{"id":170,"date":"2020-06-08T19:23:20","date_gmt":"2020-06-08T18:23:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dvorak-society.org\/New\/?page_id=170"},"modified":"2026-03-20T20:12:55","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T20:12:55","slug":"news","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.dvorak-society.org\/?page_id=170","title":{"rendered":"News"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do you have information?<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Dvo\u0159\u00e1k Society welcomes short items for inclusion on this News Board, from members or any other person. Display on this site will be at the Society\u2019s discretion. Items should be sent by e-mail to: 
Send a message to us <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Latest News<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Vacancy for Honorary Treasurer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

1 January 2026

After five years, our current treasurer, Martin Israel, will be stepping down at the next AGM in 2026. We are seeking someone to fill this important and fulfilling role. For more information, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Our President, Jakub Hr\u016f\u0161a,\u00a0received a top classical music award<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Czech conductor Jakub Hr\u016f\u0161a<\/strong>\u00a0received the award for International Artist of the Year<\/strong>,
often dubbed the ‘Oscar’ of classical music, at a ceremony in Germany, as well as the
Bavarian Order of Merit. 44-year-old Hr\u016f\u0161a\u00a0is the chief conductor of the Bamberg
Symphony Orchestra and the music director of the Royal Opera House in London. He has
also been appointed to lead the Czech Philharmonic from the 2028\/2029 season.

From Ex-pats CZ 20.03.2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Pamela Howard was awarded a honorary doctorate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

19 February 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor Pamela Howard, OBE, a member of our Society, received an honorary doctorate on 26 November 2025. The ceremony took place at the Jan\u00e1\u010dek Academy of Performing Arts in Brno<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At the beginning of February, I received an email with the subject My recent award from JAMU<\/em>. It was from a lady, Pamela Howard, I did not know then. What captured my interest was the following: In November 2025, I received the great honour of being made  DOCTOR HONORIS DRAMATICAE at the Jan\u00e1\u010dek Academy of Music. This is partly in respect of the operas of Jan\u00e1\u010dek I have created as Director and\/or Scenographer.<\/em> After an exchange of emails with Pamela and her colleague from Hull, Pavel Dr\u00e1bek, I realised that she is an extraordinary person and she deserves a mention in this Newsletter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pamela, 87 years young, lives in a small village, Selsey, near Chichester. She was born in Newcastle and studied at the Birmingham College of Art. She won a scholarship to the Slade School of Art in London. In 2008, she was awarded an OBE for Services to Drama<\/em>. She is the author of What is Scenography<\/em>, currently in its third edition. When I spoke to her the other day, she was still jet-lagged from a trip to Japan, where she staged G. B. Shaw\u2019s Pygmalion<\/em>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But where does the music come in? After all, we are the Dvo\u0159\u00e1k Society for Czech and Slovak music. According to Pamela\u2019s website<\/a>, her practice encompasses large and small-scale productions, in major opera houses and unloved and forgotten spaces<\/em>. She sent me fold-ups from two operas she staged at the National Theatre in Brno: Jan\u00e1\u010dek\u2019s V\u00fdlet pana Brou\u010dka do M\u0115s\u00edce<\/em> (The Excursion of Mr Brou\u010dek to the Moon<\/em>) and \u017denitba<\/em> (The Marriage<\/em>), a comic chamber opera by Martin\u016f based on a story by Nikolai Gogol. Brou\u010dek<\/em> is her favourite opera. You can read more about Pamela\u2019s achievement in the Laudatio<\/a><\/em> on our website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tomy Duby<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

2025 Emmy Destinn Young Singers Awards<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

23 August 2025

The date for this event has been set: It will take on 23 November 2025 at 5:00 pm<\/s> at Velehrad, SW13 9JP. This concert will take place in February 2026.<\/font> For more information see here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

30 June 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

The Czech Philharmonic appoints Jakub Hr\u016f\u0161a as Chief Conductor and Music Director from the 2028\/2029 season<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photo: Petr Chodura, Czech Philharmonic<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Our congratulations to Jakub Hr\u016f\u0161a, our President!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

25 May 2025
David Hamilton<\/strong> is a long-standing member of the Dvo\u0159\u00e1k Society and is finally retiring from piano teaching at 92.  David attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama from the age of 17, where he studied composition and conducting while continuing piano studies with Hubert Greenslade (who taught at Trinity College). He began teaching piano in the 1950s and became well-known for using music written for teaching rather than simplified versions of the classics. He also did not use grade exams but utilised a vast array of music graded carefully for each pupil’s needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David has a large collection of unused music that he bought for teaching. It is now available to anyone who will use it.  There are also some items he bought for himself that have never been used.  This collection is not exactly for sale, as it is impossible to put a price on many items, but a donation would be appreciated.  The full list of over 460 titles can be downloaded from here<\/a>. It includes music from many countries. There are also two signed copies of Klement Slavick\u00fd’s music: Na B\u00edl\u00fdch i \u010dern\u00fdch<\/em> and Klavier und Jugend<\/em>.  The full list is available for download from this post. If you are interested in an item, please contact the Newsletter Editor<\/a>. No reasonable offer will be refused \u2013 the most important thing is for this wonderful music to be played.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

