Filharmonie Brno is about to launch its 71st concert season, with the theme ‘All Roads Lead to Brno’, referring to the composers who left their mark on the history of the city during their visit – Mozart, Brahms, Mahler, R. Strauss – and those who will be heard in the new season. It also refers to the stars of the world stage who are returning to Brno or performing here for the first time, including Laurie Anderson, David Robertson, and Daniel Müller-Schott.
“We will meet pianist Fazil Say again, not only in a concert with the orchestra, but also in a recital in the Besední dům, where he will combine Beethoven with his own compositions,” said Marie Kučerová, director of Filharmonie Brno. “Also Laurie Anderson, this time in conjunction with Iva Bittová. I am also very pleased with the return of the phenomenal harpsichordist, organist and conductor John Butt, who will present himself first with a solo concert and then twice with the orchestra. Of those who will be coming for the first time, I would especially highlight cellist Daniel Müller-Schott and violinist Robert McDuffie.”
After several decades, Filharmonie Brno will again play under the baton of David Robertson. “I still remember this star conductor, then 30 years old, conducting us in 1988. The hall was packed to the rafters and we played the best Sinfonietta I have ever played,” recalled Marie Petříková, concertmaster of Filharmonie Brno. In addition to Robertson, the orchestra will also be led by Anna-Maria Helsing, Petr Altrichter, Robert Kružík and Tomáš Hanus.
“I greatly appreciate the enthusiasm of my colleagues for the dramaturgy, which has established Filharmonie Brno as a model of combining innovation and quality, reflected in the growth of audiences at home and abroad,” said chief conductor and artistic director Dennis Russell Davies, who is entering his 9th season at the helm of the orchestra.
The new season’s program is intended as a kind of map, tracing paths from various corners of the musical world to Brno, where they intersect with the stories of those who were born in Brno or lived and created here.
“Our roots, of course, include Janáček, Martinů, Kaprálová, Korngold, and Miloš Štědroň,” noted Filharmonie Brno dramaturg Vítězslav Mikeš. “We also include greats who have played or conducted here, such as Mozart, Brahms, Richard Strauss, Mahler, and Ernö Dohnányi. We will also remember Prokofiev, whose ballet Romeo and Juliet had its world premiere in Brno.”
In the new season, the orchestra is also expanding its range of formats, with the addition of the popular ‘In the Orchestra’ educational concerts, where listeners sit directly among the musicians, and the ‘Breath’ project, which combines music with meditation and breathing practices.
Educational programs for schoolchildren, which are attended by thousands every season, will offer over 70 concerts for young listeners, and two traditional series for season-ticket holders: Family subscriptions and Chamber family afternoons.
The new season will also include the traditional festivals: the summer at Špilberk, the autumn and spring New Music Exhibitions, the traditional Easter Festival of Sacred Music, and the Mozart’s Children festival.
There will be nine subscription series, with two main cycles in the Janáček Theatre, as well as a chamber series, jazz and world music concerts, the Kantiléna Philharmonic Children’s Choir, the Young Blood subscription with orchestral academics, and the two subscription series for children.
Sales for the new season start on Tuesday, 28 April. Season-ticket holders can extend their subscriptions until 29 May, when the week for new season tickets begins. On Monday, 8 June, individual tickets will go on sale.
