Adam Viktora: I don't serve up well-known pieces
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There is Much More to Tchaikovsky’s Music than Meets the Eye
(c) Petr Kadlec When the conductor Semyon Bychkov was asked to record the complete symphonic works of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky with the Czech Philharmonic for the Decca label, he did not take too long to think it over. The orchestra’s unique sound and the modesty of its players sparked a desire for collaboration in this great expert on Tchaikovsky’s music. Recently he was named the Chief Conductor & Music Director Designate of the Czech Philharmonic from the 2018/19 season. Semyon Bychkov has had an emotional bond with Tchaikovsky’s music from an early age, but the right moment for this meeting of minds has only just arrived. Chance, or perhaps one might say a sign, played a role in this. About a month after the conductor planned the first concerts of his Beloved Friend: Tchaikovsky project with the New York Philharmonic and other foreign orchestras, the offer came from the Czech Philharmoni...
Manfred Honeck: Music has something in common with a feeling for language
(c) Petra Hajská Manfred Honeck first held the position of Principal Guest Conductor of the Czech Philharmonic in the 2008/2009 season. At the same time he also became the Music Director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, with which he will be working until the end of the 2019/2020 season. He has had a lifelong love affair with the works of Gustav Mahler, and he approaches the work of Antonín Dvořák, a key composer for the Czech Philharmonic, not only with an attitude of respect, but also with daring creativity and a desire to find the music’s innermost essence. This Austrian conductor is graced with warmth, humility, generosity, and devotion. Concerning the significance of his work, he has this to say: “Sometimes conductors want to be seen as big heroes of the world, but this is not always true. They should know the real heroes are the composers. Actually, without Mahler, Mozar...
The Cecilian Music Society
The Cecilian Music Society in 1933 (c) Karel Šuster Ústí nad Orlicí is a seemingly inconspicuous small town situated 150 kilometres east of Prague. A centre of the weaving and drapery industries for hundreds of years, it was even dubbed the “Manchester of the East” in 19th-century Bohemia. Today, this tradition is no longer pursued, yet the town has retained a musical continuity, an inseparable part of which is the Cecilian Music Society, one of the oldest Czech music associations. Still thriving today, it has played a vital role in the musical development of the entire region, survived wars, reforms, and even the Communist regime. The society has existed for more than 200 years. Published with a kind permission of the Czech MusicQuaterly magazine. You can find the full article in 2014/4 issue. … Music associations and the birth of the Cecilian Music Society We do not know when precisely a few persons in Ústí nad Orlicí began considering the establishment...
Andrei Ioniţă and his cello dreams come true
Follow my blog with Bloglovin (c) TVW The Czech Philharmonic never tires in its search for new talent. It offers its audiences a glimpse into the world of international competitions and the budding careers of their winners whose performances energize and freshen up its own playing and help keep the Philharmonic in top musical shape. For its concert on February 18, 2017, part of the series called “Discoveries”, the orchestra has chosen the best of the best, inviting one of the brightest stars of the contemporary cello scene, Andrei Ioniţă from Romania. Andrei Ioniţă only celebrated his twenty-second birthday last year, but his name has already shot up to prominence in the international press. In 2013 he won the Aram Khachaturian International Competition. A year later he was awarded second prize and a special prize in the ARD Music Competition in Munich, second prize in Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann ...