Smetana's Litomysl Opera Festival Program 17 - 27 June 2004

The official distribution of tickets starts on March 1st, 2004.

Thursday 17 June and Friday 18 June, each evening at 9.00 pm, Litomysl Castle - 2nd Courtyard
Bedrich Smetana: THE BRANDENBURGERS IN BOHEMIA
Opera in three acts, libretto by Karel Sabina
Premiere of the new production
Performed by: Janacek Opera Ensemble of the National Theatre in Brno
Conductor: Jaroslav Kyzlink
Director: Marián Chudovský

Saturday 19 June, 3.00 pm, Chapter Cathedral of the Raising of the Holy Cross
HOMAGE A EBEN
Petr Eben: The Windows of Marc Chagall, Ruth's Aria, A Festive Voluntary, Patmos Landscapes, Sunday Music
Performed by: Ales Barta - organ, Veronika Hajnova - mezzosoprano, Marek Zvolánek - Horn, David Rehor - Percussion

Saturday 19 June, 8.30 pm, Litomysl Castle - 2nd Courtyard
GALA CONCERT - STEFAN MARGITA
B. Smetana, A. Dvorak, G. Donizetti, G. Rossini, G. Verdi, E. Di Capua
Performed by: Stefan Margita - tenor, Simona Houda - Saturova, Lívia Aghova - soprano, Orchestra of the Janacek Opera Ensemble of the National Theatre in Brno
Cunductor: Frantisek Preisler

Sunday 20 June, 10.30 am, Litomysl Castle - Small Theatre
THE WORLD IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO BE BORN
A specially-formulated concert of prose, tales, poems and feuilletons by Czech and world authors accompanied by Czech and world music.
Bohuslav Martinu, Astor Piazzolla, Zdenek Lukas, Lukas Hurnik, Jiri Teml, Jevgenij Jevtusenko, Josef Kainar, Vaclav Hrabe, Luis Aragon, Jiri Suchy, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Antoine de Saint Exupery
Performed by: Boris Rossner - narrator, Ensemble Martinu
Artistic Leader: Miroslav Matejka
Director: Miloslav Kucera

Sunday 20 June, 3.00 pm, Pilgrimage Church of the Assumption of Our Lady, Hedec - Hill of the Mother of God (off - site concert)
CONCERT AT THE HILL OF THE MOTHER OF GOD
Arcangelo Corelli: Suite
Jacob Arcadelt, Claudio Monteverdi, Tomas Luis da Victoria, Gustav Holst: AVE MARIA
Jan Krtitel Vanhal: STABAT MATER
Spiritual Cantata for soprano, alto, choir and string orchestra
Performed by: Libuse Vondrackova - soprano, Stanislava Jirku - mezzo-soprano, Kühn's Children's Choir (Choirmaster: Jiri Chvala), The Zagreb Soloists
Artistic Leader: Tonko Ninic
Conductor: Petr Sumnik

Sunday 20 June, 9.00 pm, Litomysl Castle - Amphitheatre
Giuseppe Verdi: AIDA
Opera in four acts, libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni
Performed by: Miroslav Dvorskz (Radames), Tatiana Teslia (Aida) Janacek Opera Ensemble of the National Theatre in Brno
Conductor: Jan Stych
Director: Vaclav Veznik

Monday 21 June, 5.30 pm, Litomysl Castle - 2nd Courtyard
HOMAGE A ANTONIN DVORAK I.
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in G minor, Op. 33
Romance in F minor for Violin and Orchestra, op. 11
Humoresque in G flat major, op. 101 no. 7
Symphonic Variations, op. 78
Waltz in A major, op. 54 no. 1
Performed by: Jan Simon - piano, Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra Ostrava
Conductor: Tomas Netopil

Monday 21 June, 8.00 pm, Pardubice, Castle - Courtyard (off - site concert)
CELEBRATIONS OF THE SUMMER AT PARDUBICE CASTLE
Henry Purcell: Suite
Antonio Vivaldi: Summer from The Four Seasons
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Serenade no. 13 in G major for strings, KV 525 "A Little Night Music"
Leos Janacek: Suite for string orchestra
Sylvie Bodorova: Summer concert for guitar and strings "Concierto de Estío"
Performed by: Denisa Veskrnova - guitar, The Zagreb Soloists
Artistic leader, violin solo: Tonko Ninic

