menu:
The Czech Virtuosi chamber orchestra (with its artistic leader Karel Procházka who is first violist of the Czech State Philharmonic of Brno and manager of the orchestra Miloslav Vávra, the first violist of the Janacek National Opera) began its career in November 1997. A young talented Japanese conductor Hideaki Hirai (Tokyo) is the co-founder of the orchestra. He conducted their first concert in Brno, Czech Republic, in January 1998.
Its English-Italian name stands for the country of its origin as well as the quality of its artistic performances the ensemble pursues to accomplish in its fruitful concert activities.
The 33- piece ensemble consists of the concert masters of the Philharmonic Orchestra and the Janacek National Opera, both originating from Brno, the Czech Republic, together with the first soloists of wind instruments. Thanks to the breadth of experience of its members, who have succesfully performed in hundreds of concerts both at home and abroad, the ensemble has immediately attracted the attention not only of professional critics and audiences but also of significant native and foreign instrumentalists, conductors and choirs. There have been more than 350 artists performing with the orchestra in ten years of concert activity.
The extensive repertoire of the orchestra ranges from Baroque to the present day, including not only symphonic works but also spiritual music, such as classical cantata and oratorio pieces, and operas. Music composed by genius W. A. Mozart has always been their domain. In Vienna they have performed four of his complete operas (Il Re Pastore, Clemenza di Tito, the Magic Flute, the Marriage of figaro).
The Czech Virtuosi are often invited to partcipate in a great international festivals held not only in the Czech Republic but also abroad - in Austria, Belgium, Spain, Holland, France, Italy, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and other countries.
During the 1999/2000 season the chamber orchestra Czech Virtuosi already had reached and compared favorably with strong competition at the prestigious Catalan Festivals in Spain. These festivals belong to such a category of festivals as Prague Spring or Wiener Festwochen. Soon after this the Czech Virtuosi was invited to take part in a European Concert which was directly televised into all European countries.
Their most appreciated concerts were successfully held at the famous Wiener Konzerthaus and a very enthusiastic reception was given by the audiences during a concert tour in Japan in October 2003; they have also introduced Bernstein´s “Chicherster Psalms” and Dvořák’s Mass in D, in Prague, Salzburg and Munich - together with an American choir.
The ensemble premiered in the Czech Republic Requiem composed by John Rutter. In February 2004 at the First International Festival called “Janacek’s Brno which was a unique rendition of the complete Janacek’s opera The Cunning Little Vixen performed in chamber version for 18 solo instruments in cooperation with the Opera Theatre Company from Dublin (Ireland) was introduced.
In 2005 the Czech Virtuosi participated in a grand concert tour (12 concerts) in Spain and Morocco; later on at concerts in Germany and Belgium. They visited France three times –at the beginning of June in Clermont region in Argon, at the end of the same month in Antibés. In July they took part at the opera festival in Lucon – performing a complete rendition of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. In the Dutch town of Zeist at the end of August the same concert was successfully performed three more times with an international casting. Also the season 2005-2006 was very productive: the concert commemorating Mozart’s anniversary in February 2006 which was performed in the framework of the main musical cycle for subscribers in Clermont Ferrand conducted by the Italian conductor Paolo Gatto was very successful. In June the Czech Virtuosi visited again Antibés, in the fall they visited Lille and in summer the ensemble played Mozart’s masses in Vienna, Eisenstadt and Salzburg.
The year 2008 was symbolized by the orchestra’s 10th anniversary. The Czech Virtuosi introduced themselves to domestic as well as to foreign audiences with its whole cast and performing its complete repertoire.
In Rome they performed two concerts: J.J.Ryba’s Czech Christmas Mass and Brixi’s Missa Pastoralis. In Austria the chamber orchestra played in Hainburg a concert comprised of famous opera arias and overtures and the ensemble took part at the summer courses in Reichenau. Later on they performed two concerts at the International Festival in Slovakia (Trenčianske Teplice and Piešťany); eight concerts during a Spanish tour and a celebratory concert Mozart’s Requiem in the center of Paris in the famous Théatre la Cigale.
The Czech Virtuosi prepared a few outstanding concerts also for the Czech audience on the occasion of their anniversary which included a live TV and radio broadcast of a “Concert of good will” in the Velehrad Basilica, Janacek’s Glagolitic Mass in the historical cathedral Porta Coeli, Verdi’s Requiem in the St. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Brno, Carmina Burana by C. Orff and Bolero by M. Ravel in the grand hall of Janacek National Opera House in Brno for 1200 people and finally Vivaldi’s Four Seasons in the small theatre of REDUTA.
The orchestra have accompanied the best Czech instrumentalists, such as P. Sporcl, G. Demeterova, cellist J. Barta, pianists M. Kasik and I. Ardasev, and also foreign artists, such as flutists P. Gallois and G. Federsel, oboists K. Lienbacher and P. van Bockstal, opera singers D. Peckova, E.Urbanová, A. Bogza, M. Poblador, A. Grégoire, Y. Tannenbergova, R. Novak, V. Chmelo and others. Nearly eighty outstanding artists from all around the world have stood in front of the orchestra as its conductors; they came from the USA, Austria, Germany, Italy, France, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Korea, Belgium, Poland and other countries.
The Czech Virtuosi offers the Brno audience an independent concert cycle given in the Janacek National Opera House with the participation of foreign instrumentalists, singers, choirs and conductors. The traditional Advent and Christmas concerts held in the Brno cathedrals are mostly focused on the music of the great Baroque masters.
Their concerts are frequently recorded by Czech TV and Radio. Besides the profile CD, dedicated to the life-work of A. Dvorak, O. Respighi and S. Prokofieff, the ensemble discography also includes the world´s premiere of the instrumental concerts composed by Belgian masters of the Mozart period, along with the unique recording of the Oboe-concerts with the Belgian soloist Mr. Piet van Bockstal and a series of LIVE concert CDs. Two other CDs have been recorded for the Belgian company PHAEDRA. The annual homage to the renowned opera master G. Verdi is performed in the Spilberg Castle Opera Open Air Festival in Brno ( Nabucco, Il Trovatore, Aida, Requiem ).
The close partnership between the Czech Virtuosi and the Janacek Academy of Musical Arts enables the best students to perform together with this prestigious musical ensemble. This opportunity is also given to the winners of reknown competitions held all around the world, especially in the Far East.
Benefit concerts given to provide financial support for various humanitarian projects are not exceptional.
The purity of style, variety of colour, perfect interplay and spontaneous musicality of this ensemble aspiring to compete on European stages, will guarantee a profound experiences for the music aficionado.
Futher information about some of the more interesting concerts is available on the other Orchetra’s web site