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Wednesday, September 20, 2023, 8.00 pm
Bethlehem Chapel
Academic Series For the Future

Tickets for this concert can be purchased online or from 1 September 2023 at the Rudolfinum Ticket Centre. Tickets cannot be purchased at the Bethlehem Chapel.

Ticket prices

690 – 590 Kč

Gallery

Programme

Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 2., No. 1György Ligeti: Musica Ricercata, selectionFranz Liszt: Venezia e NapoliModest Petrovich Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition

Giuseppe Guarrera, an Italian pianist who graduated from Berlin's Barenboim-Said Academy, offers us a journey through Europe's rich musical heritage. As a graduate of this prestigious institution founded by Jewish conductor Daniel Barenboim and Palestinian-American academic Edward Said, Guarrera embodies the age-old principles of tolerance that the Academy is built upon. From him, one can expect nothing but a deep understanding and appreciation of diverse opinions and nationalities.

Guarrera’s musical journey will kick off in the classical centre of Vienna, as embodied by Beethoven. The “Mannheim Rocket” at the beginning of his Piano Sonata No. 1 will launch us onward towards György Ligeti. This year marks 100 years since the birth of this brilliant Hungarian (and later Austrian) composer whose works now rank among the best classical pieces of the 20th century. Musica ricercata (Researched Music) marks the beginning of Ligeti’s journey to find his own style. Next, everyone will be transported to Italy via Franz Liszt’s composition Venezia e Napoli (Venice and Naples), which is part of the Years of Pilgrimage cycle. The night will conclude with Modest P. Mussorgsky’s popular Pictures at an Exhibition, a lovely piano-accompanied stroll through the works of Russian painter Viktor Hartman.

  • Dress code: dark suit
  • End of concert: 9:45 pm

Artists

Giuseppe Guarrera

Invited by Daniel Barenboim to perform under his baton at the opening concert of the season 2017–2018 in Pierre Boulez Saal, the young Italian pianist Giuseppe Guarrera is currently based in Berlin, where he is part of the faculty at the Barenboim-Said Akademie.

In 2017 he won the second prize at the Concours musical international de Montréal (CMIM) as well as five other prizes, including the audience prize. He also received a scholarship from the Ruhr Piano Festival and a prize from the Tabor Foundation at the Verbier Festival Academy. In 2018, he was a prize-winner at the YCAT International Auditions at the Wigmore Hall in London.

Highlights of the past seasons include his solo recitals at the Ruhr Piano Festival, at the Pierre Boulez in Berlin, the Herkulessaal in Munich, the Wigmore Hall in London, the Festival in Andermatt, the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham as well as his debut at the Konzerthaus in Vienna together with Julian Rachlin and his solo recitals in Madrid, Milan, Rome, Padua, and Turin.

Giuseppe Guarrera has performed as soloist and as chamber musician in some of the most prestigious halls and festivals of Europe such as Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris, Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival, Verbier Festival Academy, Ruhr Klavierfestival, Auditorium Sony in Madrid, Lingotto Giovani in Torino, Amici della Musica in Padova, Teatro La Fenice in Venezia, Bologna Festival, Settimane musicali of Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, Teatro Verdi in Trieste, L´Auditori in Barcelona, Musikverein in Wien, Stockholm Konzerthuset, Concertgebow in Amsterdam, Köln Philharmonie, Mupa Center in Budapest, Andermatt Festival, Herkulessaal in Munich, Philarmonie in Luxembourg, Casa de Musica in Porto, Megaron in Athens, Festspielhaus in Baden-Baden etc.

Solo highlights of his career include appearances with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, the Orchestra del Teatro la Fenice.

In addition to his work at the Barenboim-Said Academy, Giuseppe Guarrera will give in the season 2022/23 solo recitals in Bordeaux, Turino, Trieste, and Berlin, as well as chamber music concerts in Japan and Padua.

Bethlehem Chapel

The Bethlehem Chapel is one of the most important landmarks in Prague. The original building, dating from 1391 and closely associated with the reform movement of Master Jan Hus, was torn down. A modern replica was built at the same site in the 1850s based on a design by the important architect Jaroslav Fragner. At present, the Bethlehem Chapel serves as ceremony hall for the Czech Technical University. It is the site of not only graduation ceremonies for the schools students, but also various cultural and social events.