Hot Tips
Fils-Aimé
DOMINIQUE FILS-AIMÉ
Palác Akropolis, October 13
Known for her charismatic stage presence, this Montreal singer offers a sultry mix of jazz, soul and blues in the tradition of Nina Simone and, more recently, Sade. Her music is intimate and seductive, and her singing plumbs powerful emotional depths.
Details & Tickets Here
Vocalist Talya Solan
YAMMA ENSEMBLE
Divadlo Dobeška, October 13
From Israel, world music with deep roots. The group is currently touring its Teiman project, which revives the music of Yemenite Jews, in particular the songs oppressed women sang to express their dreams, hopes and fears, accompanied by musicians playing traditional instruments.
Details & Tickets Here
Eiríksdóttir
PELLÉAS ET MÉLISANDE
National Theater, October 15 & 18
A new production of Debussy’s only opera, a music drama about a love triangle that ends in tragedy. Award-winning French conductor Patrick Fournillier will be in the pit, with the versatile mezzo Arnheiður Eiríksdóttir taking on the role of the mysterious Mélisande.
Details & Tickets Here
Luks
COLLEGIUM 1704
Rudolfinum, October 16
Prague’s premier early music ensemble jump-starts its new season with Zelenka’s “Missa Votiva,” an atypical Mass filled with festive music, vivacious vocals and polyphonic melodies. Václav Luks is on the podium for a program that opens with two sacred vocal works by J. S. Bach.
Details & Tickets Here
Chamayou
BERTRAND CHAMAYOU
Rudolfinum, October 17
Mendelssohn’s “Songs Without Words” comprise the centerpiece of this wide-ranging recital by the French pianist, in which he will reveal unexpected musical connections stretching from Clara Schumann to the Beatles.
Details & Tickets Here
Čmejla
CONCERTINO PRAGA ANNIVERSARY CONCERT
Rudolfinum, October 18
Founded by Czech Radio in 1966, the competition is celebrating its 60th birthday with a program featuring a group of illustrious laureates that includes violinists Václav Hudeček and Daniel Matejča, French horn virtuoso Radek Baborák and pianists Ivo Kahánek and Jan Čmejla.
Details & Tickets Here
Preview: Cantiamo!
Ready to raise the roof at the Rudolfinum (Photo by Petr Kadlec))
That’s “Let’s Sing!” in Italian, an invitation to join the Prague Philharmonic Choir in its opening concert of the season. The program comprises a single well-known piece: Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. And the audience has been recruited to sing along.
The monumental cantata requires a huge cast, but even by the usual standards, PPC is taking an outsized approach. With the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra providing the music, the choir will be joined by three vocal soloists (Veronika Rovná, Daniel Matoušek, Svatopluk Sem) and no less than eight additional choirs. They range from the mixed adult group Bohemiachor, which brings together singers from all over the country, to the Kajetán Children’s Choir, which won the grand prize at the Cracovia Cantans international choral competition in Krakow earlier this year.
Quick Hits
Beethoven for two: Fišer, left, and Kasík
Chamber Music I
Bohemia may no longer have exclusive claim to being the conservatory of Europe, but the high level of musical training in this part of the world remains clear in the wealth of chamber music. This week offers two very good opportunities to hear it live in Prague. On Wednesday (14th), the Czech Chamber Music Society is presenting three Beethoven violin sonatas – Nos. 5, 6 and 7 – performed by violinist Jan Fišer, concertmaster of the Czech Philharmonic, and pianist Martin Kasík, who has played everywhere from Carnegie Hall to the Concertgebauw.
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From left, Bárta, Patočka and Fialová (Photo by Daniel Havel)
Chamber Music II
Taking its name from 20th-century Czech composer Petr Eben, the Eben Trio has played to great acclaim at home and abroad – in the US, China, Korea and many European countries. For this performance at St. Agnes Convent, cellist Jiří Bárta, pianist Terezie Fialová and violinist Roman Patočka will be playing two sonatas by J. S. Bach along with a Shostakovich piano trio. Look for a painting by Dutch master Gerrit van Honthorst on loan from the National Gallery to offer a complementary perspective on artistic expression.
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