Events

The Danielis chamber ensemble from Rousínov has been active on the music scene for twenty-six years. The original choir gradually developed into an ensemble that naturally combines choral singing with instrumental music, thanks to its rich instrumental lineup. The current repertoire includes a wide range of genres from classical music to gospel and modern popular music. This concert will also include Christmas songs, which will help us get in the mood for the upcoming holidays.

LEOŠ JANÁČEK Amarus, cantata for solos, choir and orchestra based on a poem by Jaroslav Vrchlický ANTONÍN REJCHA Te Deum for solos, choir and orchestra Simona Šaturová soprano Daniel Matoušek tenor Jiří Brückler bass Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno Choirmaster Joel Hána Brno Philharmonic Orchestra Conductor Dennis Russell Davies Janáček's Amarus 125 Amara, his first cantata, was written by Leoš Janáček (1854–1928) at the age of forty-three, after his many years of experience as the leader of the Brno Beseda choir. Vrchlický's poem appealed to him with its atmosphere (not description) of monastic life, which he knew so well and which was inscribed in his soul during the years when the human soul is most receptive. The Králové Monastery in Old Brno, its gloomy corridors, the old church, the vast gardens, my poor, youthful life spent there, the loneliness and longing, all of this was so close to Amar. Leoš Janáček

Experience the magic of Christmas with us with traditional English carols and the cantata "A Ceremony of Carols" by Benjamin Britten for mixed choir and harp. The first part will feature ancient Christmas hymns that inspired Britten and will draw you into the "Galaxy" of English medieval poetry.

PROGRAM: B. Britten: A Ceremony of Carols Traditional: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen, J. F. Wade: O Come, All Ye Faithful, hymn: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel and others PERFORMERS: SILENTIUM! ensemble Artistic director: Tereza Válková Harp: Hana Hrachovinová

SOLOISTS: Lenka Cafourková, Martin Ptáček, Jakub Kubín, Jan Kukal and others Organ: Ondřej Múčka

Daddy, how is a bride sold? How did you come to know that someone would sell a bride, Hurvínek? Well, I read here: The National Theatre in Brno is performing Bedřich Smetana's opera The Bartered Bride. So how is it, Daddy? Well, you know, it's just like... how should I put it to you... it's a trick to buy a bride for yourself. So now I'm a fool - is it being sold or bought? You know what, Hurvajz, take Žeryk and Mánička and we'll go to the opera, it'll be easier than explaining it to you!

LEOŠ JANÁČEK Amarus, cantata for solos, choir and orchestra based on a poem by Jaroslav Vrchlický ANTONÍN REJCHA Te Deum for solos, choir and orchestra Simona Šaturová soprano Daniel Matoušek tenor Jiří Brückler bass Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno Choirmaster Joel Hána Brno Philharmonic Orchestra Conductor Dennis Russell Davies Janáček's Amarus 125 Amara, his first cantata, was written by Leoš Janáček (1854–1928) at the age of forty-three, after his many years of experience as the leader of the Brno Beseda choir. Vrchlický's poem appealed to him with its atmosphere (not description) of monastic life, which he knew so well and which was inscribed in his soul during the years when the human soul is most receptive. The Králové Monastery in Old Brno, its gloomy corridors, the old church, the vast gardens, my poor, youthful life spent there, the loneliness and longing, all of this was so close to Amar. Leoš Janáček

The search for lost youth, woven with the rhythms of the Viennese waltz, in Rococo costumes, with a smile, a bit of sentiment and wisdom, is the staging of the famous Rose-Colored Horse. Time is a strange thing, it doesn't change things. The aging marshal has a young lover, Octavian, but she knows that such loves don't last forever. Little does she know that when she sends Octavian as a companion with a silver rose, she herself will bring about the end of their relationship.

MARTIN JAKUBÍČEK A Thousand Angels, premiere MELIKA YILDIZ Bethlehem Magdalenka and Kantiléna choirmasters Veronika Novosádová and Michal Jančík Kantiléna is a select children's and youth choir at the Brno Philharmonic; its three departments are attended by around 150 singers aged 5 to 19. It was founded in 1956 as the Šlapanice Children's Choir on the initiative of Ivan Sedláček, its later long-time artistic director. In 1967 it became a select ensemble with its current name and has been working at the Brno Philharmonic since 1984 and has participated in its events.