25 April 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michael Beckerman named dean of UCLA\u2019s Herb Alpert School of Music<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Beckerman is currently the Carroll and Milton Petrie Professor of Music and the Collegiate Professor of Music at New York University, where he also chaired the music department. He will begin his new role at the University of California, Los Angeles (abbreviated as UCLA) by Oct. 1. For more information, see UCLA University News<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Readers of DS Newsletter are familiar with Michael through his talks and contributions to the Newsletter. For his review of the visit of the Czech Philharmonic to Carnegie Hall, see Newsletter #149, page 13.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Michael Beckerman at the piano lecturing. Photo Alexa Hoyer<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

11 April 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recording of Simon Rattle conducting the Czech Philharmonic in the Slavonic Dances<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Here is the link<\/a> to live stream of a concert in the Rudolfinum in Prague that that took place yesterday. In the first half, Simon Rattle conducts the Czech Philharmonic in the first set of Slavonic Dances<\/em>. Then, starting 37:30 there is an extensive interview with Simon in English.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

9 April 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2025 Annual General Meeting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The AGM of the Dvo\u0159\u00e1k Society will take place on Saturday, 10th May 2025 at 2:30 pm (GMT + 1)<\/strong>. The meeting will be virtual via Zoom. Full joining instructions will be supplied to members later via email.
For committee members see Committee & Contacts<\/a> web page.
After the AGM Nigel Simeone<\/strong> will give an illustrated talk entitled Sir Charles and the Czechs: A Centenary Celebration marking the anniversary of our former President, Charles Mackerras<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

A Brno centenary event<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Our member Nigel Simeone<\/strong>, who received the Jan\u00e1\u010dek Medal in Brno last November, has written that “after a surprise invitation from the Masaryk University, I was in Brno again at the end of January. Ji\u0159\u00ed Zahr\u00e1dka<\/strong> [director of the Jan\u00e1\u010dek Archive], Graeme Dibble <\/strong>[the English translator of Zahr\u00e1dka\u2019s books on Jan\u00e1\u010dek operas], and I<\/strong> were presented with the University’s silver medal and with scrolls of positively Ruritanian splendour. This event, held in the hall of the Law Faculty,<\/strong> was to celebrate 100 years to the day since Jan\u00e1\u010dek was awarded his honorary doctorate \u2013 I was so glad to be able to be there to mark that occasion, and the university<\/strong> had a display with Jan\u00e1\u010dek’s<\/strong> original certificate. The ceremony itself was delightful (very efficiently run, and with no speeches, apart from a short one by the Rector at the beginning). It ended with a terrific performance of the Intimate Letters String Quartet. Then a pleasant hour of drinks and snacks before we walked down the road to the opera house in time for a wonderful \u2013 very moving \u2013 performance of Martin\u016f’s Stories about Mary<\/em>. I was only there for two days, but it was a busy and hugely enjoyable visit.”
Terry Heard<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Nigel Simone<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Graeme Dibble (left), Nigel Simeone, Ji\u0159\u00ed Zahr\u00e1dka, after the ceremony.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

25 February 2025 Thanks to Annette the following good news is worth mentioning:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brno begins construction on new concert hall<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Czech officials, including Prime Minister Petr Fiala, launched the construction of the Jan\u00e1\u010dek Culture Centre<\/strong>, a six-story concert hall for the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra. The long-awaited venue, set to open in 2027, will seat 1,200 and cost over 2.3 billion crowns (about 76 M\u00a3). Officials highlight its top-tier acoustics and Brno\u2019s deep musical heritage, calling it a major milestone for Czech culture.
www.expats.cz<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

