Prague Autumn International Music Festival

Prague Autumn International Music Festival (1991–2008) was the second largest classical music festival in Prague held annually in Prague Rudolfinum in September. It was organised under the auspices of Václav Klaus, president of the Czech Republic and was co-produced by the City of Prague.^[1]

The Dvořák Prague International Music Festival is a major music festival held in the autumn since 2008 at the Rudolfinum in Prague. The festival focuses on music of the Romantic period, but also extends back into the Classical period, and forwards to the 20th and 21st centuries.^[2]^[3]^[4]

YouTube Encyclopedic

1/3
Views:
1 207
28 998
5 359

Transcription

I'd never have imagined, when we started the festival 18 years ago at Prague Castle, that Wayne Shorter would be here with his Quartet to help us celebrate our 18th birthday, and it means a lot to me that we can present jazz legends of this calibre. The Lucerna Grand Hall has a long tradition of hosting the jazz greats - going back to Louis Armstrong, and Sonny Rollins who we brought back here last year, 20 years after his first Lucerna appearance, and it would be a shame if this tradition didn't continue. That's why we're glad to be here tonight - concerts like this belong here. I think of Wayne Shorter as one of the greatest contemporary composers. His quartet music which we'll hear in the first half of the concert isn't composed at the writing desk or the piano, but comes about in the interaction of these amazing musicians - Danilo Perez on piano, John Patitucci on bass, Brian Blade on drums: an all-star line-up that's able to create new music on the spot, right in front of you - music that's every bit as complex as if it had been written and scored in advance. It's something all music fans should experience at least once in their lives. Wayne Shorter's music for orchestra exists on the borderline between contemporary classical music and improvised jazz. It's been an incredible experience to work with him. The music is very complex and demanding of the players. Tonight's audience is going to hear something that, in this country, you just don't normally get a chance to hear. If I saw these guys on the street, I probably wouldn't even dare ask them for an autograph. And here I am, in certain sections of the pieces, conducting them! But they've been great to work with, really pleasant people. They may be big stars, but they've treated us as equals, and that means a lot. This year, we're celebrating the 18th birthday of the festival, and it's been a great 18 years, full of wonderful music and great artists. But let's not forget that Wayne Shorter is celebrating, too: he's 80 this year, and is a tremendous inspiration to us. He's proof that, at such a grand age, you can still make brave, progressive music. I believe Strings of Autumn has its best years ahead of it!

History

The history of the Autumn Festival begins soon after the Velvet revolution. Many performers from all over the world have appeared at the festival. In 14 years the festival saw performances by 66 orchestras, 96 conductors, 122 singers, 53 pianists, 31 violin players, 24 cellists, 16 choirs, 6 chamber ensembles, and 23 other instrumentalists. The number of attendees approaches 270,000, plus millions of radio listeners all around the world and domestic TV viewers.