Orchestral Series Archivy - Smetanova Litomyšl

Opening Concert – Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

Hana Vlasáková — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 23:43:39 +0000

For the first time in its history, the Smetana Litomyšl Festival opens with two concerts. The inaugural program responds to the festival theme of NATURA and culminates in the music of Igor Stravinsky. The suite from the ballet The Rite of Spring once shocked the world and continues to fascinate with its portrayal of nature’s untamed power, as well as its order. As a contrast to this work, the first half of the concert features the symphonic poem Wallenstein’s Camp by Bedřich Smetana and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major in which the star pianist Seong-Jin Cho joins the Czech Philharmonic – the festival’s partner orchestra. The performance will be led by a specialist in 20th-century music, the American conductor David Robertson.

programme

Bedřich Smetana
Waldstein’s Camp, Op. 14

Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano concerto No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 73 “Emperor”

Igor Stravinsky
The Rite of Spring

Performers

Seong-Jin Cho – piano
Czech Philharmonic – festival partner orchestra
David Robertson – conductor

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Článek Opening Concert – Czech Philharmonic Orchestra se nejdříve objevil na Smetanova Litomyšl.

Grand Finale – Italian Film Night

Hana Vlasáková — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 11:14:35 +0000

The Italian Film Night concludes the festival as its traditional finale, during which the famous melodies by Nino Rota, Luis Enrique Bacalov, and Ennio Morricone turn into a full-fledged symphonic concert. Orchestral suites from films such as The Godfather, The Postman, Once Upon a Time in the West, La Dolce Vita and others will present music that shaped the soundscape of postwar European cinema. The Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Tomáš Brauner, will highlight the strength of these scores, which can stand on their own as symphonic music even without the film screen.

The final benefit concert will be, once again, held in partnership with the Committee of Good Will – Olga Havel Foundation.

The evening will be hosted by Martina Viktorie Voborníková Kopecká.

programme

Nino Rota
The Godfather I & II (1972, 1974)
suite from the films

Luis Enrique Bacalov
The Postman (1994)
suite from the film

Ennio Morricone
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
suite from the film

Nino Rota
La Dolce Vita (1960)
suite from the film

Ennio Morricone
Cinema Paradiso (1988)
Novecento (1976)
The Untouchables (1987)
suite from the films

Performers

Martina Viktorie Voborníková Kopecká – presenter
Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra
Tomáš Brauner – conductor

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The Story of the Committee of Good Will – Olga Havel Foundation

How to contribute?

The Foundation, founded by Olga Havel, has long been helping people who cannot do without the support of others. The funds raised will support non-profit organizations in Litomyšl and the surrounding area that care for the elderly in their home environment, field services and residential facilities.

Thanks to your donation, seniors can live longer active, dignified and safe lives.

Článek Grand Finale – Italian Film Night se nejdříve objevil na Smetanova Litomyšl.

Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice & Josef Špaček

Hana Vlasáková — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 11:04:55 +0000

The afternoon builds a bridge between two pinnacle forms of classical music – a virtuoso violin concerto and a festive symphony, closely associated with Prague. At its center stands Josef Špaček, a prominent figure on both the Czech and the international violin scene. Together with the Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice under the baton of its new chief conductor, they present a program combining brilliant solo playing with orchestral nobility, culminating in an impressive symphonic finale.

programme

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy
The Hebrides (Fingal’s Cave), concert overture, Op. 26

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy
Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphony No. 38 in D major, K. 504, “Prague”

Performers

Josef Špaček – violin
Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice
Vahan Mardirossian – conductor

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Článek Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice & Josef Špaček se nejdříve objevil na Smetanova Litomyšl.

Medieval Love Songs

Hana Vlasáková — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 07:37:35 +0000

The project Medieval Love Songs invites to an encounter with music heard in France and Southern Europe in the 12th–14thcenturies, in the age of troubadours and trouvères singing of love both idealized and earthly. Monophonic songs and the earliest hints of polyphony reveal how devotional fervor alternated with personal sorrow, longing, and gently playful teasing in the poetry of the time. Barbora Kabátková, combining vocal storytelling and Gothic harp, and Kristýna Kosíková on organetto, create an intimate, historically evocative atmosphere within the walls of the Karlštejn Hunting Lodge.

Performers

Barbora Kabátková – voice, Gothic harp
Kristýna Kosíková – organetto, clavicymbalum

photogallery

Článek Medieval Love Songs se nejdříve objevil na Smetanova Litomyšl.

London Symphony Orchestra & Antonio Pappano

Eva Flídrová — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:53:13 +0000

A visit by one of the world’s most celebrated orchestras brings an evening of two strikingly contrasting musical worlds. In the first half, the orchestra becomes a living gallery of musical portraits – full of humor, tenderness, and elegance. The second half plunges into a deeply personal and emotionally charged musical statement, regarded by its composer as his most sincere work. The London Symphony Orchestra comes to the festival with its Chief Conductor Antonio Pappano, promising an exceptional evening that will resonate with both the mind and the heart.

programme

Edward Elgar
Variations on an Original Theme (“Enigma Variations”), Op. 36

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74, “Pathétique”

Performers

London Symphony Orchestra
Sir Antonio Pappano – conductor

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Článek London Symphony Orchestra & Antonio Pappano se nejdříve objevil na Smetanova Litomyšl.

