Beautiful music in a beautiful town

Even among the wealth of summer festivals in Central Europe, the Český Krumlov International Music Festival is a standout. No other event combines quality programming with charming settings quite as well as this one. The city is an attraction in itself, a UNESCO World Heritage site with a beautifully preserved historic center. Bring in big-name music stars, put them at the castle or St. Vitus Cathedral or one of several resplendent outdoor gardens, and the combination is unbeatable.

While there's a lot of Czech talent in this year's festival, the focus is truly international. The opening weekend features Argentinean José Cura, a world-class singing star, performing an opera gala program with Korean soprano In-Hye Kim and the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra (July 16 and 18). A trio of American Broadway singers - Christine Noll, Capathia Jenkins and Hugh Panaro - will bring to life a "Night on Broadway" (July 17). Latvian violinist and early music specialist Gidon Kremer is bringing his outstanding Kremerata Baltica ensemble (July 31). And closing the festival this year is Israeli violinist Vadim Gluzman (Aug. 21).

Along with star power, there's a tasty mix of musical genres. Don Giovanni is being staged for six nights at the famous outdoor "revolving auditorium" (July 23-28), Australian jazz trumpeter James Morrison will be playing in the Brewery Garden (July 24) and Czech violin virtuoso Pavel Šporcl is bringing his popular crossover project, Gipsy Way, complete with the red-hot Slovak cimbalom band Romano Stilo.

"The festival is founded on presenting a wide spectrum of musical genres from the 15th century to the modern era, performed by world-renowned artists," says spokeswoman Lucie Johanovská. "While our main focus is classical music, played by symphony and chamber orchestras, we also include popular musicals, jazz, folk, ethno and world music. We've even done pop and rock. The goal is to present the audience with an unforgettable musical and theatrical experience."

In the bright lights of marquee names, it's easy to overlook some of the festival's more modest offerings. For aficionados, however, these can be some of the best concerts, offering a close-up encounter with some impressive players.

This year, for example, there's a recital by Štěpán Rak (July 22), a noted Czech guitarist whose technical mastery and distinctive five-finger technique have won admirers around the world. Cello player Tomáš Jamník, a laureate of the Prague Spring 2006 competition, will have a chance to show why his debut recording on Supraphon was called "the Czech debut of the decade" (Aug. 5). Noted Czech pianist Pavel Kašpar will be playing Mozart with the Talich Chamber Orchestra (Aug. 6). And 14-year-old South Korean violin prodigy Yookyung Kang is teaming up with stylish Czech trumpet player Marek Zvolánek for a night of Händel, Pachelbel and Vivaldi (Aug. 13).

Then there are the chamber groups - too many to list here, regrettably. If you can see only one, try to make it the virtuoso Pražák Quartet, which along with Czech pianist Jan Simon is presenting an homage to Fryderyk Chopin (Aug. 20).

Even if you've been to Český Krumlov, seeing concerts of this caliber in a variety of picturesque settings is an unforgettable experience.

"Český Krumlov is an exquisite architectural jewel among small Czech towns, and our musical performances have been sensitively designed to make the most of the wonderfully restored interiors and exteriors, which only intensifies the experience of the genius loci for visitors, says Johanovská. Words are not enough to describe this place, so I recommend just to come, and see and hear it for yourself: the joy of beautiful music set in a beautiful town.

But move quickly to get tickets. It can be even harder to find an available hotel room in Český Krumlov, which hosts a flood of tourists all summer. So start making arrangements now, if you haven't already. The effort will be well worth it.

Frank Kuznik can be reached at
fkuznik@praguepost.com