Useful Contacts

Copy link

The Antonín Dvořák Music Festival boasts a long tradition, during which its organizers managed to establish it among high-level cultural events and, in the venues, of paramount importance. It was established in 1969 on the initiative of the Antonín Dvořák Society (then chaired by Dr. Karel Mikys) and the District Cultural Center in Příbram, to which the Ministry of Culture promised financial support at the time. And the support was by no means small, because at that time it made it possible to invite such orchestras as the Czech Philharmonic, the FOK Symphony Orchestra of the Capital City of Prague, the PKO, the Slovak Philharmonic or the Film Symphony Orchestra. During these years, however, the festival also included a number of excellent ensembles from abroad. The people of Příbram were also able to witness top performances such as the Leningrad Philharmonic and the Moscow State Philharmonic, and last but not least, the Warsaw State Philharmonic or the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra London with conductors Mark Emler, Charles Groves, Arvid Jansons and Dimitri Kitajen. After 1989, however, similarly as in the whole cultural sphere, significant organizational changes took place here. Since 1990, the organization Příbram Theater has taken over its organization, where (perhaps) due to the lack of financial resources, the festival stuck to three to five concerts, mostly only chamber music.

Copy link

Fryderyk Chopin's company in the Czech Republic is one of the oldest music companies in the world - it was founded on June 10, 1959 at the initiative of several people who did not even know about themselves at first. However, they dealt with the Chopin theme and especially Chopin's stay in our territory, especially in Prague, Karlovy Vary and Mariánské Lázně.

The efforts of these researchers came together to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Fryderyk Chopin, which fell in 1960 and was commemorated by the whole world under the auspices of UNESCO. The deepest expression of respect for the Polish composer and a living reminder of his stay in Mariánské Lázně is his music. The idea of ​​presenting the Company with a music festival was born. It sounds every year in the second half of August. From the beginning it was the "Festive Chopin Days", since 1969 it has been a well-known name Chopin Festival. Chopin International Festival is the third oldest music festival in our country.

After 1990, the Fryderyk Chopin Society in Mariánské Lázně became a member of the International Federation of Chopin Societies (IFCS). The federation, based in Vienna, has been registered as a musical, world community under the auspices of UNESCO. Thanks to its membership in the International Federation of Chopin Societies (IFCS), the company is listed as the only Czech music company on this list.

Since 1992, the famous piano star - professor Ivan Klánský - has been winning the festival with an artistic feeling. Pianist MgA. Martin Kasík, vice-chairman of the Society and artistic director of the festival, has been preparing the festival's dramaturgy since 2004. In addition to increasing the artistic and social prestige of the Chopin Festival in Mariánské Lázně, the company's priority is also extraordinary support and care for young talents in piano art.
In 2009, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Poland presented the "Gloria Artis" award to the 50th anniversary of the Fryderyk Chopin Society. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland awarded prof. Ivan Klánský in 2014 on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the F. Chopin Company, an honorary Bene Merito badge for merits in promoting Polish culture. In 2017, prof. Ivan Klánský is the prestigious Antonín Dvořák Award, which is awarded annually by the Academy of Classical Music to personalities who, with their life's work or extraordinary artistic achievement, have significantly contributed to the promotion and popularization of Czech classical music at home and abroad. Prof. On May 1, 2018, Ivan Klánský received a Garnet Star awarded by the Bohemian Heritage Fund (BHF) at his concert in Prague's Rudolfinum. "I was extremely pleased with the news of my Grenade Star award in the year of my life anniversary. I consider it a great honor to be in the company of two such great personalities of our musical life who received this award before me - professors Zuzana Růžičková and Mrs. Soňa Červená. I really appreciate this important award ", said prof. Ivan Klánský.

The company cooperates intensively on the preparations for the festival and other events with the Polish Institute and the City of Mariánské Lázně, which is already the traditional co-organizer of the Chopin Festival.

Copy link

The Kutná Hora International Music Festival is one of the most important chamber music festivals in the Czech Republic. The creator of the dramaturgy and the selection of artists is the artistic director - cellist Jiří Bárta.

Unfortunately, even this year 2021 is associated with covid uncertainty. Last year we managed to hold the festival, albeit on a shifted date, with drapes and all hygienic measures. We all hope and believe in the improvement of the situation, and that is why we are preparing another, already the 14th year of the Kutná Hora festival.

MFKH has become an inseparable part of cultural events in the city with high attendance from all over the Czech Republic and abroad. Since we could not invite foreign artists last year, we decided to move the performance of all of Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas in Konstantin Lifschitz's masterful interpretation to this year. This very significant work of art will be divided into 8 evenings. This increases the total number of chamber music concerts to 16 concerts. We believe that not only for Kutná Hora, this festival will be something truly exceptional this year. In addition to this important project, compositions of classical chamber literature by world-famous authors (Haydn, Mozart, Vivaldi, etc.) will be heard, as well as contemporary and rarely mentioned authors (Tartini, Barber, Kabeláč, Klusák, Górecki, etc.).

Jiří Bárta traditionally connects chamber music concerts and complements them with projects at the crossroads of genres. He included Bach's cantata Ich habe genug (I already have enough of everything) in the program of the 14th Kutná Hora festival for solo bass, oboe and strings connected with an epic poem by Arnošt Lustig performed by Vilma Cibulková, Jiří Lábus and Vilém Udatný entitled "Cantata - Dance of the Mad". The theme of the musical-lyrical band is death as liberation from a world permeated with misery and despair and is an indictment of the most horrific crime in human history.

Copy link

Mezinárodní hudební festival klasické hudby, který se koná od roku 2019.

Copy link