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Sounds of the season

Prague Autumn harvests talent ranging from Moscow to Mexico
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By Frank Kuznik
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
September 5th, 2007 issue

COURTESY PHOTO
Superstar conductor Valery Gergiev brings the Rotterdam Philharmonic for two nights of heavyweight classics.
Prague Autumn

When: Sept. 12–Oct. 1
Where: Rudolfinum
Tickets: 90–1,490 Kč, available through Ticketpro, Bohemia Ticket and at the venue
For individual concerts, see the Calendar listings; for a complete schedule, check
www.pragueautumn.cz

Along with the chill in the evening air lately, there’s a tangible thrill of anticipation as Prague’s classical music ensembles sound the opening notes of the new season. As always, the banner event for September is Prague Autumn, with its lively and engaging mix of visiting orchestras and conductors, virtuoso soloists and distinctive programming.
The big star this year is conductor Valery Gergiev, who is bringing the impressive Rotterdam Philharmonic to town for two nights of serious music: Sibelius and Mahler (Sept. 19) and Mussorgsky, Wagner and Rimsky-Korsakov (Sept. 20). After his acclaimed tenure at the Kirov in St. Petersburg, Gergiev was appointed music director in Rotterdam in 1995, where he continues to set new standards — when he isn’t at the Met in New York, where he is a permanent guest conductor.
Two orchestras will be making their first appearance in the festival: the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (Sept. 21 and 22), conducted by Thierry Fischer, and the WDR Symphony Orchestra of Cologne (Sept. 29). Prague Autumn showcases radio symphony orchestras every year as part of its long-term relationship with Czech Radio. They tend to vary in quality, but festival director Pavel Špiroch has entrusted two of them with the all-important opening and closing concerts of this year’s festival: The Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, with Bertrand de Billy conducting, offers its interpretation of Czech music to open (Sept. 12), and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra plays the traditional Dvořák Cello Concerto in B minor to close (Oct. 1), along with tasty 20th-century pieces by Martinů and Bartók.
If you’re a fan of 20th-century music, there’s a lot of it on the schedule this year. One of the best nights will feature conductor Michel Swierczewski, who has shown his fine touch with modern fare on Prague podiums ranging from the Rudolfinum to Švandovo divadlo. He will lead the Czech Philharmonic in a challenging selection of pieces by Stravinsky, Hurník, Debussy and Ravel (Sept. 14). The Orchestra National d’Ile de France will show how the French play Ravel and Debussy under the baton of Israeli-trained conductor Yoel Levi (Sept. 25).
Though not the biggest name in the festival, one of the most impressive visiting orchestras in recent years has been the Bamberger Symphony, led by Jonathan Nott. They’re back this year with a program similar to the one they performed masterfully in 2004, featuring Fibich, Britten and Brahms the first night (Sept. 27) and Beethoven, Williams and Bruckner the second (Sept. 28). Another standout of previous festivals has been the Russian orchestras, which play with explosive energy. This year, the legendary Russian State Symphony Orchestra comes to town for two nights of colorful Russian selections. The orchestra offers a full night of Prokofiev (Sept. 18), and will team up with the Prague Philharmonic Choir and a trio of Russian singers for what should be a rousing performance of choral scenes from six Russian operas (Sept. 17).
It’s become de rigueur for festivals to include “crossover” programming that expands the parameters of serious music, or simply offers lighter listening. There are two noteworthy concerts in that category. The Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra is playing an evening of soundtrack music from films such as E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Star Wars and Schindler’s List (twice Sept. 24), which is about as light as programming gets. But it’s a bonanza for festival organizers, as the packed house for the Prague Proms night of film music at Obecní dům in July demonstrated.
And Prague Autumn extends its continuing relationship with Mexican performers by pairing the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra with Mariachi Vargas (Sept. 26) for a night of symphonic arrangements of Mexican music. Like a string quartet playing Jimi Hendrix, this is one of those unlikely combinations that will either be a great hit or fall flat. Either way, the mariachi group, one of the best in Mexico, is worth catching.
There’s a lot more, including the ageless Staatskapelle Dresden performing Beethoven and Richard Strauss (Sept. 15), soprano Claire Rutter singing an entire evening of bel canto (Sept. 16) and the Czech Philharmonic showing what it can do with Russian scores under the baton of esteemed Russian maestro Alexander Lazarev (Sept. 23).
All of which underscores what  Prague Autumn does best — gather interesting performers from far-flung points on the globe, mix and match them in a wide-ranging variety of programming, and let the musical sparks fly. It’s risky programming, but the festival’s growing audiences are proof that it works. The popular concerts usually sell out early, so if you see something you like, get your tickets now.
    
    
     

Frank Kuznik can be reached at fkuznik@praguepost.com


Other articles in Night & Day (5/09/2007):

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