31st Concert Season of the Prague Philharmonia

The new concert season of the subscription cycle A, traditionally based at the Prague Rudolfinum, was once again conceived and compiled by the orchestra's chief conductor and music director Emmanuel Villaume, who will personally lead five out of the nine planned evenings.

Invitations to conduct the other concerts were accepted by the director of the Opéra Comique in Paris, Louis Langrée, and the rising conducting stars Gemma New, Angus Webster, and Łukasz Borowicz. Among the soloists, we look forward to the Wagner opera star Nicholas Brownlee, the energetic cellist István Várdai, the Greek flautist Stathis Karapanos, and pianists Barry Douglas and Hyuk Lee.

The home colors will be represented by violinist Josef Špaček, jazz trombonist Štěpán Janoušek, and the Prague Philharmonia's concertmaster Romana Špačková.

The programming of the Rudolfinum concerts on the one hand honors the roots of the orchestra and the basic building blocks of its repertoire, laid down by Villaume's predecessors led by the orchestra's founder Jiří Bělohlávek. On the other hand, it opens up new horizons. Therefore, in the season, you will hear Beethoven's Symphonies No. 3 and 7, or Novák's Slovácká suite, which are essential for the orchestra; and we will celebrate the culminating Year of Czech Music 2024 with Bedřich Smetana, Antonín Dvořák, and Karel Husa.

However, world and Czech premieres will also be heard, such as a new commissioned composition by Petr Wajsar, the first Prague performance of Huw Watkins' Dawning, and the rediscovery of the legacy of Luise Farrenc, a French composer from the early 19th century.

You can also look forward to the polished works of the Viennese classics, the romantic symphonies of Brahms, Schumann, and Dvořák requiring larger orchestral forces, as well as the more progressive and modern-spirited music of Penderecki, Martinů, and Shostakovich.

The Chamber Cycle has focused on the theme of "other instruments" in the 31st season of the Prague Philharmonia orchestra. We want to highlight the significance of lesser-known and rarely featured solo instruments. Chamber music is a valuable musical heritage of world culture, and not only other instruments are of crucial importance for the performer to hone their technical perfection.

Visitors to the chamber series can look forward to instruments such as the bass clarinet, contrabassoon, English horn, baroque bassoon, baroque oboe, viola d'amore, harp, as well as tuba, marimba, and guitar.

Invitations to the chamber series have been accepted not only by leading Czech but also international artists. Let's mention at least clarinetist Anna Paulová (Laureate of the Prague Spring Competition, semifinalist of the prestigious ARD Competition in Munich), who will perform as a bass clarinetist with the Trio Clavio at the second chamber concert on October 14, 2024. Ladislav Bilan, a prominent marimba player (having successfully participated in a number of competitions, including the World Championship of Performing Arts in Los Angeles), will present works for unconventional instrumentation (English horn, harp, piano, and marimba) on November 18, 2024.

Ondřej Šindelář, who, among other things, teaches baroque bassoon at the Janáček Academy of Music in Brno, has accepted the invitation for the final concert on June 9, 2025, where he will perform on this instrument. The Chamber Series will be opened on September 23, 2024, by the Fama Quartet, American pianist Bethany Danel Brooks, and the experienced Spanish guitarist Àlex Garrobé, professor of guitar and chamber music at the Catalan Music College, holder of a doctorate in art history and musicology.

Fans of the chamber cycle can also look forward to virtuosic performances of works by Czech and foreign composers. Here we will focus particularly on French musical giants who are celebrating anniversaries in the 2024/2025 season, namely Gabriel Fauré († November 4, 1924), Erik Satie († July 1, 1925), and Maurice Ravel (* 1875).

Martina Sermain, Dramaturg of the Chamber Cycle

Encounters with the Stories of Art - The 8th edition of the Prague Philharmonia's Lobkowicz subscription series will present the most prominent talents of the current global music scene over four evenings. We invite you to the exceptional space of the Lobkowicz Palace at the Prague Castle, which gives the Prague Philharmonia orchestra the opportunity to share its characteristic virtuosity and artistic enthusiasm with those who appreciate music of the highest quality, the rare collections of the Lobkowicz family, and the chance to meet the soloists.

The Prague Philharmonia Lobkowicz subscription series is designed as a donor series. By purchasing it, you will directly support the artistic activities of the Prague Philharmonia orchestra.

The Contemporary Music Cycle S will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its existence in the 2024/2025 season. And we will celebrate in grand style! Our ambition is to bring this series to a wider spectrum of today's cultural scene. Therefore, we have chosen an unusual "musical talk show" format for these concerts. In six parts, we will welcome prominent figures from the Czech and Slovak music scene. We will encompass various genres, from contemporary classical music to jazz and electronic. We will intersect the world of music with the worlds of visual art, literature, and film.

The invitees include composers Miloš Štědroň, Vladimír Franz, Petr Kotík (in a musical duel with Philip Glass), Marián Lejava, Kateřina Horká, laureates of the 2023 Konvergencie international composition competition, electronic music composer and sound designer Karel Havlíček, and composer and writer Vadim Petrov.

The concerts will feature works in Czech and, above all, world premieres, for which I am very grateful to the authors!

Two of the concerts have been designated as "extraordinary," as they are exceptional in character and will be held in the large hall of the Švanda Theater in cooperation with them. These are the concert (S3) "Petr Kotík and Philip Glass: 50 Years in New York" and the "congratulatory concert" (S4) "Vladimír Franz at 65". The final cycle concert is a "special" one, taking place in the S1 Studio of Czech Radio, and will include a light visualization of the music.

An essential component of the concerts is the live discussion with the invited guests. The musical performers will be members of the Prague Philharmonia orchestra and their special musical guests - violinist and singer Gabriela Vermelho, pianist Miroslav Beinhauer, and clarinetist Anna Paulová.

The "musical talk shows," or concerts of the Contemporary Music Cycle S of the Prague Philharmonia, are for those of you who want to be transported far beyond the horizons of ordinary experiences through supreme music and spoken word.

Hana Dohnálková, Dramaturg and Moderator of the Contemporary Music Cycle

The popular cycle of concerts for children and parents at the Rudolfinum will not be missing from the 31st season of the Prague Philharmonia. The successful creative team, composed of director Jiří Adámek Austerlitz, music dramaturg Matěj Kroupa, and set designer Ivana Kanhäuserová, has prepared a new concept for the audience that will draw them into the fantastical world of classical music in a dreamlike form.

Four concerts will show us everything that can be expressed through it - the beloved Czech landscape, mysterious spirits, dreamlike worlds, as well as the fateful moments of our lives. You can look forward to well-known works by Antonín Dvořák, famous melodies from Dukas' symphonic poem The Sorcerer's Apprentice, and Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik. The familiar duo of actors Magdalena Borová and Daniel Šváb will once again shine as the musical guides.

Concerts in Series D start at 10:00, concerts in Series E start at 12:00, their program is the same.