Where did opera originate? What is a libretto? Who is a stage manager? And what does a stage designer need to know? You will learn this and much more at our workshop. Participants will learn about the opera genre, the process of creating a production, the operation of the theater and the professions that work in the theater. It also includes a taste of opera singing. Participants will experience several related activities that will give them the opportunity to look behind the scenes at the functioning of the opera theater, the opera genre and its demands. The workshop also includes a short tour of the Janáček Theater.

Where did opera originate? What is a libretto? Who is a stage manager? And what does a stage designer need to know? You will learn this and much more at our workshop. Participants will learn about the opera genre, the process of creating a production, the operation of the theater and the professions that work in the theater. It also includes a taste of opera singing. Participants will experience several related activities that will give them the opportunity to look behind the scenes at the functioning of the opera theater, the opera genre and its demands. The workshop also includes a short tour of the Janáček Theater.

Two worldviews, one border between them – one embodies reason and light, the other is elemental, dark and irrational. One night, a charismatic shepherd arrives at the Christian court of King Roger, disrupting the established order of Christian values ​​and worldview. Does his teaching bring joy and goodness or only destruction and chaos? The opera King Roger by Polish composer Karol Szymanowski does not offer a clear answer; he himself described it as a mystery whose theme is man’s self-knowledge, his sexuality and spirituality.

Why can't the whole world do without The Nutcracker at Christmas? Because Tchaikovsky's music, together with the Christmas story of little Klárka, will capture the heart of not only every little person at this time, but will also take adult viewers, parents and grandparents, back to their childhood. It is simply the ideal family Christmas title. For the sixth season, the NdB Ballet is presenting a magical and epic production from Montreal, Canada, with great success.

JIŘÍ ANTONÍN BENDA Symphony No. 5 in G major WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major KV 219 JAN VÁCLAV KALIVODA Symphony No. 5 in B minor, Op. 106 Milan Al-Ashhab violin Brno Philharmonic conductor Robert Kružík Concerts held during Advent shortly before Christmas Eve are dominated by the number five, which symbolically refers to the fifth candle, which people once placed in the middle of the Advent wreath and lit directly on Christmas Eve after dark. The fifth candle was white (a symbol of spiritual purity) and represented Jesus Christ himself. It was actually a messenger of light and hope…

Where did opera originate? What is a libretto? Who is a stage manager? And what does a set designer need to know? You will learn this and much more at our workshop. Participants will learn about the opera genre, the process of creating a production, the operation of the theatre and the professions that work in the theatre. It also includes a taste of opera singing. Participants will experience several activities that will give them a glimpse into the workings of an opera theatre, the opera genre and its demands. The workshop also includes a short tour of the Janáček Theatre.

How to sell a bride? Best through a production by director Ondřej Havelka. One of the most popular Czech operas, The Bartered Bride by Bedřich Smetana, has been in the repertoire of the Brno theatre for more than eighteen years and has still not lost any of its wit or audience popularity.

JIŘÍ ANTONÍN BENDA Symphony No. 5 in G major WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major KV 219 JAN VÁCLAV KALIVODA Symphony No. 5 in B minor, Op. 106 Milan Al-Ashhab violin Brno Philharmonic conductor Robert Kružík Concerts held during Advent shortly before Christmas Eve are dominated by the number five, which symbolically refers to the fifth candle, which people once placed in the middle of the Advent wreath and lit directly on Christmas Eve after dark. The fifth candle was white (a symbol of spiritual purity) and represented Jesus Christ himself. It was actually a messenger of light and hope…

AFTERNOON CHRISTMAS CONCERT Czech and Moravian Christmas Carols Jakub Jan Ryba: Czech Christmas Mass "Hey, Master!" Pavlína Švestková soprano, Marie Vrbová alto, Jan Kožnar tenor, Václav Jeřábek bass Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno, choirmaster Petr Fiala Camerata moravica, conductor Joel Hána

Performed in the Czech original with Czech and English subtitles. Concert duration: 2 hours, 1 intermission Concert performance. Affectionately nicknamed Rybovka, it was created in 1796 and is by the Czech composer Jakub Jan Ryba, who also wrote his own Czech text for the mass. Although Ryba respected parts of the Latin musical mass, he actually created a pastoral play about the announcement of Christ's birth and the arrival of the shepherds to the manger, which, thanks to its fresh and joyful melodies, became immediately popular and even today, more than two hundred years after its creation, is an integral part of the Christmas season. However, Ryba's Mass was not the only one at the time of its creation; one of its predecessors is the charming work of the Moravian cantor Josef Schreier, Missa pastoralis in C boemica, also known as the Moravian Christmas Mass "Listen, Miko, listen!", which was created around 1755. Schreier's Mass is actually a series of small pastorals that humorously mix Latin text with texts in the Wallachian dialect. Its musical style is based largely on Moravian folk music of the late Baroque period, making it an interesting counterpart to Ryba's classicist Mass.

