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July 25th, 2008
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A banner year for Prague Spring

Sellout crowds pack the city's most popular music festival
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By Frank Kuznik
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
May 7th, 2008 issue

COURTESY PHOTO
Conductor Jiří Bělohlávek returns to his homeland for two performances with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
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Prague Spring


When: May 12-June 4
Where: Various venues
Tickets: 150-2,200 Kč, available through Ticketpro and the Rudolfinum box office
For complete schedule and ticket information, check www.festival.cz

Is there such a thing as being too popular? There is if you’re trying to get tickets at this late hour to the big-name Prague Spring concerts, most of which sold out weeks or even months ago. Tickets for the 63rd annual Prague Spring festival went on sale Dec. 12, and it’s an unfortunate fact of life that serious classical music fans — and tourist groups who know exactly when they will be here — scooped up many of the best seats for the best concerts ridiculously early.
That’s not surprising, given this year’s strong lineup, which includes a stellar series of piano recitals featuring Ivan Moravec, Alfred Brendel and Rudolf Buchbinder; premier visiting orchestras such as the St. Petersburg Philharmonic and Budapest Festival Orchestra; perennially popular vocalists like Dagmar Pecková and Edita Gruberová; star soloists Nigel Kennedy, Midori and Pavel Kohout; and Czech conductors Jiří Kout and Jiří Bělohlávek, who is bringing the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
At press time, most of those concerts were either sold out or had only the most expensive tickets left. Traditionalists who want to hear the opening concert of Smetana’s Má vlast, with the honors this year going to conductor Petr Altrichter and the Brno Philharmonic, will also find tickets scarce, even with the performance being given twice (May 12 and 13).
However, with luck and money, you should still be able to see Midori and Kennedy, with outside shots at the St. Petersburg and Budapest orchestras. Being willing to compromise will also help. Seats for Bělohlávek’s opening night with the BBC orchestra (May 31, Kabeláč, Beethoven and Shostakovich) are probably gone, but there should be some available for their second night (June 1, Britten and Suk). And, while you likely won’t see Kout lead the Prague Symphony Orchestra in an all-Brahms program (May 28), you can see that same orchestra play Kilar, Mozart and Beethoven under the baton of Polish wunderkind Krzysztof Urbański (May 22).
Most importantly, don’t fall into the trap of thinking that only the best-known performers are worth seeing. The hallmark of Prague Spring is quality throughout, from superstar soloists to local chamber groups; whatever you see is almost guaranteed to be good. Going to great concerts is more a matter of taste than anything else.
It also helps to be adventurous. Prague Spring offers some wonderful opportunities this year to hear period and specialty music, from the likes of Il Fondamento (early music on period instruments, May 16), Madrigal Praha (music from the Habsburg courts, May 18) and Dulce Mémorie and the Huelgas Ensemble (more music from the Habsburg courts, May 26 and June 1, respectively). Both the Pražák Quartet (May 21) and Cappella Istropolitana (May 27) are well-regarded chamber groups that will be playing mostly Baroque. And do not overlook the sole appearance by the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra (June 3), which many local aficionados regard as the second-best orchestra in Prague, behind only the Czech Philharmonic.
Or go the opposite way — modern. The enfant terrible of Czech music, Petr Kotík, is bringing his notorious Ostravská Banda to town for a seriously adventurous night (May 23) of contemporary works by the likes of Andriessen and Ligeti. Two American stars also offer a refreshing change of pace. Jazz legend Wayne Shorter will be at the Rudolfinum with his quartet (May 27). And Freddy Cole (Nat’s younger brother) will be crooning and cookin’ at the keyboard, with backing from the Radio Big Band Praha, at the Mercedes Forum (May 21). Cole plays with his own quartet the following night at Lucerna Music Bar.
If all else fails, don’t forget the Nocturnes, the sublime late-evening (9:30) recitals at the Rudolfinum. There are two scheduled for this year, both featuring promising young talent: the first with pianist Vitalij Berzon (May 20), who is also performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 with the Slovak Philharmonic a night earlier, and the second with Chinese violinist Mengla Huang, accompanied by local pianist Daniel Wiesner.
A final word of advice: Ultimately, what you see depends on how determined you are. In five years of attending the festival, this reviewer has rarely attended a concert that did not have people selling spare tickets outside beforehand. No promises, but if you’re living right and show up early with some cash in hand, the gods of spring may well smile upon you.

Frank Kuznik can be reached at fkuznik@praguepost.com


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