Smetana's Litomysl Opera Festival 18 June - 5 July 2008

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PROGRAM

Wednesday 18 June 2008, 21:00 hrs, Litomysl - 2nd Litomysl Castle Courtyard
Bedrich Smetana: LIBUSE
A festive three-act opera. Libretto by Josef Wenzig and Ervin Spindler.
Performed by: Eva Urbanova (Libuse), opera ensemble of the National Theatre in Prague
Director: Petr Novotny
Conductor: Oliver Dohnanyi

Thursday 19 June 2008, 19:30 hrs, Svitavy - Culture Centre "Fabrika"
EXTERNAL CONCERT IN SVITAVY
Miloslav Kabelac: Symphony no.4 in A, op.36 "Camerata"
Richard Wagner: Five Poems, words by Mathilde Wesendonck
John Williams: Schindler's List (a suite from S. Spielberg's Oscar movie)
Gustav Mahler: Five songs, words by Friedrich Rückert
Performed by: Dagmar Peckova - mezzosoprano, Leos Cepicky - housle, Chamber Philharmony Pardubice
Conductor: Vojtech Spurny

Friday 20 June 2008, 21:00 hrs, Litomysl - 2nd Litomysl Castle Courtyard
Bedrich Smetana: THE BARTERED BRIDE
A three-act comic opera. Libretto by Karel Sabina.
Premier. Co-production of the National Theatre Prague and Smetana's Litomysl.
Performed by: opera ensemble of the National Theatre in Prague
Director: Magdalena Svecova
Conductor: Ondrej Lenard

Saturday 21 June 2008, 11:00 hrs, Litomysl - Church of the Raising of the Holy Cross
ORGAN MATINEÉ OF ALES BARTA
Charles-Maria Widor: Toccata from the 5th Symphony f moll, op.42
Léon Boëlmann: Gothic Suite, op.25
Antonin Dvorak: Symphony no. 9 e moll, op.92 "From The New World" (a Czech premier of the organ transcription)
Performed by: Ales Barta - organ

Saturday 21 June 2008, 16:00 hrs, Litomysl - Smetana Hall
SMETANA'S TRIO
Josef Suk: Elegy for piano, violin and chello, op.23
Bedrich Smetana: Trio g moll for piano, violin and chello, op.15
Pyotr Ilyic Tchaikovsky: Trio a moll for piano, violin and chello, op.50 "In memory of a great artist"
Performed by: Smetan's trio (Jana Novakova - violin, Jitka Cechova - piano, Jan Palenicek - chello)

Saturday 21 June 2008, 21:00 hrs, Litomysl - 2nd Litomysl Castle Courtyard
Bedrich Smetana: THE BARTERED BRIDE
A three-act comic opera. Libretto by Karel Sabina.
Premier. Co-production of the National Theatre in Prague and Smetana's Litomysl.
Performed by: opera ensemble of the National Theatre in Prague
Director: Magdalena Svecova
Conductor: Ondrej Lenard

Sunday 22 June 2008, 10:15 hrs, Litomysl - Piarist Church
HOLY MASS
A traditional holy mass celebrated by Prof. Tomas Halik.
Accompanied by a selection of the church cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach.
Performed by: soloists of Chamber Philharmony Pardubice, Kühn mixed choir
Conductor: Jaroslav Brych

Sunday 22 June 2008, 18:00 hrs, Litomysl - 2nd Castle Litomysl Courtyard
Edvard Hagerup Grieg: PEER GYNT
A concert version of a scene music to Henrik Ibsen drama.
Performed by: Jiri Langmajer, Pavel Soukup, Marika Prochazkova, Vaclav Sibera, Jitka Burgetova, Jana Sykorova, soloists, choir and orchestra of the State Opera Prague
Conductor: Guillaume Tourniaire (Switzerland)

Monday 23 June 2008, 21:00 hrs, Litomysl - 2nd Castle Litomysl Courtyard
Giuseppe Verdi: NABUCCO
A grand four-act opera. Libretto by Temistocle Solera.
Performed by: ensemble of the State Opera Prague
Conductor: Hillary Griffith (United Kingdom)

Tuesday 24 June 2008, 21:00 hrs, Litomysl - 2nd Castle Litomysl Courtyard
Giuseppe Verdi: NABUCCO
A grand four-act opera. Libretto by Temistocle Solera.
Performed by: ensemble of the State Opera Prague
Conductor: Hillary Griffith (United Kingdom)

Wednesday 25 June 2008, 19:00 hrs, Litomysl - 2nd Castle Litomysl Courtyard
GERSHWIN - BERNSTEIN
George Gershwin: Cuban Overture, I Got Rhythm, Rhapsody in Blue
Leonard Bernstein: Symphony no. 3 Kaddish
Performed by: Fazil Say - piano (Turkey), soloists, Sona Cervena - recitation, Edita Adlerova - mezzosoprano, boy's choir Bonifantes Pardubice, Czech Philharmonic Choir, Brno Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Leos Svarovsky

Thursday 26 June 2008, 18:00 hrs, Litomysl - Smetana Hall
Lukas Hurnik: ANGELS
An opera show about musical angels with infernal propensity. Libretto by Petr Censky.
Performed by: Children's Opera Prague
Director: Gabriela Haukvicova
Conductor: Jan Kucera