19 February 2025, Ale\u0161 B\u0159ezina <\/strong>(director of the Bohuslav Martin\u016f Institute) shared with us the following information about a new book on the operas of Bed\u0159ich Smetana. It was published last month and has 300 pages, ISBN: 978-3-8260-8349-5. It is available as open access<\/a> or in print<\/a> form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ale\u0161 B\u0159ezina and Ivana Rentsch (eds.), Bed\u0159ich Smetana and European Opera<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The following text appears on the back inside cover: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bed\u0159ich Smetana had a lasting influence on Czech opera history from the 1860s. As conductor at the Prozat\u00edmn\u00ed divadlo (Provisional Theater) and as the composer of eight operas including Prodan\u00e1 nev\u011bsta<\/em> (The Bartered Bride<\/em>) and Libu\u0161e<\/em>, he championed Czech musical life in Prague throughout his life. How Smetana managed the balancing act between artistic ambition and practical possibilities with his operas is the subject of this volume. The aim is to place the composer and his stage works in the context of both European operatic practice and the institutional framework and political debates in Prague in the second half of the 19th century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the three-part conception, Smetana\u2019s operatic aesthetics, which are to a large extent influenced by his experiences as a conductor at the Prozat\u00edmn\u00ed divadlo, contemporary music theory, theatre practice and political ideals, take first place (Martin Nedbal, Arne Stollberg, Ivana Rentsch, Thomas Jaermann, Brian S. Locke). This will be followed by a second thematic area, the contemporary European opera repertoire in the Habsburg Empire and Smetana\u2019s engagement with it in the surviving sources (Axel K\u00f6rner, Olga Moj\u017e\u00ed\u0161ov\u00e1, Sandra Bergmannov\u00e1, Milan Posp\u00ed\u0161il). As a counterpart to Smetana\u2019s European opera reception, the third part discusses the early reception of Smetana in Europe and beyond (David Brodbeck, Vincenzina Ottomano, Christopher Campo-Bowen, Michael Beckerman).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I (Tomy, newsletter@dvorak-society.org<\/a>) invite Society Members to write a review of a chapter or two in this book and submit it to the Newsletter. I am doing Smetana and Opera in his Correspondence and Diaries. <\/em>Very interesting reading! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

4 January 2025
Update of item from 27 May 2021<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commemorative Medallions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On behalf of the Prague Dvo\u0159\u00e1k Society, Pavel Her\u010d\u00edk prepared a medallion (with the portrait of Anton\u00edn Dvo\u0159\u00e1k and the Rudolfinum (on the reverse). The medallion was produced for the 180th anniversary of the composer\u2019s birth in September 2021. They are available in brass or nickel.  The medallions have been minted in a Limited Edition of which we have a small quantity.
Prices of medallions with their covers (including postage and packing)
\u2022 brass in a blue plastic case – \u00a36.50  ( two only)
\u2022 brass in a red synthetic leather case  – \u00a38.00 ( four only)
\u2022 nickel in a red synthetic leather case  – \u00a39.00  (five only)
The size of the medallion is 50 mm.
Any member interested in purchasing a medallion, please get in touch with the Chairman<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

23 December 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DAHA Presents its Inaugural Anton\u00edn Dvo\u0159\u00e1k Prize <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

DAHA<\/a> (Dvo\u0159\u00e1k American Heritage Association) presented its inaugural Anton\u00edn Dvo\u0159\u00e1k Prize<\/strong> to Semyon Bychkov<\/strong>. This was on 5 December 2024 at Carnegie Hall at the end of the final concert of the Czech Philharmonic<\/strong> in New York. The picture shows Maestro Bychkov<\/strong>, Professor Michael Beckerman<\/strong> and Susan Lucak<\/strong>, DAHA President and Founder. For more information see the DAHA website<\/a>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Photo by Petra Hajsk\u00e1 with permission of Czech Philharmonic.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

23 December 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A week-long Festival of  Czech music in New York<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This festival started on 2 December 2024 with an event in the Bohemian National Hall in New York that hosted a concert of young musicians from three countries: the Czech Republic, USA and U.K. It featured the chamber music of Anton\u00edn Dvo\u0159\u00e1k, Wynton Marsalis and Edgar Elgar. In the second half, they were joined by the Czech Philharmonic players led by the concertmaster Ji\u0159\u00ed Vodi\u010dka in Dvo\u0159\u00e1k\u2019s Serenade for Strings<\/em>.

Over the next three nights, the action (music, to be more precise) moved to the Stern Auditorium of Carnegie Hall. The Czech Philharmonic<\/strong> was conducted by Semyon Bychkov<\/strong>. Professor Michael Beckerman<\/strong> prepared a detailed review that will appear in the Newsletter #149 (publication date 1 February 2025).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"Photo
Photo by Petr Chodura with permission of the Czech Philharmonics<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

This photo shows four young musicians who one evening joined forces with the Czech Philharmonic. What an opportunity for young musicians! While I am writing these lines, I do not have any additional information. Just look at their faces, they show the full excitement of playing there!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Prague Philharmonic Choir<\/strong> performed on two evenings: First, it accompanied the Czech Philharmonic and soloists in Jan\u00e1\u010dek\u2019s Glagolitic Mass. <\/em>Then, on the 6 December they performed in the more intimate Zankel Hall an evening of choral works by Eben, Jan\u00e1\u010dek, Dvo\u0159\u00e1k, Martin\u016f, and Jan Nov\u00e1k.

