Dvořák Prague launches pre-christmas sale

The traditional pre-Christmas sale of tickets for a selected festival concert starts today. Music aficionados can give their loved ones a Dvořák matinee featuring the Anima Eterna Orchestra from Bruges, Belgium conducted by Jos Van Immerseel. The iconic "From the New World" Symphony will be for the first time at the festival performed on period instruments, that is musical instruments used at the time the work was composed. No less spectacular will be an authentic rendition of the Water Goblin symphonic poem, which displays in a triumphal fashion Dvořák's sonic imagination. The concert will be held in the Dvořák Hall at the Rudolfinum on 17 September 2016.

Tickets in stylish Christmas packaging are available for special prices starting at CZK 190. Also on sale are gift vouchers worth CZK 500, which can be used to buy tickets for any concert after advance sale begins. Tickets and vouchers can be purchased at the Dvořák Prague Ticket Center (Palackého 1) and online at www.dvorakovapraha.cz. The ninth season of the Dvořák Prague Festival will take place during 5 to 23 September 2016. The complete program will be published in March 2016.

The Belgium-based orchestra Anima Eterna Brugge is one of the most important European ensembles that specialize in historically informed performance. Founded and until this day headed by conductor Jos Van Immerseel, the orchestra performs works by composers that range from Monteverdi to Gershwin. The number of its members depends on the current repertoire and can be anywhere between seven and 80 musicians. In the nearly 30 years of its existence, Anima Eterna has established excellent international repute and has regularly performed at the world's most prominent concert venues. The orchestra has made a large number of recordings, including a remarkable anthology of Schubert's symphonies and a recently recorded compilation of works by Antonín Dvořák and Leoš Janáček.

The Belgian conductor, multi-instrumentalist, and recent septuagenarian Jos Van Immerseel is one of the most versatile personalities on the current music scene. At the beginning of his artistic career, he played organ and harpsichord, mainly focusing on the renaissance and baroque repertoire. Later, he expanded his focus to music from the classicistic and early romantic periods. He earned excellent reputation in this area, particularly as regards performing Mozart's and Beethoven's piano works, which he has played in prominent concert halls throughout Europe. He has made a number of highly acclaimed recordings as a soloist (such as a complete anthology of Beethoven's piano concertos), a member of chamber ensembles (such as Franz Schubert's piano trios), and a conductor.