How does an opera work? Ferda the Ant knows best! At the beginning, he introduces the children to how an opera works and what duets and arias are, and then they just start playing. With Ferda, they all go to the meadow in the morning for a warm-up, to which a drunken bumblebee plays, a grumpy snail gets angry, and the Bag Bug organizes a performance at the swimming pool.

Two nations are at war, but in the middle of the battlefield, a much more intimate drama unfolds, one that could have unexpected consequences. The Egyptian princess Amneris loves the warlord Radames. However, his love belongs to the captive Aida, who no one knows is the princess of the hostile Ethiopian country. Unbeknownst to either of them, they will soon face a choice that will decide life or death...

If you want to say goodbye to 2025 with humor and elegance, we can recommend the New Year's Eve program at the Janáček Theatre. The National Theatre Ballet has prepared a special New Year's Eve program for you - a slightly different Nutcracker, or New Year's Eve without the Nutcracker. Choreographer Markéta Pimek Habalová has already prepared the extremely successful Cinderella ballet for the NdB Ballet, which has entertained and moved entire families not only here, but also in China or Finland. She has recast the classic ballet pearl Swan Lake into a humorous version, and at the end of 2023 we presented her distinctive, light-hearted vision of the Nutcracker. You can look forward to Tchaikovsky's music, traditional and unconventional costumes, and above all, lots of unexpected funny scenes.

New Year's concert of the Beseda Brno choir.

ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK Slavonic Dances, Selection from Series I, Op. 46 JAN NOVÁK Philharmonic Dances BENJAMIN JUSUPOV Go Tango! ARTURO MÁRQUEZ Danzón (Dance) No. 2 JOHN ADAMS The Chairman Dances (The Chairman Dances), foxtrot for orchestra ALBERTO GINASTERA Danzas (Dances) from the ballet Estancia Brno Philharmonic conductor Dennis Russell Davies

Brno Philharmonic 70 The Brno State Philharmonic was established on January 1, 1956, by the merger of two ensembles: the Brno Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Brno Region Symphony Orchestra. On the same day, a concert was held at the Stadium on Kounicova Street, conducted by Zbyněk Mrkos, featuring works by P. I. Tchaikovsky, but still under the auspices of the regional orchestra. Nevertheless, this event can be considered the de facto concert debut of the Philharmonic, which has been organizing its New Year's concerts regularly since then (with the exception of 2021, when the concert was canceled due to the pandemic), symbolically not only welcoming the arrival of the new year, but also celebrating its birthday, which will be its seventieth in 2026.

The plot takes us to a village where Jeník and Mařenka live, two young people who love each other. However, Mařenka is to marry the son of a rich farmer, Mícha, to whom her father is in debt. However, the young girl is not going to just give up her love and refuses to marry the chosen groom. Jeník is clever and uses the matchmaker Kecal. However, he and Mařenka do not tell each other about their plans and the whole thing gets a bit confusing... Ondřej Havelka has created a masterfully played musical theatre that is based on beautiful folk traditions, but at the same time has found a unique perspective on the entire opera. It takes place not, as is usually the case, in the summer during the harvest festival, but during the time of Masopust, or as we call it in Moravia, Fašanka! So you can look forward not only to comedians in the 3rd act, but also to a series of genuine Moravian Fašanka masquerades.

Without borders or beyond? How long will the true love of Rosina and Almaviva, which was supposed to be forever, last, and when will the innocent flirtation with Cherubino turn into something much more serious? Where are the boundaries in human relationships… After the successful production of Handel's Alcina, director Jiří Heřman and I will set out to discover the beauties of Mozart's music and his opera, which enjoys unwavering popularity all over the world. And it is no wonder, because The Marriage of Figaro, in addition to brilliant and sparkling music that will sweep you away with its incessant flow similar to a mountain stream, also boasts an almost dramatic libretto. And how could it not, when the basis for Da Ponte was the play of the same name by the excellent French playwright Pierre de Beaumarchais.

