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festival overture
Sunday, September 3, 2017, 11.30 am
On the Trail of Dvořák

The concert can also be bought in the package with the second musical stop in Kroměříž in Nadsklepí for a special price 490 CZK. You will see a discounted price after inserting both concerts into your cart.

Programme

Johann Christoph Pezel: Suita in C: Intrada, Courante, Ballo, Sarabanda, TrezaJohann David Heinichen: SonataPavel Josef Vejvanovský: Sonata a 4Antonín Dvořák: Ave MariaAntonín Dvořák: Hymnus ad laudes in festo Sanctissimae TrinitatisBohuslav Martinů: Marionettes (selection)Tomasz Stolarczyk: New RoadBohuslav Lédl: Complete Luncheon - premiereVáclav Kozel: Sloth, from The Seven Deadly SinsJosef Vejvoda: A Look BackMojmír Bártek: A Jubilee Episode

The first tones of this year’s Dvořák Prague Festival will sound in the beautiful ambience of the Archbishop’s Palace in Kroměříž, rendered by topflight trombonists and tubists from the Czech Philharmonic in a concert symbolizing the great musical tradition of the Kroměříž region stretching across the centuries in both composition and performance. Naturally we’ll hear pieces by Dvořák, whose contacts with important figures in Kroměříž were undoubtedly a key factor both in the musical life of this artistically-oriented city and in the life of the composer himself.

The concert is part of a comprehensive program:

11.30–12.30 Concert, Balcony Hall, Archbishop’s Palace Kroměříž

12.45–13.45 Spiritual stopping a small organ concert, Church of St. Morice (free entrance)

16.30–18.00 Concert, Nadsklepí, Kroměříž

7.00–19.30 Opportunity to visit the Palace's Gardens, Kroměříž (free entrance)

9.00–15.30 Possibility of tour of the Archbishop’s Palace Kroměříž (tickets in the Palace box office, more information about the tours and prices at www.zamek-kromeriz.cz)

  • Dress code: casual

Artists

The Czech Philharmonic Low Brass Ensemble

The Czech Philharmonic Low Brass Ensemble, founded in 2004, consists of first-class players from the trombone and tuba sections of the foremost Czech orchestra. The delectable, velvety sound and specific expressivity of these instruments playing together is completely different from what we hear in a brass quintet or a traditional trombone quartet, and for this reason ensembles of this type are not uncommon throughout the world. During the thirteen years of its existence this one has given numerous successful concerts, appearing repeatedly in the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Series and concerts of the Czech Society for Chamber Music as well as for example in the Lipa Musica Festival and the St. Wenceslas Festival. The repertoire includes arrangements of pieces from various style periods but also works written by contemporary composers directly for this group. In 2014 the ensemble issued a profile compact disc presenting a representative cross section of its repertoire.

Robert Kozánek

The ensemble’s artistic director, trombonist Robert Kozánek, is a graduate of the Pavel Josef Vejvanovský Conservatoire in Kroměříž and the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. He has won honours in numerous international competitions, for instance in Geneva, Gdańsk, Markneukirchen, Jeju (Korea), and Lieksa (Finland). He is a sought-after player not only as a soloist (appearing with the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic of Zlín, the Plzeň Philharmonic, and the Prague Philharmonia) but in chamber music and not least as a jazzman. Since 2002 he has been principal trombonist of the Czech Philharmonic, and since 2003 he has been teaching at the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts in Brno.

Archbishop’s Palace Kroměříž

Kroměříž, one of the most beautiful historical cities of Czechia, is known not only for its architecture and spiritual symbolism, but for its support of art and especially music. An important centre of artistic happenings in Kroměříž in the nineteenth century was the villa of the Kozánek family, whose numerous guests included Antonín Dvořák—a long-time friend of Emil Kozánek, an enthusiastic organizer of local musical events. Thanks to their close relationship Kroměříž became an important venue for performances of Dvořák’s works already during his lifetime. The highlights of those artistic contacts were Dvořák’s visit to Kroměříž in April 1886, when with great success he conducted two performances of his Stabat Mater, two concerts in the spring of 1891 when his monumental oratorio St. Ludmila sounded there under his baton, and a double performance of his Requiem a year later, again directed by the composer. Proof of his warm feelings towards Kroměříž and its ‘Moravan’ music society is a letter where he recalled ‘that exalted moment when I stood there before you and wept! I’ll never forget it as long as I live! It was all so cordial and sincere and came from the hearts of sincere people! When I stood before thousands of people in London amidst tremendous rejoicing and thunderous applause, paying the greatest homage to me, believe me, I was never so moved!’