The final evening featured the young Pavel Haas Quartet<\/strong> at the Weill Recital Hall playing Suk, Smetana and Jan\u00e1\u010dek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wow, what a feast! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tomy Duby<\/em>
Newsletter Editor<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

22 December 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remembering 35 years of J\u00e1n Cikker\u2019s passing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Slovak composer J\u00e1n Cikker<\/strong> (1911\u20131989) passed away 35 years ago. He was remembered in a recording on 14 November this year at the Cikker Museum<\/a><\/strong> in Bratislava. It is now available on YouTube<\/a>: Duo for Violin and Viola,<\/em> Op. 13,  arranged for violin and alto saxophone by Ladislav Franzovitz who plays the saxophone. The violinist is Janka Mac\u00edkov\u00e1.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

27 April 2024
Smetana unveiled: Exploring the Man, the Music and the Myths<\/em>. The Czech Embassy Cinema, London, on Tuesday 12th<\/sup> March 2024.<\/strong>

This informative event was organised by the Czech Centre within the framework of the Year of Czech Music <\/strong>and Smetana 2024<\/strong>, in collaboration with Czech Tourism<\/strong>.  It was introduced by the Director of the Czech Centre, P\u0159emysl Pela. The Year of Czech Music has been celebrated nearly every decade since 1924, the 100th <\/sup>anniversary of Smetana\u2019s birth, and since then expanded to include the music of Anton\u00edn Dvo\u0159\u00e1k, Josef Suk, Leo\u0161 Jan\u00e1\u010dek, Bohuslav Martin\u016f, and other composers from the Czech lands. Now we are celebrating the 200th<\/sup> anniversary of Smetana\u2019s birth with a variety of events including the evening\u2019s discussion of his life and works. For further information see www.rokceskehudby.cz\/en\/smetana200<\/a>.

The discussion was chaired by John Allison, Editor of Opera magazine. In the panel of experts were Jan Smaczny, Emeritus Professor at Queen\u2019s University, Belfast, Dr Thomas Jaermann, composer and musicologist, Sandra Bergmannov\u00e1, Director of the Bend\u0159ich Smetana Museum and Tom\u00e1\u0161 Hanus, Music Director of Welsh National Opera, who joined the discussion via Zoom from Brno where he was conducting the latest production of Dalibor<\/em> (to complete this wonderful circle, directed by Sir David Pountney).

There have been more composers in Bohemia and Moravia per square mile than elsewhere and their popularity abroad, especially in Britain, was discussed. Apart from M\u00e1 Vlast <\/em>and possibly The Bartered Bride<\/em>, other works by Smetana were not well-known in Britain. Czech music certainly had a following in England when Anton\u00edn Dvo\u0159\u00e1k visited and had some of his works performed here. Other conductors such as Charles Mackerras and Libor Pe\u0161ek have since made audiences more familiar with a wider range of Czech music. John said that he had interviewed Libor Pe\u0161ek many years ago and that Pe\u0161ek had explained the appeal of Czech music lay in its emotion: British audiences had been taught to keep their emotions under wraps, but Czech music gave them a welcome opportunity to live their emotions through the music. This was basically why Dvo\u0159\u00e1k, whose music sometimes has too much emotion, was so successful.<\/em> However, the choral music of Dvo\u0159\u00e1k was performed here more often in the late 19th<\/sup> and early 20th<\/sup> centuries than now, although the music of a larger range of composers is now available. Sandra was asked about the number of UK visitors to the Smetana Museum in contrast to those of other nations. She reported that there were comparatively few in contrast to the larger numbers from Germany and Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It would take a very long article to do justice to the contents of the evening\u2019s discussions. The main subjects included: the popularity of Smetana during his lifetime, his allies and enemies, what made him a \u2018nationalist\u2019 composer or otherwise, the use of mythology as well as history, his use of the Czech language, which after all, he had to learn, political controversies, his standing compared with that of Dvo\u0159\u00e1k in Communist times, the popularity or otherwise of certain works by Smetana at home and abroad, his role as a teacher and conductor as well as a composer, his stay in Gothenburg, his piano music, the influences on his compositions of other composers, the impact of his deafness on his life and music, and his influence on later composers such as Jan\u00e1\u010dek and Martin\u016f.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Questions were asked about Smetana\u2019s two string quartets, with the disturbing high E4 near the end of the first quartet, part of the \u2018white noise\u2019 of his deafness, and the second quartet which sounded unlike anything else by Smetana. The members of the panel agreed that it went beyond the conventions of the time, structurally and harmonically, and looked towards the music of, for example, Jan\u00e1\u010dek. Schoenberg had admired it. Jan Smaczny thought there was something \u2018visceral\u2019 about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tom\u00e1\u0161 was asked to elaborate on his collaboration with  Pountney in Brno on the current production of Dalibor<\/em> which is already controversial and does not reflect the historical view of the character of Dalibor. He described it as a \u2018timeless\u2019 modern production and thought that controversy was an important feature. He also said that his children thought the music must be like the pop music of the time, with \u2018songs you could sing\u2019, as the motifs are sweet and easy to memorise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, a question was asked about the importance of the conclusions reached on the examination of Smetana\u2019s skull, which showed bones in his ear were damaged. Sandra elaborated on this topic, explaining that an accident had happened when he was about ten years old and was playing with some gunpowder in a jar with other boys. It exploded when he went to look at it, shattering glass into his face, which the boys tried to wash away with dirty pond water, thus infecting him and causing problems all his life. This was considered a suitably gory note on which to end!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To appreciate the details of the discussion, do listen to the recording on YouTube, Smetana Unveiled<\/a>\u2026.
Susan Jenkinson<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From left to right: Jan Smaczny, John Allison, Thomas Jaermann and Sandra Bergmannov\u00e1. Source: Czech Centre London<\/a>.
This article appears in Newsletter-146<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