VLADISLAV AGAMURADOV / vocals Piano collaboration: dept. as. MgA. MAROŠ KLÁTIK, ArtD. Collaborators: ZUZANA JEŘÁBKová j. h., PAVEL JANEČKA j. h., BEDŘIŠKA PONÍŽILOVÁ, ANDREJ PRACHÁR / vocals Program: Giuseppe Verdi: L’esule; Francesco Paolo Tosti: Sogno, L’ultima canzone, Ideale, Ridonami la calma!; Vincenzo Bellini: Norma – duet of Adalgisa and Pollioni “Eccola! va, mi lascia”; Tofiq Quliyev: Ürük Mänyları (Songs of the Heart) – Säne də qalmaz; Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Sreď šumnogo bala, op. 38, no. 3; Sergei Rachmaninov: Ně poj, krasavica pri mně, op. 4 no. 4; Franz Lehár: The Merry Widow – duet of Hanna and Danila “Lippen schweigen”; Bedřich Smetana: The Bartered Bride – recitative “Yes! That would be nice”, duet of Esmeralda and the Principal “The Love Animal”; Gioachino Rossini: Duetto buffo di due gatti

A timeless tragic story of a courtesan hoping for the happiness of true love. For a brief moment it seems so close, but it is only a dream. A chamber drama in the classic direction of Zbyněk Srba.

BERNAT IZARD

Piano collaboration: MgA. ADAM ZÁVODSKÝ Program: Johannes Brahms: Sonata for cello and piano in E minor, op. 38; Antonín Dvořák: Silence of the Forest for cello and orchestra, op. 68 No. 5

How high is the price for trying to be a good ruler and build a great empire? The basis of Verdi's opera is the Old Testament story of the captivity of the Jewish people by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar and their desire to return to their homeland. A story that still does not lose its power and relevance, and whose personification is the famous chorus "Va, pensiero, sull'alidorate" (Fly, thought, on wings of gold...). Like other Verdi works, however, Nabucco also hides another, more intimate layer about love, the two sisters Fenena and Abigail and their conflict for the love of their beloved man and father. Verdi portrayed everything with the feeling of a true playwright, and the music full of immediacy, passion and temperament rightly captivates the audience to this day.

JAN NEČASKÝ / cello Piano collaboration: doc. RENATA LICHNOVSKÁ Program: Johann Sebastian Bach: Prelude from Suite No. 6 in D major for solo cello, BWV 1012; Bohuslav Martinů: Sonata for cello and piano No. 3, H. 340, Variations on a theme by Rossini for cello and piano, H. 290; César Franck: Sonata in A major for cello and piano, FWV 8.

Brno Philharmonic Choir Beseda Brněnská and their organ concert at the end of Christmas.

EVA BESKYDOVÁ, MAREK CHMIEL, ANDREA MIŽENKOVÁ, ANNA PACVOŇOVÁ, ANNA VONDRŮ, VLADIMÍR ARZT, JIŘÍ PIPEK Co-performers: NORA STOŠIĆ, KLÁRA LESÁKOVÁ j. h. / guitar Program: Anton Diabelli: Sonata No. 3; Federico Moreno Torroba: Turegano, Torija, Alcaniz; Roland Dyens: Libra Sonatina; Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco: 24 Caprichos de Goya; Astor Piazzolla: Invierno Porteño, History of Tango; Alexandre Tansman: Cavatina; Štěpán Rak: Czech Fairy Tales; Maximo Diego Pujol: Suite Buenos Aires; Miloš Štědroň: Fauxbordon; Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto in G Major; Johann Sebastian Bach: Sonata in G minor, BWV 1020.

THEODOR DITRICH / double bass Piano collaboration: doc. MARCELA JELÍNKOVÁ Co-performer: KEISHIRO MIKAWA j. h. / cello Program: Johann Matthias Sperger: Sonata for double bass and piano in B minor, T 36; Zdeněk Lukáš: Duo di basso, op. 210 for cello and double bass; Teppo Hauta-aho: Cadenza for double bass solo; Franz Schubert: Sonata, D 821 “Arpeggione”.

BARBORA BÍLKOVÁ / cello, MARTINA MIKULECKÁ /viola Piano collaboration: doc. RENATA LICHNOVSKÁ, dept. as. MgA. LIBUŠE PANČOCHOVÁ Program: Johannes Brahms: Sonata in F minor for viola and piano, op. 120 no. 1; Leoš Janáček: Fairy Tale for cello and piano, JW 7/5; Antonín Dvořák: String Quartet in F major, op. 96 “American”; Max Bruch: Romance for viola and piano, op. 85; Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata for cello and piano no. 3 in A major, op. 69.

