2024-08-26 22:19:10
Sir András Schiff will open this year’s Rudolf Firkušný Piano Festival in Prague’s Rudolfinum with a secret selection of works by Czech authors. One of the most famous contemporary pianists decided to reveal the exact program only in the hall.
The 12th year of the festival, organized by Prague Spring, will present five concerts until November 9. It will take place in Dvořák’s Rudolfinum Hall and Bohuslav Martinů Hall at Prague’s HAMU.
“For me, it is much more spontaneous to announce the program on the spot and present the works in person. This creates a connection with the audience,” explains 70-year-old British pianist and conductor, Budapest-born Sir András Schiff. “We are in the hall together to experience something together. We have to trust and respect each other. Listeners should trust me to present only the best works, prepared as well as possible. In return, I rely on sensitivity and the ingenuity of our audience. This way – and there are other ways – we can experience concerts in a new and unconventional way,” he adds.
The very next day, November 3, the South Korean pianist Chloe Chi-jeong Moon will perform. The winner of many international competitions was included in Schiff’s mentoring program Building Bridges, which supports pianists at the beginning of their artistic careers. In Prague, he will play works by Fryderyk Chopin, Claude Debussy, Joseph Haydn and Franz Schubert. This will be followed by a meeting with her and Schiff in Sále Martinů.
Five instruments on one stage, from harpsichord to hammerklavier to modern piano, Alexander Melnikov promises at his concert on November 5. The Moscow Conservatory graduate will perform works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Fryderyk Chopin, Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin and Alfred Schnittke.
Bedřich Smetana’s famous compositions for two, four, six and eight hands will be performed on November 7 in the Rudolfinum at an evening called Ivo Kahánek and his pupils. Anna Gaálová, Pavol Praženica and Matouš Zukal will perform with the leading Czech pianist.
On November 9, the Firkušného festival will be closed by the renowned performer of French music, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet. At his first recital in the Czech Republic, he will combine the work of the founder of musical impressionism, Claude Debussy, with popular children’s scenes by Robert Schumann and a sample of the piano work of Karlheinz Stockhausen, a central figure of the post-war avant-garde.
The festival is named after Rudolf Firkušné, who lived from 1912 to 1994. He was one of the most famous Czech pianists of the last century and also became an inspiration for many composers.