A festival for aficionados

It's a great year for voices at Prague Spring, which is to say that it's not an outstanding year for anything else. Even the country's oldest and most venerated classical music festival is feeling the economic squeeze these days, evinced by a noticeable drop-off in star power, especially among the visiting orchestras.

And unless you were foresighted enough to buy tickets in February, it's unlikely you'll be able to see the headline concerts, which sold out quickly: Juan Diego Flórez (May 15), Dagmar Pecková and Jiří Bělohlávek (May 28), Kurt Masur and Anne-Sophie Mutter (June 1). You may even have trouble getting into the cavernous Congress Center to hear Howard Shore's soundtrack music for Lord of the Rings (May 28).

None of which should discourage true music aficionados. There are many excellent, if lesser-known, names on this year's schedule. While a chamber music concert at St. Agnes' convent may not have the same cachet as, say, watching superstar violinist Nigel Kennedy boot a soccer ball around Obecní dům, the best moments of Prague Spring are still the small, unexpected surprises.

If star power is what you're after, start with any of the following: Czech soprano Martina Janková giving a Haydn recital with a chamber trio (May 17); Argentine mezzo-soprano Bernarda Fink singing Vivaldi and Monteverdi with the Italian early music ensemble Il Giardino Armonico (May 25); America's finest baritone, Thomas Hampton, singing Hugo Wolf with Christoph von Dohnányi's NDR Sinfonieorchester Hamburg (May 26); or American superstar mezzo-soprano Susan Graham performing selections from her latest release, Un Frisson Francais: A Century of French Song, accompanied by Scottish pianist Malcolm Martineau (May 30).

Among the musicians, look for: Israeli violinist Shlomo Mintz (May 16), Russian piano prodigy Nikolai Lugansky (May 21), and viola da gamba virtuoso Jordi Savall, who is doing two very interesting programs. In the first he will play the rebab, an ancient Persian string instrument, backed by the always-lively Nederlands Blazers Ensemble (May 22); the second performance is a solo recital of early music on the viola da gamba (May 24).

There's a tendency to overlook Czech musicians because, after all, they're easily accessible the rest of the year. But that shouldn't keep you from seeing, for example, organists Jaroslav Tůma (May 16) and Pavel Černý (May 30) and pianist Libor Nováček (June 2), all fine talents at the keyboard who have put together interesting solo programs. The small ensembles are even better, and include the Kocian and Zemlinsky Quartets playing together (May 18 and 29); Vojtěch Spurný leading the Czech Chamber Philharmonic in a sweet Baroque program (May 20); Václav Luks with his excellent Collegium 1704 early music ensemble; and the AD Trio with Martin Kasík on piano (May 26).

Most of Prague's major orchestras are in this year's festival, which offers a chance to see both the outgoing chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic (Zdeněk Mácal, May 20) and his incoming successor (Eliahu Inbal, making his Prague Spring debut June 3). While no major Russian or Austrian orchestras are sweeping through town this year, there are certainly visiting orchestras worth hearing, including the Orchestre des Champs-Elysees (May 14), Orchestre philharmonique du Luxembourg (May 21) and Kammerorchesterbasel (May 31). Sadly, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra (also scheduled for May 31) has canceled. Pianist Mei-Ting Sun will still play Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto in B flat minor, though accompanied by the Prague Philharmonia, conducted by Jakub Hrůša.

Looking for something more offbeat? In that department, the festival is getting better all the time, and this year's schedule includes several gems. Konvergence, a Czech modern music group led by viola player and composer Ondřej Štochl, will perform original works along with pieces by George Crumb and Kaija Saariaho (May 17). The jazz offering this year is the outstanding Dave Holland Quintet (May 27). And if you can't get to Lord of the Rings, check out the screening of Erotikon, a 1929 silent Czech classic, with live musical accompaniment (May 25).

Finally, a few special mentions: The outstanding Dresden choral group Sächsisches Vocalensemble will sing an interesting juxtaposition of works by J.S. Bach and contemporary Czech composer Petr Eben at a soaring venue, the Church of Our Lady of the Snows (May 16). A good-looking Russian string quartet, the Kopelman Quartet, brings a bracing program of Borodin, Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky to town (May 27). Two pianists, Michelangelo Carbonara and Cédric Pescia, stage a musical "duel" between Scarlatti and Handel at the Rudolfinum (May 29). On a more somber note, the U.S.-based Terezín Chamber Music Foundation brings the Hawthorne String Quartet for an evening that mixes Charles Ives and Elliott Carter with Terezín composers and the premiere of a new work by Czech composer Pavel Zemek.

Big names aside, what remains true about Prague Spring is that there's something for everyone, regardless of your budget, tastes or level of appreciation. And the performers, whether famous or obscure, are uniformly good. Pick out something that looks interesting and prepare to be surprised.

Frank Kuznik can be reached at
fkuznik@praguepost.com