One concerto, two versions

The festival’s opening night presents something rarely seen on concert stages: a single work in two different versions, performed by two different soloists, all in one evening. Bohuslav Martinů’s Violoncello Concerto No. 1 exists in three versions, and the concert will feature its two versions. The first, from the period of his exile in the United States, and a later revision in which Martinů reworked and expanded upon his original ideas. Thus, the audience will not merely hear two different performances—they will hear Martinů at work, searching, hesitating, and making new decisions. The differences are not merely in the details of the instrumentation: the expression, rhythm, and balance between the soloist and the orchestra also change.

Both solo parts will be performed by cellists Petr Nouzovský and Vilém Vlček and the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Robert Kružík. The evening will also feature the ceremonial launch of a new volume of the Complete Critical Edition of the Works of Bohuslav Martinů, prepared by the Bohuslav Martinů Institute and published by Bärenreiter. The program will open with the Overture for Orchestra, H 345.