Summer refresher

It's hard now to remember the days when conventional wisdom held that staging quality concerts in Prague during the summer was impossible. It's even harder to recall what a risky venture it was for Czech National Symphony Orchestra Director Jan Hasenöhrl to park his ensemble at Obecní dům for an eight-concert series in the summer of 2005, call it Prague Proms and hope that an audience would show up.

In fact, so many people showed up, not just to the concerts but to the jazz jams at the Imperial Café afterward, that the original eight concerts have blossomed into an 18-date schedule encompassing orchestral music, chamber music, jazz, crossover and pop. And no one is more thrilled about being part of it this year than Silje Nergaard, the radiant Norwegian singer-songwriter whose work with jazz stars like Pat Metheny and Toots Thielemans and composer/arranger Vince Mendoza has made her an international star.

"I'm so honored and so happy I was asked to come to Prague," she says. "I've never been there before. I'm so excited; I'm even bringing my parents."

Nergaard is also bringing songs from her new album, A Thousand True Stories. "They're very melodic - I'm into melodies - quite lyrical, some jazz and some pop," she says. Along with her usual band, she will be backed by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra (July 21), a pairing she describes in spiritual terms.

"Being onstage with an orchestra is the ultimate beauty, like being in heaven," Nergaard says. "Performing my new songs with that orchestra in Prague will be a very special experience in my life."

At the other end of the spectrum, American jazz star and keyboard wizard Jeff Lorber is bringing an all-star band featuring Randy Brecker on trumpet, Eric Marienthal on saxophone, Jimmy Haslip on bass and Tony Moore on drums (July 18).

"These are guys I've played and worked with over the years," Lorber says. "Most people will probably know Jimmy from the Yellowjackets and Eric from Chick Corea's Elektric Band. Randy and I go way back - in fact, we went to the same high school in Philadelphia."

The set will be a mix of old and new material, reaching back to the days of the Jeff Lorber Fusion group and running up to his newest release, Heard That. Asked to describe the music, Lorber says, "Hmm, interesting question. It's contemporary jazz with some R&B, funk, Latin and jazz rhythms, but it's hard to get more specific than that. You can just basically say that it's a band of great players doing some adventuresome music."

As for playing in Prague, Lorber says, "I've been there as a visitor but never performed with a band there. I'm really looking forward to that."

The core of Prague Proms is still a series of orchestra concerts at Obecní dům, nine in all, organized by themes. This year's subjects include Dvořák (July 17), French composers (Ravel and Saint-Saens, July 19), music from popular movies (July 22), a special night devoted exclusively to James Bond films (July 29), a "Caribbean Night" pairing the orchestra with a jazz big band (July 26) and a "Space Night" featuring a performance of Holst's The Planets accompanied by NASA videos (Aug. 2). British tenor Paul Potts makes his Prague debut with concerts on two consecutive nights, both devoted to opera overtures and arias (July 24 and 25).

The accompanying "Jazz and Chamber" program offers an eclectic mix ranging from the American jazz of Lorber's group to local classical piano star Jitka Čechová playing a solo night of Mozart, Prokofiev and Smetana at St. Agnes' Convent (July 28). Czech groups will show what they can do with the jazz repertoire in a special concert at St. Agnes' (July 17) and for three nights at Reduta (July 20, 27 and Aug. 1).

An evening of the Eben Brothers at Mercedes Benz Forum (July 30) is likely to interest mostly Czech listeners. But seeing the very young Spanish conductor Inma Shara show what she can do with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra at Žofín Garden (July 18) should be quite interesting. And hearing Jaroslav Tůma crank up the big organ at St. Barbara's Cathedral in Kutná Hora (July 31) is always a treat.

"It's the perfect thing to do," Nergaard says of singing her newest songs with a Czech orchestra in Prague. Dip into the lively and surprising Prague Proms schedule, and you will likely feel the same way about how you're spending your summer nights.

Frank Kuznik can be reached at
fkuznik@praguepost.com