Dear audiences,

I am overjoyed that we can meet again, for the third time, amidst the unique setting of Karlovy Vary on the occasion of the Variations festival. This collaborative effort by the Czech Philharmonic and the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has two extraordinarily successful years behind it, and I am convinced that this year, too, we will succeed in combining music and film to delight fans of both genres.

For this year’s edition, the Czech Philharmonic has put together a series of concerts that will not only present the orchestra as a whole but also offer audiences the chance to get to know its musicians as members of various smaller ensembles. What is more, for Friday’s concert at the Municipal Savings Bank and Saturday’s performance at the Thermal Springs Colonnade, the members of the philharmonic will perform alongside musicians from the Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra. Top violinist and artistic partner of the Czech Philharmonic Josef Špaček will perform Beethoven’s Violin Concerto and will also appear with a wind octet led by Ondřej Vrabec, who is also the solo horn player of the Czech Philharmonic and the chief conductor of the Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra. At the Imperial Baths, you can also hear folk music by the ČaroTaJ ensemble. But the main attraction will be the two concerts at the Municipal Theatre, where conductor Tomáš Netopil presents Beethoven’s Fate Symphony and a selection of arias from the operas of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart featuring soprano Kateřina Kněžíková and tenor Petr Nekoranec, who are not just talented singers but literally live and breathe Mozart.

David Mareček

General director, Czech Philharmonic