Famous Opera Choruses and Carmina Burana
Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno and world-famous soloist
The Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno, led by choir leader, Petr Fiala, will be the main star of the final concert. Incredible performances by the choir and soloist – sopranist Adriana Kučerová, tenorist Anthony Gregory, and baritone Boris Prýgl, will be accompanied by the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Daniel Raiskin. In addition to commemorating the 210th anniversary of the birth of Giuseppe Verdi, the Festival will conclude with a monumental performance of Carmina Burana, a cantata by Carl Orff.
Artists
Adriana Kučerová – soprano
Anthony Gregory – tenor
Boris Prýgl – basbaritone
Czech Philharmonic choir Brno
Petr Fiala – choirmaster
Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic Orchestra
Daniel Raiskin – conductor
Program
G. Verdi: Luisa Miller – Overture
G. Verdi: Il Trovatore – “Vedi, le fosche notturne spoglie“
G. Verdi: Nabucco – Coro di Schiavi Ebrei „Va, pensiero“
G. Verdi: La Forza del Destino – Overture
G. Verdi: „Gloria al´Egitto“ Gran Finale secondo
intermission
C. Orff: Carmina Burana
Adriana Kučerová
Adriana Kucerová studied at the Academy of Music in Bratislava and at the Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique de Lyon. After her studies, she won the 1st prize and the audience prize at the international Hans Gabor Belvedere Competition and was supported by the Gulbenkian Foundation.
She has performed at many international opera houses and festivals such as the Teatro alla Scala, the State Operas of Munich and Berlin, the Deutsche Oper, the Opéra de la Bastille Paris, the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Salzburg Festival and the BBC Proms, London.
Recently, she has enjoyed great success with the title role in Tales of Vixen Sharp-Ears at the Hamburg State Opera, at the Vienna State Opera as Adina (L’Elisir d’Amore) alongside Juan Diego Florez and Susanna (Nozze di Figaro) at the Semperoper in Dresden.
Anthony Gregory
Hailed by Hugh Canning as the “Mozart tenor to watch”, Anthony Gregory is admired for his unique timbre, stage presence and musicality. Named by esteemed critic Rupert Christiansen as one of the future operatic stars, he was the 2015 winner of the Breakthrough Artists category by What’s On Stage. His successes include appearances with Glyndebourne Festival, Royal Opera House, English National Opera, Festival de Aix-en-Provence, Teatro Real in Madrid, Bergen Opera, Opernhaus Zürich, Scottish Opera and Norwegian National Opera in Oslo. This season, Gregory debuts at Bayerische Staatsoper as Pane in La Calisto; and Opéra de Rouen Normandie as Flute A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Festival Krumlov aside, he will perform Carmina Burana with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall.
Boris Prýgl – basbaritone
Bass baritone Boris Prýgl is one of the most talented young singers. He is a successful graduate of the opera studies of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, where he has so far introduced himself as Morales (Carmen), Ping (Turandot), Prince Ottokar (Wizard), Hunter (Rusalka) and others. Artistic commitments in the 2021/22 season include the roles of Guglielma (Così fan tutte) at the National Theater in Prague and Don Giovanni at the Slovak National Theater in Bratislava, a concert with Pretty Yende in the Smetana Hall in Prague (September 21), Dvořák’s Rusalka : Hajný) with the Czech Philharmonic under the baton of Semyon Byčkov (September 22), pre-Christmas recital in Prague etc. He has won several singing competitions, including the title of absolute winner of the Antonín Dvořák International Singing Competition in Karlovy Vary in 2015. In July 2017 he became a finalist in the Belvedere and Operalia Plácida Dominga competition and in September 2019 he won the then Vienna Dominique Meyer Director’s Award. in the Stella Maris competition. Boris Prýgl graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava and gained his first operatic experience on the stage of the Slovak National Theater in Bratislava.
The Czech Philharmonic Choir of Brno
The Czech Philharmonic Choir of Brno is a leader in the field of choral art not only in the Czech Republic but also world-wide. It cooperates with the world’s best orchestras and conductors. Professional critics appreciate especially the compact sound and the wide range of expressive means at its disposal. The Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno, founded in 1990, performs at all prestigious European festivals and major concerts and always manages to captivate the audience with its extraordinary musical sensitivity. The choir focuses on oratorio, cantata and opera repertoire. Thanks to its quality, it performs over ninety concerts a year at home and abroad. The success of the ensemble is linked to its founder, choirmaster and director Petr Fiala.
Petr Fiala
He graduated from the Brno Conservatoire (piano, composition, conducting) and the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts in Brno in the class of prof. Jan Kapr. In addition to teaching and composing, he focuses on conducting. He is a laureate of international competitions, a lecturer at conducting courses and a member of international juries. In 1990 he founded the Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno, which ranks among the best European choral ensembles. In 2009 he received the Order of Cyril and Methodius from the Czech Bishops’ Conference for his outstanding achievements in conducting and composing. In 2013, he received the Brno City Award for his long-standing artistic activity and representation of the city of Brno, and in 2016 also the South Moravian Region Award.
The Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonics
The Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonics is a professional symphony orchestra based in the Zlín Congress Centre. Its repertoire consists not only of key symphonic works but also includes pieces that span beyond classical music, such as chanson, jazz, rock, pop, and film music. The Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonics holds more than a hundred concerts each year and regularly collaborates with many leading Czech and foreign conductors and soloists. The orchestra gives concerts almost all over Europe and the world. Since 1972 the Philharmonics have been the organizer of the unique international festival of young concert artists Talentinum, and also organizes the autumn international music festival Harmonia Moraviae. The Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonics devotes considerable attention to supporting the work of young Czech composers and the musical education of the younger generation.
Daniel Raiskin
“Daniel Raiskin is clearly a musician of sensibility, well versed in his craft; a further example perhaps of one last great gift of the old Soviet Union, the rigour and distinction of its conducting schools.” (by David Gutman, Gramophone)
Raiskin attended the celebrated conservatory in his native city St. Petersburg and continued his studies in Amsterdam and Freiburg. First focusing on viola, he was inspired to take up the baton by an encounter with Lev Savich. He took master classes with Mariss Jansons, Neeme Järvi, Milan Horvat, Woldemar Nelson und Jorma Panula. He is Music Director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra since August 2018 and Principal Guest Conductor of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra from season 2017/18. From the 2020/2021 season Daniel Raiskin is the Principal Conductor of the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra in Bratislava.
