Child’s Play Kids took the stage again at the latest concert especially for children, designed by the Prague Symphony Orchestra (FOK). The theme this time was “earth,” the fourth and final topic in the series focused on the four elements. Once again the program creators offered a treat for more than just the ears. Young dancers from Balet Praha Junior, the Taneční Centrum Praha conservatory, performed in the contemporary style…
Tag: Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK
Thursday, April 12, 2012: Diversifying Dvořák
Diversifying Dvořák: Beyond ‘Easy Antonín’ Finding concerts featuring works by Antonín Dvořák is no problem, especially in Prague. Posters and placards boast concerts daily by the famous Czech (along with other top names such as Mozart and Vivaldi) hoping, no doubt, to draw in the tourism crowds. But don’t be afraid to go a little beyond the short classical “easy listening” pieces such as his beloved “Humoresque” for the violin,…
Wednesday, April 11, 2012: Past and Present
Past and Present: Concerto for Viola The seamless blending of the past and present was offered to listeners at the Prague Symphony Orchestra (FOK) Chamber Orchestra’s performance last Tues, Apr 3. A highlight of the concert was the world premiere of Juraj Filas’ Concerto for Viola and Chamber Orchestra. Mr Filas, an FOK artist-in-residence this year, says he wrote the lovely, new piece in 2010 at the request of his…
Tuesday, March 20, 2012: Concert Makes a Splash
This FOK Concert Makes a Splash Classical music, children, and water — perhaps an unlikely combination, but it definitely created waves as part of the Prague Symphony Orchestra (FOK’s) “elements” cycle for children, this one entitled “Water,” this past Saturday at the Municipal House. I couldn’t help but wonder how the musicians must feel getting “up” for a concert at 11 am on a Saturday. In addition to this being…
Friday, March 16, 2012: Drums ‘n Brass
Zdeněk Liška: Drums ‘n Brass on Sunday Born in 1922 in Smečno, Zdeněk Liška was a quiet man who shunned the public eye – there are only a handful of photographs of him and perhaps one interview. Although music was this composer’s medium, film was truly his love. Nearly his entire career and body of work is music solely for the cinema. “I write only for the pictures,” he once…
Wednesday, March 14, 2011: Music Can/Should Provoke…
When Music Can (Should) Provoke Few concerts have been as provocative as the Prague Symphony Orchestra (FOK) rendition of Vladimír Sommer’s 1958 Vocal Symphony for Mezzosoprano, Narrator, Choir and Orchestra performed Mar 8 at the Municipal House. In fact, in her Opus Osm article Mar 1 about the piece, Hana Škrdlová explains Sommer’s mostly politically-commissioned works are classified as “some of the most weighty” written by Czechs after 1945. The…
Tuesday, March 13, 2011: Dress Rehearsal!
Opus Osm goes behind the curtain to find out what a general, or dress, rehearsal is all about. You can read this article by Sam Goldscheider in its entirety by clicking on “Other Side of the Curtain,” the black tab at the top of the page. What Happens at a Dress Rehearsal? And Why Should You Go? Ever wonder what happens during a symphony orchestra rehearsal? The Prague Symphony Orchestra…
Monday, March 12, 2012: Blissful Peace
Blissful Peace and Prickly Personalities Meet yet another Czech composer obscure outside the nation’s borders, but one who contributed immensely to the development of classical music. Like many other composers introduced on Opus Osm, this one has multiple names, led a fascinating if somewhat mysterious personal life, and would have been an intriguing person to know. If you could put up with his personality. Because Václav Jan Křtitel Tomášek (also…
Friday, December 9,2011: Motion, Emotion…
Editorial: Motion, Emotion, and Music How many times do you suppose Mozart’s classic opera Don Giovanni has played in Prague? How many different productions of it do you imagine have been created around the world? And what – besides the glorious music itself – could keep this 18th century opera fresh, fascinating, and satisfying for typically jaded 21st century audiences? One answer: visuals. Look, They’re Everywhere As we’ve noted before,…
Tuesday, December 6, 2011: First Impressions
First Impressions The man who walked on stage with an odd gait exuded sternness. A man in his later prime, with a black bow tie around the collar of his stiff white shirt, he approached the lone grand piano in Dvořák Hall of the Rudolfinum empty-handed. His grey hair, left a little longer on top, did little to soften this impression. I had not known what to expect, never having…
Monday, December 5, 2011: Resounding Success
Family Concert a Resounding Success Opus Osm sent writer Katie Perkins and her 3-month-old son Ruben to a Family Concert recently. “Unfortunately, Ruben fell asleep on the tram ride there and missed all the action,” Katie reports, but you can read the rest of her report below. “When the Orchestra Resounds to the Full” in the Prague Symphony Orchestra (FOK) series of Family Concerts at Obecní Dům Nov 27 featured…
Thursday, October 6,2011:Well? Did He?
Well? Did He? Did solo trombonist Jiří Novotný play The Frog in full frog costume, as some musicians have done? Mr Novotný took center stage for his solo as part of the program featuring Czech masters, Sun, Oct 2 in the Prague Symphony Orchestra’s Family Concert series. And he wasn’t wearing a frog costume. He tells Opus Osm that he didn’t need to. Judging by the little girl sitting in…
Tuesday, October 4, 2011:Classical Covers
Janáček’s Classical “Cover” You probably have several favorite cover versions of songs recorded previously by other rock or pop singers. You’ll be interested to know that this practice didn’t originate with old rock ‘n roll singers, but actually can be found in classical music from a much earlier era. For example, Leoš Janáček put his composer’s pen to work in a new arrangement of Antonín Dvořák’s Moravian Duets (Moravské Dvojzpěvy)….
