The opening concert of the festival’s fourth decade is dedicated to choral music, presented by the Kühn Mixed Choir alongside outstanding soloists.The centerpiece of the evening will undoubtedly be the cantata Mikeš from the Mountains, composed by Bohuslav Martinů specifically for the very first concert of the Kühn Choir on June 18, 1959. The 23-minute cantata was one of the composer’s final works before his death later that year. Martinů delayed its dedication for some time, concerned that—due to his political status in then-Czechoslovakia—he might inadvertently harm his lifelong friend and founder of the choir, Pavel Kühn.

At this opening concert, the work will be performed for the first time from the complete critical edition (ed. Vít Zouhar, 2016, Bärenreiter Prague).

The program will also feature works by two of Martinů’s contemporaries —Jaroslav Ježek and Pavel Bořkovec—who were fellow students in Josef Suk’s class at the Prague Conservatory. Additionally, the concert includes music by Miroslav Raichl, a composer who carried on Martinů’s legacy in choral composition. Ježek’s Four Choruses for Women’s Voices was also performed at the inaugural concert of the Kühn Choir in 1959.

The Kühn Mixed Choir is an ensemble with over 60 years of tradition, known for its interpretation of classical choral repertoire and frequent collaborations with all major Czech orchestras (including the Czech Philharmonic, Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK, Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Hradec Králové Philharmonic, among others). A vital part of the choir’s identity has always been its engagement with contemporary music—many works have been dedicated to the choir—and its ongoing exploration of new ways to present the art of choral singing.

https://www.kuhnchoir.cz/en