Classical music rules the air in May
May 18, 2010 - This May, the Czech Republic opens its arms to lovers of classical music, with three great festivals (not just in Prague), all of which with a special emphasis on Gustav Mahler, born 150 years ago in Bohemia, while works by of other great composers will of course be heard as well.
Gustav Mahler was born 150 years ago this year (photo: Mahler2000.cz)
At the top of the list is the Prague Spring International Music Festival (12 May - 4 June 2010), where the work of Gustav Mahler will form one of the foundations of the festival’s 65th year. A song cycle by the composer’s wife, Alma Mahler, will be presented as well. The two-year celebrations of the 120th anniversary of Bohuslav Martinů’s birth also will culminate during the festival.
Highlights include Johannes Brahms's Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major, featuring Anne-Sophie Mutter on violin, or Andre Previn conducting Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 7.
The real Mahler celebrations start this week in Jihlava, the Moravian town where Mahler grew up. The Gustav Mahler Festival (18 May–7 July 2010) opens with a performance of "Das Lied von der Erde" and closes with a performance of his Symphony no. 2 in Kaliště, the town where the composer was born.
Rounding out the trio of May festivals is the 35th International Music Festival Janacek May Ostrava (24 May – 13 June 2010), featuring concerts in the Moravian towns of Ostrava, Opava, and Frýdek-Místek, among others. Besides works by Mahler, audiences will be treated to performances of Martinů, Dvořák, Smetana, and other great composers from around the world. The programme includes a total of 25 concerts, and features various musical genres and spoken word.
