Preview: Advent Concerts

The Christmas season is upon us, a time of cheer and candles, gifts and fellowship. In Prague, it is also the start of the annual Advent Concerts, which will take place over the first three weeks in December, highlighting the versatile players and repertoire of members of the Czech Philharmonic along with some very special international guests.  

The first concert features a trio of talented Czech musicians, violinist Marie Dvorská, contrabassist Pavel Nejtek and pianist Václav Mácha, playing a program of Strauss, Wieniawski and Rachmaninov. Wieniawski especially should be a thrill for Dvorská, as the 19th-century Polish violinist is considered one of the most influential classical violinists. (Dec. 4 at 3)

The second concert on the same day features three trios for violin, violoncello and piano, from Haydn, Dvořák and Förster. The music of Förster, a Czech composer who died in 1951, will offer a slightly more modern counterpoint to the earlier work of Haydn and Dvořák.

This concert will be performed by the Janáček Trio: violinist Irene Herajnová, violoncellist Marek Novak and pianist Marketa Janačková. Formed in 2001, the group quickly became known as one of the most versatile Czech trios, giving well-received performances in Prague and throughout Europe. (Dec. 4 at 5)

The third Advent concert brings a more international flair to the series, both in terms of performers and program. The music of Chabrier, Bartoš, Basler and Havlík will be enlivened by two pieces by contemporary Japanese composer TakashiYoshimatsu. Helping these Czech musicians navigate this Eastern musical progra will be pianist Japanese pianist Kimiko Funamoto. (Dec. 11 at 3)

Funamoto established a name for herself in Japan as a prize-winning solo pianist before traveling throughout Europe giving well-received performances and making recordings, including with French horn player Jiří Havlík, with whom she will perform at the Rudolfinum. Funamoto's first appearence in Prague was in 2004 with Havlík, who traveled to Japan in 2009 to record an album with her.

The later concert on the same day will be equally notable, as it will feature the Czech Philharmonic Jazz Band, a nine-piece offshoot of the Philharmonic Orchestra that formed in 2010 to give some of the more open-minded members of the group a chance to stretch out a bit in the more improvisatory world of jazz. They are keeping their program under wraps until the concert, but it promises to be a night of jazz in fine style from some truly accomplished musicians. (Dec. 11 at 5)

This year, the Advent Concert series also offers a homage to Bach, with four of his compositions, a concert for violin, a concert for piano, his Ricercar a 6 and his Brandenburg Concerto for flute, violin and cimbalom.

Ricercar a 6 is the highlight of Bach's Musical Offering, a collection of canons and fugues based on a musical theme from Frederick II of Prussia, to whom Bach dedicated the piece. It is one of the first pure piano compositions and, to some critics, one of the finest. (Dec. 18 at 3)

The final concert of the series is also the longest, with music from Pezel, Tůma, Crespo, Debussy, Dvořák, Vejnanovský, Bach, Pachelbel and Handel performed by the deep brass section of the Czech Philharmonic. It is an extraordinarily varied program and a fitting close to the Advent Concert season. (Dec. 18 at 5)

Each of the Advent Concerts will highlight a specific style of music and as a whole they present a cross-section of some of the greatest compositions in classical music.

Stephan Delbos can be reached at
sdelbos@praguepost.com