A humble program and proud moment at Prague Spring

By Frank Kuznik, 23 May 2016

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Reviewed at Rudolfinum: Dvořák Hall, Prague on 20 May 2016

Janáček, Moravian Folk Poetry in Songs (selection)

Janáček, Folk Poetry of Hukvaldy in Songs (selection)

Brahms, 49 Deutsche Volkslieder: Selection

Falla, Siete canciones populares españolas (selection)

Canteloube, Chants d'Auvergne (selection)

Respighi, 4 Rispetti toscani

Respighi, Swiss folk songs from the Cantons of Bern and Ticino

Martina Janková, Soprano

Gérard Wyss, Piano

A difficult night for Die Schöne Müllerin with Georg Nigl and Gérard Wyss in Vienna

Chanda VanderHart, 17th June

It’s never an easy thing to jump in for a concert, especially not when there is a historical instrument involved. The sign on the door of the Wiener Konzerthaus upon our arrival Monday evening, explaining that Vanessa Wagner had to cancel her part as pianist at the last minute and would be replaced by Gérard Wyss, did not bode well.

***11

Cleveland Orchestra Chorus shines in Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang

Sam Jacobson, 5th March

Franz Welser-Möst returned to his home orchestra in a program of works by Křenek and Mendelssohn, as starkly contrasting as they are infrequently heard.

****1

Bartoli fireworks bring down the house in Zurich

Sarah Batschelet, 31st December

Nothing on New Year’s Eve could have been more festive than the spirited production of Rossini’s La Cenerentola that Zurich Opera staged with Cecelia Bartoli in the lead role.

****1

Exploring late Bartók and Schubert in Cleveland

Sam Jacobson, 16th May

Franz Welser-Möst thoughtfully paired Schubert’s final mass with Bartók’s final piano concerto, the latter featuring Mitsuko Uchida in her 100th Cleveland Orchestra appearance.

****1

Cleveland Orchestra opens 100th season with a stunning Cunning Little Vixen

Sam Jacobson, 23rd September

The Cleveland Orchestra’s centennial season was off to an auspicious start with an encore presentation of Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen.

*****

Ambiguity, half-truth, obfuscation

Timothy Robson, 2nd May

Franz Welser-Möst led a radiant performance of Debussy’s operatic masterpiece directed by Yuval Sharon, starring Elliot Madore, Martina Janková, and Hanno Müller-Brachmann.

*****

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Frank Kuznik

Frank Kuznik is the former Editor-in-Chief and Culture Editor of The Prague Post, Central Europe’s premier English-language weekly newspaper. He currently divides his time between Prague and his hometown in the US, Cleveland, where he covers northeast Ohio's dynamic classical music scene. In Prague he is an habitué of the Rudolfinum, National Theater, State Opera and other storied classical music venues, and an unabashed fan of Czech music.

Martina Janková: a humble program and proud moment at Prague Spring