Prague Spring – Nothing Can Stand in Its Way!
We had been used to things that are suddenly no longer a matter of course. For example, we had been used to cultural events, such as Prague Spring, which dominated the classical music scene, and members of the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra had been used to being invited to this oldest and most prestigious festival of classical music.
Although it will not be able to bring its original plans to fruition, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra will perform at the 75th anniversary of the festival after all, but in an entirely unique way: Prague Spring will be brought “home”.
Where is that? Vinohradská 12! But let us start from the beginning.
Originally, the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra should have had two performances: first the provocatively entitled programme “Christ and Antichrist” on 15 May featuring Beethoven’s oratorio Christ on the Mount of Olives and Richard Strauss’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra under conductor Alexander Liebrich; second, the following Friday, 22 May, the conductorial debut of Brno-native Robert Kružik, who is also a professional violoncellist and, since the 2018/2019 season, a regular guest conductor at the Brno Philharmonic.
Despite this difficult situation, the latter concert will take place, but with a change to the programme. Robert Kružík will thus not be deprived of his debut on the festival stage after all! Although he will not appear in Smetana Hall of the Municipal House, he has been invited to Czech Radio’s Studio 1, where the orchestra practices and records.
On 27 May, Robert Kružik will conduct Study for Strings by Pavel Haas, Adagio by recently deceased Krzysztof Penderecki, the Polish conductor and composer who closed the festival three years ago, Nocturne in B Major Op. 40 by Antonín Dvořák and Suit for String Orchestra by Leoš Janáček.
The concert will be streamed and you can watch it for free here. It will also be broadcast live on Czech Radio Vltava.