4 April 2024
Czech conductor and Dvo\u0159\u00e1k Society President, Jakub Hr\u016f\u0161a in conversation with British musicologist, Nigel Simeone about their musical careers and Czech music on Wednesday 20 March 2024 at the cinema in the Czech Embassy in London<\/strong>.
\"\"
This was a joint event of the BCSA (British Czech and Slovak Association) and the Dvo\u0159\u00e1k Society. Following introductions by Jana Nahodilov\u00e1 (Chairman of the BCSA) and David Roberts (our Chairman), Jakub Hr\u016f\u0161a and Nigel Simeone each described their earliest encounters with the music of Jan\u00e1\u010dek.

Firstly, Nigel recollected that, aged 14, he was on a school trip to Germany, where at one point they were given the choice of visiting the local docks or going to a performance in German of The Cunning Little Vixen<\/em>. He chose the latter and was immediately drawn to Jan\u00e1\u010dek\u2019s music, eager to discover more. Then Jakub related how, aged 9, he went to explore the communal loft in the block of flats where his family lived and came across an old gramophone with a pile of old 78 records. He had no idea what he would hear, but it was, in fact, Jan\u00e1\u010dek\u2019s Glagolitic Mass<\/em>. He found it incomprehensible, but exciting, a kind of \u2018primordial force\u2019 and so he played it over and over again. The equipment did not work very well, but that gave the music added character!

The first main topic of conversation was concerned with what makes the music of Jan\u00e1\u010dek, Smetana and Dvo\u0159\u00e1k, Czech. Unusual components such as the mixture of historical and legendary aspects stood out. Each was also very individual, with Smetana being particularly ambitious and idealistic in his nationalistic vision. Previously, in Bohemia and Moravia, there had been a large number of good musicians, who, however, had not been as creative or famous as, for example, Mozart. Many had gravitated towards Vienna. Jakub mentioned that many Germans\/Austrians had considered Czech composers to be inferior. However, Brahms in recommending Dvo\u0159\u00e1k to the German publisher, Simrock, elevated his status and popularity with Germans. In comparing the music of Dvo\u0159\u00e1k and Smetana, the two speakers pointed out that Dvo\u0159\u00e1k adhered to traditional, Catholic views, whereas Smetana looked more radically into the future, became less conventional and more interested in political discourse, wanting to grab the attention of his audiences. Although Smetana wrote a lot of piano music and two string quartets, it is really for his operas and the tone poem cycle M\u00e1 Vlast<\/em> that he is remembered by most audiences, whereas Dvo\u0159\u00e1k is chiefly remembered for his symphonies, string quartets and religious works, despite also writing some operas. Smetana, despite his \u2018German\u2019 background and not writing and properly learning Czech until his late thirties, is considered the \u2018Father of Czech Music\u2019.
\"\"
Jakub pointed out that Jan\u00e1\u010dek certainly considered Smetana to be a father figure in his compositions and wrote in 1925 that it was like being \u2018face to face with God\u2019. However, Jan\u00e1\u010dek was also more rebellious, looked towards Eastern European traditions, and even considered Smetana \u2018too German\u2019. Jan\u00e1\u010dek was concerned with portraying real life on stage, not idealised events as found in the operas of Smetana and had been inspired by the \u2018verismo\u2019 of, for example, Puccini. Nigel mentioned K\u00e1t\u2019a Kabanov\u00e1<\/em>, and similarities to Madama Butterfly<\/em>. Nonetheless, both speakers thought that Jan\u00e1\u010dek was also influenced by, for example, Verdi and Tchaikovsky in his portrayal of sentiment. Moreover, Jan\u00e1\u010dek respected Beethoven and conducted his Missa Solemnis<\/em>. In his early years, he went on long walks with Dvo\u0159\u00e1k, collecting folk songs together. However, it cannot be denied that, unlike Dvo\u0159\u00e1k, Jan\u00e1\u010dek found other sources of spirituality than in conventional religion. Even though he built his music for the Glagolitic Mass<\/em> on the established structure of a mass, he chose an Old Church Slavonic text and not Latin. The work reflects his support for pan-Slavism.

Jakub Hr\u016f\u0161a is currently the Music Director Designate of the Royal Opera, Covent Garden (Music Director from 2025) and so it was obvious that he would be asked about his future role there, including which operas he would like to conduct. He pointed out that on the one hand, he wanted to serve mainstream operagoers and thereby discover some more frequently performed Italian, French and German operas which he had not yet conducted. On the other, he would like to introduce operas by Smetana and Jan\u00e1\u010dek which had seldom been performed here. He was a little hesitant about operas by Dvo\u0159\u00e1k, such as The Devil and Kate<\/em> and The Jakobin<\/em>, although he was in his element with Dvo\u0159\u00e1k\u2019s symphonic music.