At the beginning was a short novella by the French writer Prosper Merimée about Don José, who deserted the army due to a foolish passion for a wild gypsy woman, became a smuggler and a murderer. Carmen, directed by Tomáš Pilar, returns to the original story and reveals additional layers of individual characters - the characters here are mainly people who came from completely different backgrounds. It is not just about Carmen's fleeting and unbridled love, which the jealous José cannot cope with. It is a clash of two worlds - the orderly, neat world of José and Micaëla, bound by predetermined rules, and the world of gypsies and smugglers living from day to day, without laws and controlled by momentary impulses. Their worlds suddenly intersect, but this difference causes tension and a clash that leads to the complete destruction of both of them. Neither of them is able to prevent it, because neither is willing or able to back down.

ŠTĚPÁN KUDELA, VOJTĚCH BARTONÍČEK / trumpet Piano collaboration: dept. as. Mgr. art. TOMOKO ASAHINA, ArtD. Program: Johann Nepomuk Hummel: Concerto for trumpet and orchestra in E major; Théo Charlier: Solo de concours.

FELIX MENDELSSOHN BARTHOLDY Calm Sea and Happy Sailing, Overture Op. 27 Hebrides, Overture Op. 26 VÍTĚZSLAV NOVÁK Storm, Sea Fantasy for Large Orchestra, Solo Voices and Mixed Choir on the Poem of the Same Name by Svatopluk Čech Op. 42 Adriana Banásová soprano Tamara Morozová soprano Jaroslav Březina tenor Tadeáš Hoza bass-baritone David Szendiuch bass Jan Šťáva bass Slovak Philharmonic Choir Choirmaster Jan Rozehnal Brno Philharmonic Orchestra Conductor Robert Kružík

ARSENY MENKOV / oboe Piano collaboration: dept. as. BOHUMÍR STEHLÍK Participants: ALIAKSANDRA ARBUZAVA, ANHELYNA MIROSHYNA j. h. / violin, DAVID POKORNÝ / viola, ŠTĚPÁNKA ​​PLOCKOVÁ j. h. / cello Program: Robert Schumann: Adagio and Allegro, op. 70; Clara Schumann: Three Romances for Violin and Piano, op. 22 (transcription for oboe); Francis Poulenc: Sonata for Oboe and Piano; Alessandro Marcello: Concerto in D minor for oboe and string orchestra; Johann Sebastian Bach: Concerto for Violin, Oboe, String Orchestra and Basso continuo in C minor, BWV 1060R.

FELIX MENDELSSOHN BARTHOLDY Calm Sea and Happy Sailing, Overture Op. 27 Hebrides, Overture Op. 26 VÍTĚZSLAV NOVÁK Storm, Sea Fantasy for Large Orchestra, Solo Voices and Mixed Choir on the Poem of the Same Name by Svatopluk Čech Op. 42 Adriana Banásová soprano Tamara Morozová soprano Jaroslav Březina tenor Tadeáš Hoza bass-baritone David Szendiuch bass Jan Šťáva bass Slovak Philharmonic Choir Choirmaster Jan Rozehnal Brno Philharmonic Orchestra Conductor Robert Kružík

Who doesn't know Figaro, the barber who not only gives you a beautiful haircut, but also willingly helps you with love troubles. Enjoy Rossini's brilliant melodies in a classic production in the style of commedia dell'arte directly from the Italian team. The young Count Almaviva has fallen in love with the beautiful girl Rosina and wants to marry her. But the older doctor Bartolo, who is Rosina's guardian, is also interested in her and especially her dowry. Fortunately, Almaviva's old acquaintance - the barber Figaro - appears on the scene. He is always ready with some little intrigue or disguise and, after a series of crazy situations, he finally wins the hand of his beloved for Almaviva. Who would have expected that one of the most famous and popular operas in the world would enter the stage amid a major scandal. The audience's boos, a black cat on stage, an out-of-tune guitar. Whatever could go wrong, did go wrong, but nothing could take away the beauty of Rossini's sparkling melodies and the wit of the brilliant libretto. And so, even today, theatergoers can expect virtuoso singing performances and melodies that will have you humming on the way home.

JAKUB HLADIL / French Horn Piano collaboration: doc. JANA GOLIÁŠOVÁ Co-performers: ARSENII KHARKIVSKYI j. h. / French Horn Program: Georg Philipp Telemann: Concerto for French Horn, Strings and Basso Continuo in D major, TWV 51:8; Franz Strauss: Nocturne, Op. 7, Concerto for French Horn and Orchestra in C minor, Op. 8; Paul Hindemith: Sonata for French Horn and Piano 1943.