Old friends and new faces

Prague Spring blends tradition and innovation as well as any 65-year-old music festival, and this year's schedule offers a sterling example of how to do it right. With a groundbreaking opening concert, forays reaching from the roots of classical music to its most contemporary expression, big names, small gems and a nod to pop, there's something for every taste and level of appreciation.

Leading the list of heavyweights are two lions of the classical world, Pierre Boulez (shown on the cover) and André Previn. Boulez, who turned 85 in March, is bringing his Ensemble Incontemporain for an evening of modern music that includes the composer's own Sur Incises (May 30). Previn, 80, has been forced to cancel Prague Spring engagements twice in the past due to health problems. Here's hoping he'll make it this year for what should be two outstanding nights, one conducting the Czech Philharmonic (June 3) and the other at the piano with a chamber group, giving the world premiere of his New Work for Clarinet and Piano (May 28).

Festival favorite Anne-Sophie Mutter returns, playing a Brahms violin concerto with Manfred Honeck's Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (May 22). Russian opera star Olga Borodina will be making her Prague Spring debut, singing arias with the Prague Philharmonia (May 19).

And there's an embarrassment of riches at the piano, with Radu Lupu playing solo (May 16) and with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra (May 18), Murray Perahia playing Mozart and Bach with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields (May 21), Garrick Ohlsson playing a solo night of Chopin (May 29), Ewa Kupiec playing Chopin with the Pražák Quartet (June 1) and Emanuel Ax playing Brahms with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra (June 4). The only name missing from that pantheon is the Czech Republic's Ivan Moravec, who is nursing a broken arm; Oleg Maisenberg will take his place (May 27).

The honor of playing the traditional opening concert (Smetana's Ma Vlast, on two nights this year, May 12 and 14) goes to the Prague Philharmonia, a young ensemble led by an equally young conductor, Jakub Hrůša. It's a bold departure, but wellserved. Hrůša, the understudy of Czech superstar conductor Jiří Bělohlávek, brings both fire and precision to the podium, and, on their good nights, the Philharmonia can keep up with anybody in town.

Tight budgets have forced Prague Spring, like every other festival, to look closer to home for performing talent. But, when your home is Prague, and part of your schedule is devoted to early music, this is a bonus, not a detriment. Two fine local ensembles will be playing Baroque music in resplendent church settings: Collegium Marianum (Sts. Simon and Jude, May 14) and Marek Štryncl's Musica Florea (Our Lady Before Týn, May 29).

Baroque fans also will not want to miss the special "pre-opening" concert with John Eliot Gardiner, one of the pioneers in the resurgence of early music, leading the English Baroque Solists and Monteverdi Choir in a performance of Bach's Mass in B minor (May 9). And French horn specialist Radek Baborák will play an evening of Telemann, Haydn and Mozart with his Baborák Ensemble (May 26).

Anniversary years for two composers are being observed. The two-year celebration of Bohuslav Martinů continues with a full-blown production of his cantata A Bouquet of Flowers with singers, dancers, orchestra and chorus (May 16). Marking Mahler's 150th birthday, the Hungarian National Philharmonic will play the composer's Symphony No. 1 in its original "Budapest" version (June 2), and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Herbert Blomstedt, will play his Kindertotenlieder song cycle, with Matthias Goerne handling the vocals. Even Mahler's wife, Alma, gets an evening, with the Prague Symphony Orchestra playing a selection of her songs (May 31).

As always, some of the most intriguing music happens on the fringes, particularly in crossover areas. Period music impresario Joel Frederiksen is bringing his Ensemble Phoenix Munich for a night of American music from the 18th and 19th centuries (May 15). Clarinetist Giora Feidman, the "King of Klezmer," will play Mozart with the Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra Košice, as well as Concerto for Giora, a piece written for him by Slovak composer Peter Breiner (May 25).

For an evening of jazz, it would be hard to do better than American vocalist Dianne Reeves (May 13). And, if you think Ravi Shankar is good on the sitar, you should see what his daughter Anoushka can do (May 24).

Finally, don't forget the nocturnes at the Rudolfinum, late concerts (starting at 9:30) that look particularly tasty this year. Showcasing local talent like harpist Kateřina Englichová (May 17), guitarist Pavel Steidl (May 23) and singer Adam Plachetka (May 31), they offer a refined way to relax after a busy day.

Tickets have been on sale since December, and are gone for most of the big names. But follow your interests and tastes, and be adventurous in sampling something new, and you'll get a dazzling tour of 300 years of music that few festivals anywhere can provide.

Frank Kuznik can be reached at
fkuznik@praguepost.com