Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
The Prague Philharmonia (Pražská komorní filharmonie in Czech, i.e. Prague Chamber Philharmonia) is a 48-member orchestra founded in 1994 by the well-known Czech conductor and BBC Symphony Orchestra Chair, Jiří Bělohlávek. The philharmonia's present chief conductor is Swiss Kaspar Zehnder.
The organization's performances are nationally sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and the City of Prague and privately by a local subsidiary of Ringier AG.
History and Repertoire
In its twelve year history, the Prague Philharmonia has released over 60 recordings for major world record labels and has regularly collaborated with prominent artists such as Christopher Hogwood, José Cura, Ivan Moravec, Martin Turnovský, Natalie Dessay, Libor Pešek, Luciano Pavarotti, Magdalena Kožená, and Mexican tenor Rolando Villazon.
The orchestra performs at a wide circuit of festivals at home and abroad, from the Prague Spring Festival to the BBC Proms-London, and in halls from Paris to Tokyo.
The repertoire focuses primarily on "mature works of the classical and romantic periods,music of the 20th century, including neglected authors, as well as compositions which are rarely performed on the stage, and the newest output of contemporary composers".[1] At the 2004 BBC Proms, a defining event for a relatively new orchestra followed in more than 50 countries, the philharmonia performed works of several Czech composers and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, including two pieces previously unheard in the century-long history of the festival, to the great enthusiam of the British press.[2]
Accompanying Artists of Note
- Martha Argerich
- Fabio Bidini
- Yefim Bronfman
- Sarah Chang
- Isabelle Faust
- David Geringas
- Dmitri Hvorostovsky
- Katia and Marielle Labèque
- Elizabeth Leonskaja
- Mischa Maisky
- Shlomo Mintz
- Dagmar Peckova
- Maria Joao Pires
- Andras Schiff
- Fazil Say
- Pavel Šporcl
Conductors
- Jiří Bělohlávek, (1994-2005)
- Kaspar Zehnder, (2005-)
- Jakub Hrůša, Permanent Conductor
References
External links
- Official website (English version)