Tuesday 22 June, 7.00 pm, Litomysl Castle - 2nd Courtyard
MOZART - EBEN
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: REQUIEM d moll, KV 626
a mass for the dead for solo, choir and orchestra, completed by Franz Xaver Süßmayr
Petr Eben: APOLOGIA SOKRATUS
oratorio for alto and baritone solo, mixed choir and orchestra to the text of Plato's Socrates‘ Defence
Performed by: Zdena Kloubova - soprano, Karla Bytnarova - mezzosoprano, Tomas Cerny - tenor, Pavel Kudinov - bass, Pavel Kamas - baritone (Eben), Children's Choir Kantiléna Brno (Choirmaster: Ivan Sedlacek), Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno (Choimaster: Zdenek Fiala), State Philharmonic Orchestra Brno
Conductor: Caspar Richter

Wednesday 23 June, 5.30 pm, Litomysl Castle - 2nd Courtyard
HOMAGE A ANTONIN DVORAK II.
Rondo for Cello and Orchestra in G minor, Op. 94
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in A minor, Op. 53
Mazurek for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 49
Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra in B minor, Op. 104
Performed by: Ivan Zenaty - violin, Jiri Barta - cello, Prague Philharmonia
Conductor: Leos Svarovsky

Thursday 24 June, 7.00 pm, Smetana's House
RECITAL BY GABRIELA BENACKOVA
Song cycles and arias by Bedøich Smetana, Antonín Dvoøák , Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss
Performed by: Gabriela Beaackova - soprano, Marian Lapsansky - piano

Friday 25 June, 4.30 pm, Museum of Ancient Sculpture and Architecture
TAIPEI PHILHARMONIC CHAMBER CHOIR
A concert and cappella consisting of Taiwanese, Chinese and Molgolian folk songs and choral compositions
Choimaster: Dirk DuHei

Friday 25 June, 9.00 pm, Litomysl Castle - 2nd Courtyard
Antonin Dvorak: DIMITRIJ
Grand Opera in four acts, libretto by Marie Cervinkova - Riegrova
Performed by: State Opera Prague Ensemble
Conductor: František Preisler
Director: Michael Tarant

Saturday 26 June, 11.00 am, Chapter Cathedral of the Raising of the Holy Cross
ORGAN MATINEE
Miloslav Kabelac, Otmar Mácha, Lubos Fiser - organ works
Antonin Dvorak: Biblical Songs, Op. 99
Performed by: Jana Jonasova - soprano, Jiri Sulsenko - bass, Vaclav Rabas - organ

Saturday 26 June, 3.00 pm, Piarist Cathedral of the Finding of the Holy Cross
PRAGUE PHILHARMONIC CHOIR
Concerto á cappella, on programme:
Bohuslav Matej Cernohorsky, Johann Sebastian Bach, Sergej Rachmaninov, Bedøich Smetana, Bohuslav Martinù, Petr Eben
Choirmaster: Jaroslav Brych

Saturday 26 June, 8.30 pm, Litomysl Castle - 2nd Courtyard
CONCERT BY POPULAR REQUEST "FROM HOLLYWOOD TO KAVCI HORY"
The most beautiful melodies from the big and small screens, to a programme including Apocalypse Now, Excalibur, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Titanic, Vinnetou…
Performed by: Choir and Orchestra of the State Opera Prague
Conductor: Leos Svarovsky

Sunday 27 June, 10.15 am, Litomysl Castle - 2nd Courtyard
HOLY MASS
Petr Eben: MISSA CUM POPULO
Public mass for mixed choir, single voices, organ, brass and percussion instruments
Performed by: Prague Philharmonic Choir, Ales Barta - organ
Conductor: Jaroslav Brych

Sunday 27 June, 2.15 pm, Smetana's Square
PROMENADE CONCERT
Promenade concert consisting of works for wind orchestra, to a programme including Pavel Josef Vejvanovsky, Bedrich Smetana, Antonin Dvorak, Zdenek Fibich, Giuseppe Verdi, Johann Strauss, Lubos Fiser, John Williams
Performed by: Czech Army Central Band
Conductor: Jaroslav Sip
In case of rain the concert will take place in Smetana's House.

Sunday 27 June, 5.00 am, Litomysl Castle - 2nd Courtyard
CEREMONIAL CLOSING CONCERT
Bedrich Smetana: Tabor from My Homeland
Anton Bruckner: Te Deum in C major for solo, choir, orchestra and organ
Leos Janacek: Glagolitic Mass for solo, mixed choir, orchestra, organ to an Old Slavonic text
Performed by: Iveta Matyasova - soprano, Yvona Skvarova - mezzosoprano, Peter Dvorsky - tenor, Richard Novak - bass, Ales Barta - organ, Prague Philharmonic Choir (Choirmaster: Jaroslav Brych), Prague Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Ondrej Lenard