Bohuslav Martinů: Mariken – operní objev

Eva Flídrová — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:45:06 +0000

An evening at the second castle courtyard pairs Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in F major “Pastoral” with a concert performance of the newly rediscovered original version of Bohuslav Martinů’s opera Mariken de Nimègue. First performed in Vienna in 1808, the “Pastoral” symphony evokes the tranquility of the countryside, the murmur of a brook, and a dramatic storm followed by a serene hymn of thanksgiving to nature. It is one of the works that embody the festival’s NATURA theme. The one-act opera by Martinů, then, tells the story of a girl who succumbs to temptation, followed by her downfall, repentance, and a search for forgiveness.

Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK, under the baton of Tomáš Netopil, takes part in an extraordinary performance within the block of European premieres. Prague Philharmonic Choir and soloists led by Simona Houda Šaturová.

programme

Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, “Pastoral”

Bohuslav Martinů
Mariken de Nimègue
concert performance of the one-act opera

Performers

Mariken – Simona Houda Šaturová
The Devil – Jiří Brückler
The Virgin Mary – Bella Adamova
Mascaron – Daniel Matoušek
The Son of God – Pavel Švingr
Narrator – Vladimír Polívka

Prague Philharmonic Choir
Lukáš Kozubík – choirmaster
Prague premieres. Orchestra FOK
Tomáš Netopil – conductor

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Článek Bohuslav Martinů: Mariken – operní objev se nejdříve objevil na Smetanova Litomyšl.

Oedipus Rex & Petr Popelka

Eva Flídrová — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 18:03:03 +0000

The Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra under its Chief Conductor Petr Popelka – who holds the same position also with the Vienna Symphony — and the Slovak Philharmonic Choir present an evening full of contrasts: the gentle lyricism of Franz Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony, and the dramatic power of Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex.

The rarely-performed oratorio Oedipus Rex is based on Sophocles’ story of King Oedipus and his inevitable downfall. Its monumental form and Latin text create a dramatic and timeless musical world that draws listeners into the story and its emotions. In the work, Stravinsky asks whether fate can be evaded – and reminds us that the order of the world, as well as that of the nature, is uncompromising. Top tenor Paul Appleby will perform the title role, sharing stage with Czech singers headed by Ester Pavlů and Jiří Brückler. Together with Petr Popelka they promise a strong artistic experience, although the program is likely to be more demanding for the listener.

programme

Franz Schubert
Symphony no. 8 in B minor “Unfinished”, D 759

Igor Stravinsky
Oedipus Rex

Performers

Paul Appleby – Oedipus, tenor
Ester Pavlů – Jocasta, mezzo-soprano
Jiří Brückler – Creon and Messenger, baritone
Pavel Švingr – Teiresias, bass
Daniel Matoušek – Shepherd, tenor
Igor Bareš – narrator
Male section of the Slovak Philharmonic Choir
Adam Sedlický – choirmaster
Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra
Petr Popelka – conductor

Článek Oedipus Rex & Petr Popelka se nejdříve objevil na Smetanova Litomyšl.

Opening Concert II – Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

Eva Flídrová — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 11:59:07 +0000

programme

Bedřich Smetana
Waldstein’s Camp, Op. 14

Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano concerto No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 73 “Emperor”

Igor Stravinsky
The Rite of Spring

Performers

Seong-Jin Cho – piano
Czech Philharmonic – festival partner orchestra
David Robertson – conductor

photogallery

Článek Opening Concert II – Czech Philharmonic Orchestra se nejdříve objevil na Smetanova Litomyšl.

Glass & Korngold – More Than Hollywood

filip.hajek@wwworks-vyvoj.cz — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 12:47:58 +0000

A story that transcends film music
Film music is often the first thing people associate with names such as Korngold or Glass. This evening
reveals how both composers reach far beyond cinema – into the realm of pure symphonic music.

Brno-born Erich Wolfgang Korngold became one of Hollywood’s most prominent film composers.
However, his Symphony in F-sharp major, written during his time in American exile, is the work of a
musical genius with deep European roots. Dramatic, passionate, and elegant – a masterful orchestral
work, in which emotional depth and refined instrumentation come together.

The Piano Concerto by Philip Glass, one of the foremost contemporary composers, was commissioned
by the Brno Philharmonic and draws on his original score for the film Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters
(1985) about the Japanese writer Yukio Mishima. Premiered in 2023, it transforms cinematic motifs into
an energetic fusion of musical minimalism and deep emotions.

programme

Philip Glass / arr. Michael Riesman:
Mishima Concerto for piano and orchestra

Erich Wolfgang Korngold:
Symphony in F-sharp major, Op. 40
I. Moderato, ma energico
II. Scherzo: Allegro molto – Trio
III. Adagio: Lento
IV. Finale: Allegro gaio

performers

Maki Namekawa – piano
Brno Philharmonic
Conductor Dennis Russell Davies

photogallery

Článek Glass & Korngold – More Than Hollywood se nejdříve objevil na Smetanova Litomyšl.

Czech Philharmonic & Pierre-Laurent Aimard

filip.hajek@wwworks-vyvoj.cz — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 12:43:43 +0000

One of the most respected pianists of today performing a magnificent piano concerto, the second set of Slavonic Dances, and the essential Bedřich Smetana performed by the Czech Philharmonic and Tomáš Netopil.

programme

Bedřich Smetana:
The Two Widows – Overture to the Opera

Maurice Ravel:
Piano Concerto in G major
I. Allegramente
II. Adagio assai
III. Presto

Antonín Dvořák:
Slavonic Dances, Op. 72, Set II

performers

Pierre-Laurent Aimard – piano
Czech Philharmonic
– partner orchestra of the festival
Conductor Tomáš Netopil

photogallery

Článek Czech Philharmonic & Pierre-Laurent Aimard se nejdříve objevil na Smetanova Litomyšl.