Venue
Dates
Duration
Approximate 120 mins (Intermission Included)Conductor
Artist
Presenter
Jirí Bělohlávek was born in Prague in 1946, and his love of music became apparent at an early age. Bělohlávek studied the cello with Professor Karel Pravoslav Sádlo, before continuing his studies at the Prague Conservatory and at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. It was during these years that Jirí Bělohlávek began conducting in earnest, receiving instruction from Robert Brock, Alois Klíma, Bohumír Liska and Josef Veselka.
In 1968, the legendary Rumanian conductor Sergiu Celibidache invited Jirí Bělohlávek to become his assistant. Bělohlávek won the Czech Young Conductors' Competition in 1970, and reached the final of the Herbert von Karajan Conducting Competition in 1971. It was in 1973 that Bělohlávek began conducting the Czech Philharmonic to great acclaim; the start of his long relationship with the orchestra.
Jirí Bělohlávek was appointed Conductor of the Brno State Philharmonic Orchestra in 1972, a position he held until 1978. He then became Chief Conductor of the Prague Symphony Orchestra, a partnership which lasted until 1989, and Permanent Conductor of the Czech Philharmonic. Václav Neumann, the latter orchestra's Chief Conductor (between 1968 and 1990) brought him to Berlin's Komische Oper in 1979, where he debuted with Smetana's The Secret. Bělohlávek went on to conduct Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress there in 1980.
Jirí Bělohlávek was appointed Chief Conductor of the Czech Philharmonic in 1990. He built upon the orchestra's already excellent reputation, particularly in its interpretations of Czech music, and became part of a long line of esteemed Czech conductors to direct the orchestra: Václav Talich, Rafael Kubelík, Karel Ancerl and Václav Neumann.
In 1994, Jirí Bělohlávek founded the Prague Philharmonia, whom he directed until 2005, when he became its Conductor Laureate. Jirí Bělohlávek has conducted the world's major orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Gewandhaus orchester Leipzig, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Saechsische Staatskapelle Dresden and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. In 1994, Jirí Bělohlávek was named Principal Guest Conductor of the Prague National Theatre; then in 1995 he became the BBC Symphony Orchestra's Guest Conductor, later becoming its Chief Conductor in 2006.
As Chairman of the Prague Spring International Music Festival, Jirí Bělohlávek consistently champions the music of Czech composers. His special affinity with the music of Bohuslav Martinu has been instrumental in bringing that master to the world's attention, and Bělohlávek has also taken the more rarely-performed works of Dvorák, Janácek, Smetana and Suk and to new audiences.
Jirí Bělohlávek has an extensive discography. As the Naxos label noted:
'His most outstanding recordings are those in which he leads the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, where the high calibre of orchestral execution and Bělohlávek's deep musicianship result in performances of exceptional quality.'
In a much-anticipated reunion, Jirí Bělohlávek returns as Chief Conductor of the Czech Philharmonic from 2012. The outstanding musicianship of the Czech Philharmonic under Bělohlávek's inspiring direction makes this a truly exciting collaboration.
Paul Lewis is internationally regarded as one of the leading pianists of his generation with a busy international schedule of engagements at the world's most prestigious venues and festivals. His numerous awards have included the Royal Philharmonic Society's Instrumentalist of the Year, the South Bank Show Classical Music Award, the Diapason d'or de l'annee, two successive Edison awards, the 25th Premio Internazionale Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, the 'Preis Der DeutschenSchallplattenkritik', a Limelight Award in Australia, and three Gramophone awards, including Record of the Year in 2008. In 2009 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Southampton.
Paul Lewis's complete cycles of core works by Beethoven and Schubert have earned him unanimous critical acclaim from all over the world. His Schubert cycle came to an end in triumphant style at the close of the 12/13 season with performances in over 40 worldwide centres of the last three sonatas.
Paul Lewis works regularly with many of the world's great orchestras such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Symphony, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, LA Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Philharmonia, London Philharmonic, NHK Symphony, Bavarian Radio Symphony, Oslo Philharmonic, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Czech Philharmonic, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, in collaboration with such conductors as Sir Colin Davis, Bernard Haitink, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Sir Mark Elder, Sir Charles Mackerras, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Daniel Harding, Andris Nelsons, Paavo Jarvi, Jiri Belohlavek, Pablo Heras-Casado, and Stephane Deneve.
His recital career takes him to venues such as London's Royal Festival Hall, Carnegie and Alice Tully Hall New York, Musikverein and the Konzerthaus in Vienna, Philharmonie and Konzerthaus in Berlin, Toppan Hall and Oji Hall Tokyo, Orchestra Hall Chicago, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Tonhalle Zurich, Festspielhaus Baden Baden, Palau de Musica Barcelona, and the Sydney Opera House.
Paul Lewis is a frequent guest at the many of the world's most prestigious festivals, including Lucerne, Mostly Mozart in New York, Tanglewood, Schubertiade, Salzburg, Edinburgh, La Roqued'Antheron, Rheingau, Klavier Festival Ruhr, and London's BBC Proms where in 2010 he became the first pianist to perform a complete Beethoven piano concerto cycle in one season.