The power of stage directors to change the original settings of operas was discussed. Jakub felt that this fashion was fading and that external factors such as unusual staging should not interfere with the original intentions of the composer. The most stable element of all, is, of course, the music.

As for non-native speakers singing in Czech, it is often the case that Czechs do not understand them. However, some non-native singers even pronounce Czech more clearly than the Czechs themselves! He does not mind if the pronunciation is not absolutely perfect, but with hard work, convincing pronunciation can be achieved.
Finally, Jakub was asked how he is adapting to English food and weather. He replied that a large choice of food is available here from all over the world and that he accepts all kinds of weather.

Thanks are due to the BCSA and the Czech Embassy for their assistance in facilitating this informative and enjoyable evening. We look forward to cooperating in future events.
Susan Jenkinson<\/em>
Picture credits: Erik Weisenpacher<\/em>
A recording of the event can be found on the British Czech and Slovak Association YouTube channel at https:\/\/youtu.be\/2iYko7oLimM<\/a>
This article appears in Newsletter-146<\/a>.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3 April 2024
NEWS FROM HOUSE OF LOBKOWICZ
After a long winter, the time we have all been waiting for has finally arrived. Join us for the opening season of our heritage sites, where
fun\u2014and brand new\u2014activities await!
https:\/\/www.lobkowicz.cz\/en<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

13 January 2024
(Click to view full size)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

23 September 2023
German students to perform Brundib\u00e1r at Terez\u00edn 80 years after original staging<\/strong>
Students from a German secondary school are to perform the children\u2019s opera Brundib\u00e1r at the former Terez\u00edn ghetto in Bohemia, 80 years after it was first staged by Jewish inmates there during World War II, a spokesperson for the Terez\u00edn Memorial said on Monday. Interest in the event is great and few spaces remain for the event at the Magdeburg Barracks.
Brundib\u00e1r, which was written by Hans Kr\u00e1sa, was first performed on September 23, 1943.
The school company and orchestra from Germany\u2019s W\u00fclfrath have already staged the children\u2019s opera elsewhere, including in Israel with survivor Zvi Cohen, who took part in it in Terez\u00edn during the Holocaust.
Source: english.radio.cz<\/a>

28 August 2023
THE MANY PASSIONS OF LEO\u0160 JAN\u00c1\u010cEK<\/strong>
ORIGINAL COMPILATION OF RECORDINGS OF THE BRILLIANT COMPOSER\u2019S WORKS<\/em>
Album detail<\/a> 
Catalogue number: SU 4328-2<\/strong>
Music composer Leo\u0161 Jan\u00e1\u010dek was not only very talented and original but also truly hard-working and devoted to his country and culture. Jan\u00e1\u010dek\u2019s music is full of emotions, colours, melodies and harmonies reflecting his personality and experience. His oeuvre continues to be performed and appreciated worldwide. This August, ninety-five years have passed since his death and next July the music world will be commemorating the 170th anniversary of his birth. That provides a fitting occasion to release a special compilation presenting Supraphon\u2019s most remarkable recordings of his brilliant works. The anthology The Many Passions of Leo\u0161 Jan\u00e1\u010dek will be released this Friday, 25 August 2023, as a 4-CD set and in digital formats.<\/strong>
\u201cIn connection with the previous compilation, The Many Loves of Anton\u00edn Dvo\u0159\u00e1k, which met with favourable response from reviewers in the USA and in the UK, we asked the BBC 3 long-time music producer and one of the great experts in and lovers of Czech music and its recordings, Patrick Lambert, to compile a similar series dedicated to the Moravian master,\u201c<\/em> said Supraphon\u2019s producer Daniela B\u00e1lkov\u00e1. More\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

26 August 2023
\"\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

18 August 2023 (from Terry Heard)
Petr Kadlec, Head of Education at the Czech Philhamonic Orchestra, has sent details of the latest release in their excellent series of videos introducing and analysing major Czech works, made with the Czech Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, in Czech with English subtitles. This one is on Jan\u00e1\u010dek’s Jen\u016ffa<\/strong><\/em>, and lasts about 90 minutes; the link is https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Ws0b_qCqpaE&ab_channel=%C4%8Cesk%C3%A1filharmonie<\/a>.
The Czech Philharmonic YouTube site youtube.com\/@CzechPhilharmonicOfficial<\/a> is certainly worth exploring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

18 August 2023 (from Terry Heard)
The Anton\u00edn Dvo\u0159\u00e1k Museum in Prague announces a special exhibition titled Anton\u00edn Dvo\u0159\u00e1k: My Life and Work<\/strong>, which was created for the occasion of the inscription of the Anton\u00edn Dvo\u0159\u00e1k Archive into the UNESCO Memory of the World Register in May of this year. The exhibition opens on 13 September. Further information about the Museum is at https:\/\/www.nm.cz\/en\/visit-us\/buildings\/antonin-dvorak-museum<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

