Prague Philharmonia Takes the Stage. New Name and Visual Identity

Prague Philharmonia (formerly PKF — Prague Philharmonia) presents the program for its 31st concert season, which will once again feature concerts in five subscription series.

The programming for the orchestra's Cycle A for the upcoming season has been traditionally curated by the music director and chief conductor of the orchestra, Emmanuel Villaume, who will conduct five out of the nine planned evenings. The Prague Rudolfinum stage will host conducting stars such as Louis Langrée, Angus Webster, and New Zealander Gemma New, as well as renowned soloists István Várdai, Barry Douglas, Nicholas Brownlee, Stathis Karapanos, and Hyuk Lee. 

"After 30 years of building an international reputation, the PKF — Prague Philharmonia orchestra is entering a new era under the name Prague Philharmonia. The orchestra, founded by Jiří Bělohlávek as the Prague Chamber Philharmonic (PKF), soon after its inception began performing abroad under the name Prague Philharmonia. Until now, we have used two different names: PKF — Prague Philharmonia in the Czech Republic and Prague Philharmonia abroad. However, the orchestra's repertoire has gradually expanded from the chamber character of works by Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven to a larger symphonic instrumentation of Czech and global Romanticism, as well as 20th-century music. Therefore, we have decided to unify the two names and present the international reputation of the Prague Philharmonia brand also on the domestic scene," explains Kateřina Kalistová, director of the Prague Philharmonia.

The author of the new logo and fresh visual style is the renowned graphic designer, illustrator, and artist Pavel Fuksa, who is among the world's top professionals in his field.

Orchestral Cycle A – The Most Significant Events and Soloists

The Orchestral Cycle A, traditionally based at the Prague Rudolfinum, will present nine evenings full of beautiful music. The orchestra has invited the world's best soloists and conductors to interpret this music. The opening concert, which will take place on October 26, 2024, will be dedicated to our own great composers – Bedřich Smetana, Antonín Dvořák, Vítězslav Novák, and also the Pulitzer Prize winner Karel Husa. The beloved and award-winning Belfiato Quintet will perform Husa's Serenade for wind quintet, strings, xylophone, and harp.

The works of Czech composers, with which the orchestra will honor the Year of Czech Music and this year's Smetana anniversary, will also set the tone for the other concerts in Cycle A, which will instead be dedicated to the giants of the global music scene – Mozart, Beethoven, and Mendelssohn-Bartholdy. For example, the iconic Beethoven's Eroica or Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto will be performed, with Hyuk Lee, the winner of the prestigious Long-Thibaud International Piano Competition in Paris, as the soloist.

Another highlight of the season will be Mozart's Flute Concerto, which the charismatic virtuoso Stathis Karapanos will perform under the baton of Lukasz Borowicz. Last year, Karapanos recorded the complete flute repertoire of Krzysztof Penderecki with the Prague Philharmonia for the prestigious Warner Classics label. The Greek soloist will also perform Sinfonietta No. 2 for flute and strings as part of the January concert. 

"It is always a great challenge and honor for me to propose and assemble a new concert season. I am personally very pleased that the season will also feature world and Czech premieres of compositions. The contemporary Czech composer Petr Wajsar will present his new composition for trombone and orchestra titled Stavebnice, written on commission by the Prague Philharmonia. We will also hear the first Prague performance of the work Dawning by Huw Watkins, as well as the legacy of Luise Farrenc, the French Romantic composer from the early 19th century," says music director and chief conductor Emmanuel Villaume.

Other renowned artists will also perform in the well-curated evenings – the Beethoven enthusiast, Irish pianist Barry Douglas, will play his Emperor Concerto; bass-baritone Nicholas Brownlee will sing a selection from Gustav Mahler's song cycle The Youth's Magic Horn; and violinist Josef Špaček will appear as a soloist in Brahms' Violin Concerto in D major. The anniversaries of Dmitri Shostakovich's death will be honored with solo concerts by the energetic cellist István Várdai and the Prague Philharmonia's concertmaster Romana Špačková. 

