Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Czech Philharmonic
November 21–22, 2025
Karlovy Vary
The collaboration of two major cultural institutions, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and the Czech Philharmonic, has for the fifth year been enriching the city of Karlovy Vary with a unique cultural program combining film screenings and classical music concerts.
Program and tickets
The two-day program includes exclusive sneak previews of films and a series of intimate concerts in unusual locations around town. This year’s concert venues are the Thermal Spring Colonnade, the Zander Hall at the Kaiserbad, and the Postal Court.
Fri 21 November 2025 / 4:30 pm
Zander Hall, Kaiserbad
ČRo Vltava: Akcent LIVE with host Saša Michailidis
Live from Variactions, Czech Radio Vltava’s show Akcent will be broadcast. Host Saša Michailidis and his guests will discuss how the image of Czech culture is shaped abroad. Admission is free.
Fri 21 November 2025 / 5:00 pm
Zander Hall, Kaiserbad
Wind Echoes of the Classics
Ondřej Vrabec, principal horn of the Czech Philharmonic and chief conductor of the Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra, brings together a wind octet composed of members from both ensembles. The program features works by Hummel, Beethoven, and Prokofiev. Admission free.
Fri 21 November 2025 / 8:00 pm
Karlovy Vary Municipal Theatre
Variations Between Film and Music
An exclusive selection of music, performed by the Czech Philharmonic under the direction of American star conductor Keith Lockhart. Besides Korngold’s Violin Concerto in D Major featuring concertmaster Jiří Vodička, audiences will also hear Mozart’s Symphony No. 25 in G Minor, the Adagio from Janáček’s Idyll for Strings, and a cinematic orchestral suite by William Walton.
Sat 22 November 2025 / 2:00 pm
Thermal Spring Colonnade
Jan Mráček and the Musical Romantics
Jan Mráček, concertmaster and violin soloist, performs alongside a string chamber orchestra formed by members of the Czech Philharmonic and the Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra. The program features Schubert’s Rondo in A major and Mendelssohn Bartholdy’s Concerto for Violin and String Orchestra in D minor. Admission free.
Sat 22 November 2025 / 4:30 pm
Postal Courtyard
Dvořák at the Postal Court
The music of Antonín Dvořák symbolically returns to the Postal Court, where the European premiere of his Symphony “From the New World” took place in 1894. The program includes the Largo from this celebrated symphony, performed by a wind nonet, and Dvořák’s String Quartet in F major “American”, performed by members of the Czech Philharmonic String Quartet. Admission free.
Sat 22 November 2025 / 6:30 pm
Kaiserbad
La Grazia
Paolo Sorrentino’s new film follows the Italian president as his term nears its end. On his desk lie two unusual petitions for clemency and a proposed euthanasia bill. Toni Servillo won the Best Actor Award for his performance at the Venice Film Festival.
Fri 21 November
20:00
Karlovy Vary Municipal Theatre
Fri 21 November / 8 pm / Karlovy Vary Municipal Theatre
Main concert: Variations Between Film and Music
An exclusive selection of music, performed by the Czech Philharmonic under the direction of American star conductor Keith Lockhart. Besides Korngold’s Violin Concerto in D Major featuring concertmaster Jiří Vodička, audiences will also hear Mozart’s Symphony No. 25 in G Minor, the Adagio from Janáček’s Idyll for Strings, and a cinematic orchestral suite by William Walton.
Accommodations during Variations
Karlovy Vary offers a wide variety of accommodations ranging from luxury five-star hotels all the way to cozy private apartments. In cooperation with a local accommodations agency, the festival can assist you in choosing and reserving your accommodations in town.
Should you be interested in this service, please contact:
Mgr. Magdaléna Aronová
MA_Agency
info@maagency.cz
+420 608 335 956
Newsletter
Are you interested in Variations? Stay in touch with us and don't miss any news.
Dear guests,
This year marks the fifth edition of Variations, a project jointly organized by the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.
The Karlovy Vary Festival and the Czech Philharmonic are two traditional cultural brands with a long history. Karlovy Vary, too, represents a symbolic link between music and film. Next year, it will have been eighty years since it hosted its first film festival. At the same time, the city is historically associated with a number of musical greats who found inspiration here.
Variations was inspired by the idea of creating a natural connection between these two artistic fields and thus expanding the range of cultural activities available in Karlovy Vary outside the main season.
As in past years, Variations once again offers an extraordinary selection of music and film. The cinema at the Kaiserbad will present special pre-premieres of movies that have made a splash at film festivals around the world.
The musical performances will take place at traditional venues such as the Karlovy Vary Municipal Theatre, the Thermal Spring Colonnade, and the Kaiserbad’s Zander Hall, but also at the Postal Court – a symbolic choice, for it is here that Dvořák’s New World Symphony had its European premiere.
We are glad to see that every year Variations enjoys greater interest among audiences. I am convinced that Variations 2025 will be a unique addition to the autumn cultural program – not just for residents of the city and region of Karlovy Vary, but for visitors as well.
Kryštof Mucha
Executive director, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Dear audiences,
I am glad that this year we can again meet in Karlovy Vary for another edition of Variations. Over the past five years of its existence, this collaborative effort between the Czech Philharmonic and the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has become a beautiful tradition.
At this year’s Variations, the theme of music and film literally infuses every moment. American conductor Keith Lockhart, an experienced interpreter of music from film and musical theatre, has put together a program consisting of works made famous by their inclusion in films such as Amadeus, Il Boemo, and The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Other concerts feature the Czech Philharmonic’s chamber ensembles, which this year appear alongside their colleagues from the Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra. Their joint performances bring the energy and joy that are an integral part of Variations.
Naturally, we are also presenting the music of Antonín Dvořák, who symbolically returns to the city where his New World Symphony had its European premiere. Dvořák’s world, full of melodic beauty, openness, and humanity, adds a touch of home and tradition to Variations.
May this year’s Variations once again be an encounter with music that inspires and brings joy.
Sincerely,
David Mareček
General director, Czech Philharmonic
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