18 August 2023 (from Terry Heard)
An invitation from Petr Va\u0161\u00ed\u010dek: PV has kindly invited all members to the private view (Vernissage) on September 10 of an exhibition in Berlin of works by Petra Bous\u030cka Kvapilov\u00e1 dedicated to Jan\u00e1\u010dek’s muse Kamila St\u00f6sslov\u00e1<\/strong>, or to visit the exhibition later (until 10 January). The details are attached.
\"\"\"Portrait<\/p>\n\n\n\n

14 August 2023
Our President, Jakub Hr\u016f\u0161a writes on Facebook (11 July 2023)
\"\"\"\"
\"\"
“I\u2019m truly thrilled and privileged to be awarded an HONORARY MEMBERSHIP of the Royal Academy of Music in London today, an honour held only by 300 living musicians of the world.
Together with me great colleagues Jamie Cullum, Maria Jo\u00e3o Pires, Beverley Knight MBE and Kate Paterson; before us certain Felix Mendelssohn, Igor Stravinsky or Pablo Casals. Very happy today.
Fellowship awarded to David Butt Philip, Jacob Collier, Freddie De Tommaso, Susan Hallam, Jonathon Heyward, The Duchess of Wellington OBE and Roger Wright, the Doctorate to James Newton Howard.<\/em>“
Our congratulations on this great honour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

14 August 2023
The Society’s Annual Reports for 2022\/23 <\/strong>are now available in the Members section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3 July 2023
Secrets, Middles and Endings in the Cello Concerto<\/em>, lecture of our Honorary Member Prof. Mike Beckerman<\/strong> delivered after the AGM on 22 April 2023.
Abstract of this talk<\/strong>: This talk explored how the Dvo\u0159\u00e1k\u2019s Cello Concerto<\/em> relates to the shift from \u2018absolute\u2019 to \u2018narrative\u2019 music in his compositions from the New World<\/em> Symphony onward. 
Link to this talk<\/a>, passcode ^9xIK+bE<\/strong>, the talk starts at 3:00.


10 June 2023
Petr Popelka announced as next Chief Conductor of the Wiener Symphoniker<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Photography by Khalil Baalbaki, https:\/\/www.petrpopelka.com\/media\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Petr Popelka has today (9 June 23) been announced as the new Chief Conductor of the Wiener Symphoniker, following an overwhelming majority vote by the orchestra\u2019s musicians. The forthcoming 2023\/24 season will already see him conduct over 20 performances with the orchestra as Chief Conductor Designate in Vienna and on tour, as well as opera at MusikTheater an der Wien.  He will then take up his position from the 2024\/25 season for an initial period of five years.

On announcing the appointment, Jan Nast, Intendant of the Wiener Symphoniker said:

\u2018I am very pleased about the outcome of the musicians\u2019 vote. Following Andr\u00e9s Orozco-Estrada unexpected departure, it was important for the orchestra to take its time and understand very carefully how his successor could match the Wiener Symphoniker\u2019s personality. As such, the selection was less about names than about the art and the possibilities to bring to life shared visions. The performance of Gustav Mahler\u2019s First Symphony with Petr Popelka was memorable for many musicians \u2013 and, indeed, for me personally \u2013 suddenly we all felt that something unique was in the air. Working with Petr Popelka is inspiring, fruitful, always dialogic and characterised by an unwavering shared creative enthusiasm. I am glad that Petr Popelka will step into the future arm-in-arm with the Wiener Symphoniker. I am firmly convinced that we have found an exceptional artist in him, with whom we can further develop the distinctive spirit of the orchestra in the long term.\u2019<\/em>

Born in Prague in 1986, Petr Popelka received training as a double bassist in Prague and Freiburg. Before transitioning to conducting, he played as deputy solo bassist with the S\u00e4chsischen Staatskapelle Dresden under chief conductor Christian Thielemann. He is Chief Conductor of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra and Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, as well as being an active composer.

He explained why this appointment is so special to him:

\u2018Becoming Chief Conductor of the Wiener Symphoniker is a dream come true. Even as a teenager, I regularly drove from Prague to Vienna with my parents to listen to the greatest orchestras in the world in this city. To me, the Wiener Symphoniker is the musical embodiment of Vienna, an orchestra that captures and evokes the spirit of the city, an ensemble with a great tradition but, above all, an orchestra that has always encapsulated a modern pioneering spirit \u2013 both in terms of repertoire and the role of an orchestra within society. When asked what I imagine my journey with the Wiener Symphoniker to be like, I think of my own little son; What kind of orchestra do we want to pass on to the next generation? How does a modern orchestra function in which we play together and on an equal footing? How can we work together to maintain and strengthen the virtues of the Wiener Symphoniker? In my conducting engagements with the Wiener Symphoniker to date, I have always felt the profound passion of the musicians, the possibility of immersing ourselves collectively in the music in the moment, fuelled by a burning dedication for the cause and for the music! Together, we have the opportunity to invigorate a modern orchestra that stands at the heart of the world.\u2019<\/em>

Before the summer break, Popelka will be performing Arnold Sch\u00f6nberg\u2019s monumental Gurre-Lieder<\/em> with both his orchestras from Oslo and Prague at the festivals in Litomy\u0161l and Prague.

