and original scenography. The dramaturgy also emphasizes vocal works, operas, and operatic gala concerts. The festival’s program features the names of top Czech and foreign soloists along with the most outstanding performers of the younger generation.
Priority Business & Government magazine is a media partner of the 32nd International Music Festival Český Krumlov.
