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Classical days and jazz nights

Prague Proms expands its appealing mix of refinement and fun
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By Frank Kuznik
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
July 4th, 2007 issue

COURTESY PHOTO
The marquee names on this year's bill include Prague favorite Garrick Ohlsson.
Prague Proms

When: July 10–29
Where: Obecní dům, Czech Museum of Music, Troja Chateau, various jazz clubs
Tickets: 150–600 Kč, available through Ticket Art, Ticketpro, Bohemia Ticket and at the venues
For a complete schedule, check
www.pragueproms.cz

It’s hard to believe that just three years ago Prague Proms was no more than an ambitious idea being promoted by Jan Hasenhörl, general manager of (and a talented trumpet player with) the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. Reacting to the dearth of quality classical music in Prague during the summer months, Hasenhörl booked his orchestra for eight nights at Obecní dům with a savvy blend of programming ranging from serious fare (Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3) to tourist candy (John Williams’ music for Star Wars.) As another hook, four of the concerts were followed by jazz jam sessions at the nearby Café Imperial.
The formula was a winner, with last year’s program expanding to nine classical concerts that featured some truly memorable moments, such as a screening of Sergei Eisenenstein’s Battleship Potemkin with the CNSO performing an accompanying score by Dmitri Shostakovich. And the jam sessions featured big-name Czech jazz stars such as Milan Svoboda and Emil Viklický.
That trend continues this year, with 11 classical concerts, four “jazz nights” at some of the city’s regular jazz clubs and four after-concert jam sessions in Obecní dům’s spacious Grégr Saloon. The venues have expanded as well, with three of the classical performances venturing afield: Two are chamber concerts that will be performed at the Czech Museum of Music, and the other is an organ extravaganza set for the mammoth St. Barbora Cathedral in Kutná Hora.
“We’ve put the special programs in spaces that are appropriate for the music,” Hasenhörl says. “And our sponsors increased their support this year, so we were able to book some bigger names.”
The classical lineup features two in particular: reigning Czech diva Eva Urbanová and pianist extraordinaire Garrick Ohlsson, both backed by the CNSO. Urbanová gets the festival started in style with a set of Verdi arias (July 10). Garrick, who has been drawing capacity crowds to Prague Spring concerts for years, takes to the keyboard for a pairing of Mozart and Gershwin (July 24).
Take your pick between serious and light fare throughout the rest of the festival. A whimsical “Animals on the Stage” night (July 12) features pieces by well-known classical composers with frogs, swans, cats and such in the titles. “Hollywood Night” (July 19) showcases soundtrack music from films ranging from The Godfather to The Pink Panther, while this year’s “American Night” offers mostly jazz licks, including a Duke Ellington arrangement of the Peer Gynt suite and jazz treatments of Richard Rodgers and Jerome Kern standards.
The weightier offerings are mostly in the alternative spaces, with the Wihan Quartet performing a trio of string quartets by Czech composers at the Music Museum (July 11). The other night at the museum is a Bach program with poetry and dance — an interesting idea, though probably not ideal for English speakers. If you’re after a big-time Bach fix, make your way to Kutná Hora for some thundering Bach, Liszt and Ravel on the St. Barbora organ, supported by the CNSO brass section (July 20). And, if you’ve never seen a concert at Troja Chateau, you will definitely want to be there for the sweet Baroque program featuring Handel’s “Fireworks music” (July 13).
If you’re in Prague during the regular season, the jazz dates will not offer much new, with local stalwarts such as Jazz Efterrätt and Karel Růžička booked for the usual clubs. The potential standout is a tribute to the late American saxophonist Michael Brecker, hosted by Czech sax player František Kop (Agharta, July 23). The after-concert jam sessions at Obecní dům (July 10, 12, 22 and 29) feature lesser-known groups that Hasenhörl likes and feels deserve a listen. He will be playing with the Major Bebee Revival Band July 10.
Ticket sales for this year’s festival have already been brisk, and surprising in one respect. “When we started Prague Proms, it was with the idea of offering something special for tourists,” Hasenhörl says. “But now it’s primarily Czech listeners who are buying the tickets. It’s not what we expected, but it’s very nice — I love it.”
Evidently the locals love what they’ve heard the past couple years, which is the best recommendation a music festival can have. Follow their lead and treat yourself to some first-class fare in the off-season.

Frank Kuznik can be reached at fkuznik@praguepost.com


Other articles in Night & Day (4/07/2007):

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