From the 2023\/2024 season, he will, as Chief Conductor Designate, lead the Wiener Symphoniker in a new production of Weinberger Schwanda the Bagpiper <\/em>at the MusikTheater an der Wien in addition to joining the orchestra for multiple concerts in Vienna and on two European tours. He makes his debut with a production of Mozart Don Giovanni<\/em> at the Zurich Opera House, and further orchestral debuts with the Gewandhausorchester, Munich Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de France and Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse.

Source: https:\/\/www.petrpopelka.com\/petr-popelka-announced-as-the-new-chief-conductor-of-the-wiener-symphoniker\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n


posted 1 May 2023
New Publication by member Jonathan Del Mar<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Hardcover, \u00a365.00 \/ $95.00
March 2023 9781783277322
736 Pages<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To order this book visit
https:\/\/boydellandbrewer.com<\/a>
Use code BB135 for 35% off<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

Orchestral Masterpieces under the Microscope<\/strong>
Jonathan Del Mar
DESCRIPTION
A must-have for any conductor, conducting student and orchestral librarian.
How does a conductor know whether the score they use is what the composer wrote? How do orchestral players know that their parts are reliable and reflect the latest scholarship? As Jonathan Del Mar reminds us in this ground-breaking book, editions of the orchestral repertoire are beset by textual problems: simple misprints, mistakes in the score or player’s part, or hopelessly outdated scores at odds with current scholarship.
Driven by a fundamental respect for what the composer actually wrote, Jonathan Del Mar addresses these problems through textual reports on over 100 orchestral masterpieces of classical music. Each report is introduced with essential guidance and succinct commentary on the first performance and publication of the work. Critical editions are compared with commonly used editions, and in those cases where no Urtext Edition exists, this much-needed reference work functions as a replacement for an Urtext Edition.
Orchestral Masterpieces under the Microscope will be an indispensable reference tool for all who care about performances honouring the correct text that composers have left us. It serves as an essential survival guide for conductors and musicians to make informed choices, and it offers much-needed clarity on the latest scholarship for musicologists and music librarians alike
AUTHOR\/EDITOR BIOGRAPHY
JONATHAN DEL MAR is a conductor and musicologist. His Beethoven editions are published by Baerenreiter and performed by orchestras and ensembles around the world.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

posted 11 March 2023
Education Videos of Petr Kadlec<\/strong>
Petr Kadlec, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra\u2019s Head of Education, has sent the links to four substantial videos made with the Czech Student Philharmonic in the Rudolfinum which analyse Dvo\u0159\u00e1k works with a predominantly young audience in an informal and highly entertaining style. The videos are in Czech with English subtitles:
THE WATER GOBLIN<\/a><\/strong>
THE NOON WITCH<\/a><\/strong>
RUSALKA<\/a><\/strong>
VIOLIN CONCERTO WITH JOSEF \u0160PA\u010cEK<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

posted 10 March 2023, updated 10 April 2023
Rusalka Revealed: Dvo\u0159\u00e1k\u2019s operatic masterpiece<\/strong>
Some of us attended on the 22-Feb-23 the interesting discussion at the Czech Embassy recently about the new B\u00e4renreiter Urtext score of Rusalka<\/em>, due to be published in October 2023.  You may have noticed from other sources, eg Facebook, that a video is available of the discussion on YouTube<\/a><\/em>. One of the speakers, Jon\u00e1\u0161 H\u00e1jek from B\u00e4renreiter in Prague, has mentioned it in his email to me, in which he positively responds to our invitation to the Prague branch to become a Corporate Member of the Dvo\u0159\u00e1k Society.
Susan Jenkinson. 
There is also a detailed article in the Das B\u00e4renreiter-Magazin<\/a><\/em>.  
Here is a link<\/a> to a recording of this meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

posted 6 March 2023<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Dvo\u0159\u00e1k Society seeks an E- shop Manager<\/u><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the past year Bill Marsden has retired from our Record service and now that David Banister is standing down as Sales Manager from April 2023 we intend to combine the two roles and now seek someone to become E-shop Manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dvo\u0159\u00e1k Society not only holds stock of its own Occasional Publications and Journals, but a small quantity of other books associated with Czech and Slovak music. Some of these are not readily available elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the past couple of years an E-shop has been established on the Society\u2019s website and all sales, together with on-line payments, are managed there.
The role would involve:<\/p>\n\n\n\n