2015
24th year of the International Music Festival Český Krumlov
The main star of the 24th year was world-famous South Korean coloratura soprano Sumi Jo, who opened the festival with an opera recital accompanied by the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra. Her guest was Italian tenor Danilo Formaggia and Petr Vronský was the conductor. The atmosphere of the concert was certainly enhanced by the fact that it was held under the open skies in the Brewery Garden.
The second day of the festival brought a symphonic concert at the Castle Riding Hall, where the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Spanish conductor Manuel Hernández-Silva performed. The festival also offered other classical music concerts. The legend of the Czech violin school Václav Hudeček together with piano virtuoso Jan Simon accompanied by the South Czech Philharmonic and under the leadership of Vojtěch Spurný made an appearance at the Castle Riding Hall. The South Czech Philharmonic played two more times at the same venue: under the baton of chief conductor Jan Talich, the orchestra accompanied leading Czech violinist Pavel Šporcl (the concert was dedicated to the IMF Český Krumlov Friends Club) and during the closing concert, at which two laureates of prestigious international competitions, South Korean violinist Ji Man Wee and violoncellist Carmine Miranda from the USA, performed at the Castle Riding Hall under the leadership of conductor Mario Košík.
Like every year, the festival also offered a cycle of chamber concerts. South Korean Trio Thalia, the ensemble Barocco sempre giovane, guitarist Lubomír Brabec and the Mucha Quartet with musical mime Vladimír Kulíšek gave concerts in the inspirational spaces of the Masquerade Hall. The historical setting of Český Krumlov seemed to be an ideal place for old music and therefore the festival included historically informed performance of Baroque music, this time presented by the Musica Florea ensemble and counter tenor Roger O. Isaacs.
The focal point of the festival remained classical music. However, evenings during which music surpasses strictly set borders also belongs to the atmosphere of summer concerts. This trend became a tradition both in our country and abroad and the IMF Český Krumlov also kept this tradition. Therefore also the festival included several refreshing variations in different directions. One of these experiences was surely another musical-gastronomical national evening in the Brewery Garden in the Cuban spirit – the Cuban Evening. Cuban musicians from the Son Caliente band and the Gustav Brom Czech Radio Big Band with soloists, Cuban singer Elsa Valle and trumpeter Jorge Vistel, performed. Three singers from Broadway, Debbie Gravitte, Capathia Jenkins and Hugh Panaro, appeared in the program James Bond Music and World Musicals on the stage in the Brewery Garden accompanied by the North Czech Philharmonic Teplice under the baton of American conductor Michael Krajewski. We also made an excursion into the world of Argentine tango together with the Escualo Quintet, multigenre performer Gabriela Vermelho and two fantastic dancers from the Tangueros group in the beautiful setting of the Kooperativa Garden. The festival wanted to please young visitors as well. For the fifth time it prepared the Children’s Afternoon in the Rhythm of Energy in cooperation with the official partner of the festival, the energy group E.ON.