Thursday 26 June 2008, 20:30 hrs, Litomysl - Church of the Raising of the Holy Cross
Petr Eben: JOB
A cycle of pieces for organ with the Old Testament reading.
Dedicated to a memory of Prof. Petr Eben.
Performed by: Marek Eben - reciter, Tomas Thon - organ

Friday 27 June 2008, 20:00 hrs, Litomysl - 2nd Castle Litomysl Courtyard
Antonin Dvorak: REQUIEM
One of the greatest Dvorak's oratorial works for a solo, choir and orchestra with Latin lyrics.
Perforemed: Dagmar Peckova - mezzosoprano, Adriana Kohutkova, Tomas Cerny, Peter Mikulas (in negotiation), Prague Philharmonic Choir, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Ondrej Lenard

Saturday 28 June 2008, 11:00 hrs, Litomysl - Smetana Hall
PIANO MATINÉE OF JITKA CECHOVA
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Sonata for piano no. 8 a moll, KV 310
Franz Liszt: Mephisto waltz no.1
Bedrich Smetana: Dreams
Performed by: Jitka Cechova - piano

Saturday 28 June 2008, 17:00 hrs, Litomysl - 2nd Castle Litomysl Courtyard
Bedrich Smetana: MY COUNTRY
A cycle of symphonic poems where each depicts some aspect of the countryside, history, or legends of Bohemia.
Performed by: Czech Philharmony
Conductor: Libor Pesek

Saturday 28 June 2008, 21:30 hrs, Litomysl - Piarist Church
CLOSE VOICES FROM FAR-AWAY
A meditative project of a sacral dialogue through liturgical music; a non-traditional musical meeting of two spiritual cultures.
Performed by: Gyosan-ry Tendai Shomyo (Buddhistic monks, Japan), artistic chief: Saikawa Buntai; Schola Gregoriana Pragensis, artistic chief: David Eben

Sunday 29 June 2008, 21:00 hrs, Litomysl - 2nd Castle Litomysl Courtyard
Gioacchino Rossini: THE BARBER OF SEVILLA
A two-act comic opera. Libretto by Cesare Sterbini.
Performed by: Janacek's opera of the National Theatre in Brno
Director: Sandro Santillo
Conductor: David Svec

Monday 30 June 2008, 21:00 hrs, Litomysl - 2nd Castle Litomysl Courtyard
Sergei Prokofiev: ROMEO AND JULIET
A famous ballet about eternal lovers and their unfulfilled love. Libretto based on William Shakespeare's tragedy written by L. Lavrovsky, S. Prokofiev and S. Radlov.
Performed by: ballet ensemble of the National Theatre in Brno
Choreography and Director: Zdenek Prokes
Conductor: Jan Zbavitel

Tuesday 1 July 2008, 18:00 hrs, Litomyšl - 2nd Castle Litomysl Courtyard
BOSTON YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CONCERT
Joseph Haydn - Symphony no.100 G dur "Military"
Leonard Bernstein (arr. Frank Bennett) - a suite from "West Side Story"
Robert Beaser - a Czech premier of a piece for Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra
Antonin Dvorak - Symphony no. 8 G dur, op. 88, "English"
Performed by: Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra (USA)
Conductor: Federico Cortese

Wednesday 2 July 2008, 17:30 hrs, Litomysl - Litomysl Castle Baroque Theatre
"VIVAT CAROLUS QUARTUS"
Homage to Pater patriare (the Father of the Country), the king Charles IV.
Music composed and performed by: Stepan Rak - guitar, Alfred Strejcek - recitation from a book "Moralities of Charles IV."

Wednesday 2 July 2008, 20:00 hrs, Litomysl - Litomysl Castle Baroque Theatre
"VIVAT CAROLUS QUARTUS"
Homage to Pater patriare (the Father of the Country), the king Charles IV.
Music composed and performed by: Stepan Rak - guitar, Alfred Strejcek - recitation from a book "Moralities of Charles IV."

Thursday 3 July 2008, 21:00 hrs, Litomysl - 2nd Castle Litomysl Courtyard
Sylvie Bodorova: MOSES
An oratory on libretto by the composer based on the Old Testament for soloists, reciters, children and mixed choir, projection and a philharmonic orchestra.
A world premier - the piece was produced specially for the 50th anniversary of Smetana's Litomysl
Performed by: Gabriela Benackova, Ivan Kusnjer, Otokar Klein, reciters, Kühn children choir, Prague Philharmonic Choir, Symphonic Orchestra of the Main City of Prague FOK
Conductor: Tomas Hanus

Friday 4 July 2008, 22:15 hrs, Litomysl - Municipal Stadium Cerna hora
CONCERT BY POPULAR REQUEST - VIVAT THE 50th SMETANA'S LITOMYSL
A festive fireworks performance based on music by Bedrich Smetana, Antonin Dvorak, Franz Lehar and Oskar Nedbal produced by Flash Barrandov.

Saturday 5 July 2008, 19:00 hrs, Litomysl - 2nd Castle Litomysl Courtyard
GALA OPERA - SOLO FOR LADIES
A festive closing opera gala concert composed of operatic arias and duets for soprano and mezzo-soprano, dedicated to the 150th anniversary of Giacomo Puccini's birth especially. Also arias from operas by W. A. Mozart, J. Offenbach, L. Delibese and others on the program.
Performed by: Elenore Marguerre - soprano (Germany), Arpiné Rahdjian - soprano, Zoryana Kushpler - mezzo-soprano, Orchestra of Janacek's Opera of the National Theatre in Brno
Conductor: Fabrizio Ventura (Italy)