The Sunday midday concert of trumpeter Marek Zvolánek and organist Pavel Svoboda was dedicated
to one of the most important trumpeters of the 20th century, Maurice André. For Marek Zvolánek
there was one aspect of the concert at the Church of Corpus Christi and the Grieving Virgin Mary
which was surprising for him, “This is the first time I have played behind the altar.” This is the place
where the organ is and in order for the harmony of the two artists to be ideal, they were near the
organ together during the production. “In terms of emotions this concert was very intense for me.
I chose compositions in which Maurice André, my big role model, excelled and with which he achieved
the greatest fame. I have been listening to them intensely since I was seven and I have great respect
for the perfect art of this master. I know that I will never be able to play like he did. Maurice André
is an idol for me,” Marek Zvolánek paid a compliment to Maurice André. “This year I am coming
back to the festival once again next week on Saturday for the closing evening so this time I will
have the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful festival atmosphere in Český Krumlov to the full,” Marek Zvolánek mentioned his second performance at the IMF. Organist Pavel Svoboda commented on the unique organ, “I enjoyed playing the organ. The local organ is important even on a world-wide scale. It comes from 1682 and therefore it is one of the oldest in our country and perhaps also in Central Europe. It has been preserved in the original state. As it is such a historical instrument, it brings certain limitations, for example, in the number of keys and stops. The repertoire which can be played on it is therefore somewhat limited, for example, Romantic literature or contemporary music cannot be played on it, but in spite of that playing this organ was a great experience for me.” Although the musicians were limited by this fact when selecting the program, from the reactions of the viewers
it was clear that they really liked the concert consisting of compositions for the trumpet and the organ
by Baroque masters Stanley, Bach, Corelli, Buxtehude, Pachelbel, Telemann, Muffat and Albinoni,
which were interspersed with solo organ parts.