His multi award winning discography for Harmonia Mundi includes the complete Beethoven piano sonatas, concertos, and the Diabelli Variations, Liszt's Sonata in B minor and other works, all the major piano works from the last six years of Schubert's life, and the 3 Schubert song cycles with tenor Mark Padmore. He has also recorded Mozart's Piano Quartets, Schubert's Trout Quintet, and a Schubert duet disc with pianist Steven Osborne for Hyperion Records. Future recording plans for Harmonia Mundi include Brahms Piano Concerto No.1 with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Daniel Harding, and solo works by Schumann and Mussorgsky.
Paul Lewis studied with Joan Havill at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama before going on to study privately with Alfred Brendel. Along with his wife the Norwegian cellist Bjorg Lewis, he is artistic director of Midsummer Music, an annual chamber music festival held in Buckinghamshire, UK.
For over a century, the Czech Philharmonic has represented the pinnacle of Czech cultural achievement. Antonín Dvorák conducted the orchestra in its debut performance on 4 January 1896, at the Rudolfinum in Prague, still home to the orchestra's Prague concerts, and now the centre for its new Orchestral Academy.
Gustav Mahler conducted the Czech Philharmonic for the world premiere of his Symphony No.7 in Prague, in 1908. The orchestra's international reputation grew under Václav Talich (Chief Conductor, 1919-1931/1933-1941). Talich was followed by other outstanding Czech conductors, including Rafael Kubelík (1942-1948) and Karel An?erl (1950-1968).
Under Ancerl's leadership, the Czech Philharmonic embarked on its busy touring schedule. The orchestra performs in venues including Carnegie Hall in New York, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Musikverein in Vienna, Philharmonie in Berlin, Royal Festival Hall in London and Suntory Hall in Tokyo. Festival appearances include the BBC Proms, Berliner Festspiele, Lucerne Festival and Salzburger Festspiele.
The Czech Philharmonic's Chief Conductor between 1968 and 1990 was Václav Neumann. Neumann worked closely with Jirí Bělohlávek who, as guest conductor, forged a dynamic relationship with the orchestra. Jirí Bělohlávek was appointed Chief Conductor of the Czech Philharmonic in 1990. In the wake of his outstanding achievements, Gerd Albrecht, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Zdeněk Mácal and Eliahu Inbal have taken the role of Chief Conductor.
In 2012, Jirí Bělohlávek makes a welcome return as Chief Conductor of the Czech Philharmonic. Of this reunion, Bělohlávek has stated:
'The Czech Philharmonic is a first-rate brand and is recognised in the world as a prestigious orchestra. I would like to return it back to its traditions of hard work and high artistic aspirations, to achieve the level that our best orchestra merits. Most of all I would like to give the Czech Philharmonic once again the joy of music.’
The partnership between Jirí Bělohlávek and the Czech Philharmonic is among the most celebrated in the orchestra's history. The Naxos label wrote of Bělohlávek's discography:
His most outstanding recordings are those in which he leads the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, where the high calibre of orchestral execution and Bělohlávek's deep musicianship result in performances of exceptional quality.
The Czech Philharmonic has welcomed as Principal Guest Conductor some of the world's foremost interpreters of the orchestral repertoire, including the late Sir Charles Mackerras. Of the orchestra's recording of Suk's Asrael Symphony under Mackerras, The Sunday Times noted, in 2011, '... the advantage of an orchestra that has lived and breathed this music for 100 years'. The Financial Times added: 'The Czech Philharmonic's live performance breathes a conviction and beneath-the-skin rapture that you won't find in any other recording.'
Under the baton of the inimitable Jirí Bělohlávek from 2012, the Czech Philharmonic looks forward to entering a new era, as an orchestra at the height of its powers.
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Dedicated to the staging of epic operas, ballets and dance dramas, the golden Opera House is considered the centerpiece of the NCPA. Its main tone is golden color, which looks glamorous and splendid. In the auditorium are the stalls and three higher levels of balconies, which can seat an audience of 2,207, including the venue of SRO. It is equipped with a modern stage that can be moved up/down/backward/forward or rotated, a ballet stage that can slant, and a rising orchestra pit for the triple winds orchestra. All the cutting-edge staging mechanism provides artists with enormous possibilities of creative performance.
Dedicated to the staging of epic operas, ballets and dance dramas, the golden Opera House is considered the centerpiece of the NCPA. Its main tone is golden color, which looks glamorous and splendid. In the auditorium are the stalls and three higher levels of balconies, which can seat an audience of 2,207, including the venue of SRO. It is equipped with a modern stage that can be moved up/down/backward/forward or rotated, a ballet stage that can slant, and a rising orchestra pit for the triple winds orchestra. All the cutting-edge staging mechanism provides artists with enormous possibilities of creative performance.