Dvořák Prague to host the world's leading orchestras

The Dvořák Prague International Music Festival has unveiled the program and begun selling tickets for the upcoming season. Dedicated to commemorating the legacy of the musical genius of Czech composer Antonín Dvořák, this year's ninth edition of the event held during 5 to 24 September 2016 will feature leading orchestras and soloists from the Czech Republic as well as top-class ensembles and renowned musicians from abroad. The opening concert will be presented by one of the best European orchestras, Staatskapelle Dresden under the direction of Christian Thielemann. Apart from the orchestra in residence, the Czech Philharmonic conducted by Jiří Bělohlávek and Jakub Hrůša, the Rudolfinum Concert Hall will host such ensembles as the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gianandra Noseda, which will accompany Czech cellist Jiří Bárta. The lineup also includes phenomenal violinist Gidon Kremer and his ensemble Kremerata Baltica and the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia under the direction of Antonio Pappano, which will perform the closing concert of this year's Dvořák Prague. One of the event's high points will be a recital given by the excellent Russian pianist Boris Berezovsky. Other soloists who will grace the festival's stages include star violinists Hilary Hahn and Gil Shaham.

This season marks the first time when the program director of the Chamber Society series will be a foreigner – the prominent British violinist and promoter of musical activities Daniel Hope who will collaborate closely with the festival's Artistic Director Marek Vrabec on what they call a "Small Festival within Dvořák Prague". Hope will be aided by his last year's predecessor, the Czech pianist Ivo Kahánek, and leading personalities of New York's Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the cellist David Finckel and piano player Wu Han. In addition, Hope and Kahánek will be featured as soloists in a concert with the renowned Zurich Chamber Orchestra from Switzerland. The Chamber Society series will also include a recital of songs performed by tenor Pavel Černoch who is rapidly becoming a mainstay on the international music scene.

In line with its goal to present both well- and lesser-known compositions of its namesake musical genius, Dvořák Prague's this year's offering includes all Dvořák's concert overtures and symphonic poems inspired by the Bouquet, a collection of ballads written by poet Karel Jaromir Erben. The works will be performed by an orchestra best suited for this task – the Czech Philharmonic. The Spiritual Concern series will present an innovative programming concept that will bring together works by the masters of Renaissance polyphony and the contemporary music of John Tavener in performances delivered under the majestic archways of the St. Vitus Cathedral. As every year, the program will include concerts for families, this time featuring the popular duo Igudesman & Joo, another excursion from the On the Trail of Antonín Dvořák series, which will take visitors to the master's hometown of Nelahozeves, and Day D, an event dedicated to the artistry of the generation of young artists.

As has been the tradition, the festival's center stage will be the Rudolfinum Concert Hall. The Chamber Society series will be presented in the St. Agnes Cloister. Advanced sale of tickets for all Dvořák Prague concerts begins on 30 March 2016. For more information visit www.dvorakovapraha.cz.

The Dvořák Prague International Music Festival is proud to bear the name of one of the greatest composers in music history, Antonín Dvořák. The festival's principal aim is to present the entire body of musical works composed by the Czech genius. "As every season, this year's edition of the festival will deliver a diverse cross-section of Dvořák's works. The concerts will present both well- and lesser-known compositions that will present Dvořák's music alongside works composed by his European contemporaries, Renaissance composers, and present-day authors. We believe that this approach is the best way of highlighting Dvořák's instantly recognizable contribution to the history of music in the worldwide context," explained Artistic Director Marek Vrabec.

The ceremonial opening concert on 5 September 2016 will feature one of Europe's most renowned orchestras, Staatskapelle Dresden directed by Christian Thielemann who is one of the most in-demand conductors today. The ensemble, whose history dates back to the year 1548, will perform works by Max Reger, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Richard Strauss. Beethoven's violin concerto will feature soloist Nikolay Znaider.