Czech Association of Music Festivals

The International Music Festival Strings of Autumn
(19/09–21/11/2010)

Strings of Autumn
The 15th Annual of the International Music Festival

15 YEARS OF STRINGS OF AUTUMN – 15 YEARS OF INSPIRATION

JAZZ & CLASSIC, TRADITION & EXPERIMENT

Strings of Autumn offers a colorful palette of music as reflected by modern musical life. Therefore the programming consists not only of classical music - in both modern and 'authentic' interpretations - but also of jazz, world music, and crossover projects that bridge the gaps between genres as they are traditionally conceived. Programs are often created on commission especially for the festival as unique productions. In other cases their inventiveness lies in unusual collaborations of artists from seemingly incongruous worlds, or in a special resonance with the environment of the chosen concert hall. Three programming series - CROSSOVER, INSPIRATIONS, and LUMINARIES - have become characteristic of Strings of Autumn, as have discoveries both of artists and of concert sites previously unknown to the Czech audience.

INSPIRATION
Festival favourites return to Strings
This year’s Inspiration series commemorates 15 years of Strings of Autumn, re-introducing artists whose first appearances were landmarks in the festival’s history and helped define its character. Jan Garbarek and the Hilliard Ensemble, whose 1997 concert was one of Strings’ greatest early successes, return to open this year’s festival with the world premiere performance of Officium Novum. Also returning is jazz pianist Brad Mehldau, whom Strings of Autumn introduced to the Czech audience in 2006. This time, Mehldau appears alongside legendary soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, in the Czech premiere of a special project commissioned by Carnegie Hall in New York.Finally, cellist Jiri Barta is back with his meditative Reflexe project, which premiered at the 2002 festival. This time, he brings with him some of the finest young classical musicians in the country.

 CROSSOVER

The Excitement of Discovery

The anniversary year’s Crossover programme continues the festival’s proud tradition of introducing its audience to top-drawer artists from around the world. As always, the three concerts in the series constitute a musical voyage of discovery. Strings of Autumn’s ongoing series of concerts showcasing unorthodox vocal techniques continues with traditional Tuvan throat-singing, as performed by some of its most authentic exponents, the Alash ensemble. Then there is David Orlowsky, a prodigious young clarinettist whose music, while deriving from the Klezmer tradition, takes that form to a level of artistic perfection comparable with the best chamber music. Crossover’s third featured artist is charismatic Iranian kamanche virtuoso Kayhan Kalhor, who will be accompanied by New York’s Brooklyn Rider, a string ensemble seen by many as natural successors to the Kronos Quartet.

LUMINARIES

Stars and Legends

The Luminaries series brings to Prague the finest artists from the worlds of early music, classical music, and jazz. Legendary British tenor John Potter brings his small-group Dowland Project to the city for the first time to perform an eclectic selection of love songs, chants and motets from the 12th century to the present. Julia Fischer, at just 26 already considered one of the world’s leading classical violinists, gives an intimate solo recital in St. Anna’s church. And, to close the series (and the 15th Strings of Autumn festival itself), the great American jazz singer Dianne Reeves, accompanied by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, performs a special tribute to the incomparable Sarah Vaughan.

The most successful Strings of Autumn concerts to date include those of the Kronos Quartet, the Hilliard Ensemble with Jan Garbarek, the Michael Nyman Band, Uri Caine Ensemble, Roby Lakatos, Gary Burton, Brad Mehldau, and Ute Lemper, Jiří Bárta, Magdalena Kožená, Natalie Dessay, Dagmar Pecková and others.

Information and tickets:

Phone: +420 224 946 508, Fax: +420 224 946 041
E-mail: office@strunypodzimu.cz
http://www.strunypodzimu.cz
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