Lobkowicz Subscription Series – Connecting Music and Encounters 

The 8th edition of the Prague Philharmonia's LOBKOWICZ donor subscription series will present the most prominent talents of the current global music scene over four evenings. At the first concert, held on April 4 in the exceptional space of the Lobkowicz Palace at Prague Castle, the audience enjoyed the performance of the Azerbaijani cellist Jamal Aliyev.

The second, traditionally June concert, will be led by the Prague Philharmonia's music director and chief conductor Emmanuel Villaume. "I value every moment I can spend with the Prague Philharmonia, and I feel that our shared enthusiasm and love for music are only deepening," adds Villaume. The program will feature works by Bohuslav Martinů, Maurice Ravel, and Joseph Haydn.

In September, this subscription series will continue with a joint solo performance by the Prague Philharmonia's bassoonist Tomáš Franta and the star bassoonist Sophie Dervaux, in which they will also premiere Václav Neukirchnener's Concerto for Two Bassoons and Orchestra. The October evening in this series will belong to mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston, the recent recipient of the prestigious Gramophone Award and the winner of the 2023 BBC Music Magazine Vocal Award. Her exclusive performance will feature works by Handel and Haydn. The new program for this series will be announced, and tickets will go on sale the day after the final concert, on October 23, 2024.

Chamber Cycle K – Discovering Unusual Instruments

The Chamber Cycle has focused on the theme of "other instruments" in the 31st concert season of the Prague Philharmonia. It aims to highlight the significance of lesser-known instruments that are rarely featured as soloists. The audience can look forward to the bass clarinet, contrabassoon, English horn, baroque bassoon, baroque oboe, viola d'amore, harp, as well as tuba, marimba, and guitar.

Invitations have been accepted not only by leading Czech but also international artists. The Chamber Series will be opened on September 23 by American pianist Bethany Danel Brooks, together with the experienced Spanish guitarist Àlex Garrobé and the Fama Quartet. Clarinetist Anna Paulová, along with the Trio Clavio, will take on the role of bass clarinetist in the second chamber concert on October 14. Ondřej Šindelář, who will play the baroque bassoon, has accepted the invitation for the final concert on June 9, 2025.

Contemporary Music Cycle S – Unique in its Kind

The Prague Philharmonia is the only orchestra in the Czech Republic that consistently dedicates itself to contemporary music and has its own subscription series devoted solely to this genre. In the 2024/2025 season, the Contemporary Music Cycle S will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its existence. Hana Dohnálková, the dramaturg and moderator of this "musical talk show," will welcome prominent figures from the current Czech and Slovak music scene during six evenings.

The world of music will intersect with the worlds of visual art, literature, and film. Among those accepting the invitation are composers Miloš Štědroň, Vladimír Franz, Petr Kotík (in a musical duel with Philip Glass), Marián Lejava, Kateřina Horká, laureates of the 2023 Konvergencie international composition competition, Karel Havlíček, and Vadim Petrov.

The concerts are usually held in the intimate spaces of the Studio of Švanda Theater in Prague. However, two special concerts will take place in the grand hall of Švanda Theater this time - the January S3 "Petr Kotík and Philip Glass, or 50 Years in New York," and the March "congratulatory concert" S4 "Vladimír Franz at 65." The season will be festively concluded in the S1 Studio of Czech Radio, which will also include a visual light display of the music. 

Cycles D and E – Classical Music for the Youngest Listeners

The popular cycle of concerts for children and parents at the Rudolfinum will not be missing from the 31st season of the Prague Philharmonia either. The successful creative team, composed of director Jiří Adámek Austerlitz, music dramaturg Matěj Kroupa, and set designer Ivana Kanhäuserová, has prepared a new concept for the audience that will draw them into the fantastical world of classical music in a dreamlike form. Four concerts will show us everything that can be expressed through it - the beloved Czech landscape, mysterious spirits, dreamlike worlds, as well as the fateful moments of our lives.

At the opening concert on October 5, the orchestra will play well-known works by Antonín Dvořák, and in the following concerts, famous melodies from Dukas' symphonic poem The Sorcerer's Apprentice and Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik. The familiar duo of actors Magdalena Borová and Daniel Šváb will once again shine as the musical guides.