Last year, when we joined with the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival to put together the Variations project, we made it our objective to combine the unique atmosphere of Karlovy Vary with music and film on the highest level of quality and to attract people with an interest in music and film. Variations’ first year exceeded our expectations and was appreciated by audiences, which is why we are glad to again be able to bring these two worlds together – two worlds that may differ in form but that share a desire to create profound and unforgettable experiences.

For the festival’s second edition, we have put together three concerts featuring not only members of the Czech Philharmonic but also their colleagues from the Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra. Like last year, visitors to Variations can look forward to a concert at the Karlovy Vary Municipal Theater, where conductor Domingo Hindoyan will present Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony, which the great composer worked on while taking the waters in Teplice, Karlovy Vary, and Františkovy Lázně. The festive evening of music also features Dvořák’s violin concerto with soloist Jan Mráček, one of today’s best Czech violinists and concert master of the Czech Philharmonic. Variations also includes two afternoon concerts: the first, held in the historical building of the Municipal Savings Bank, presents compositions for a brass chamber ensemble. During the second concert, the Thermal Spring Colonnade comes alive with the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

David Mareček

General director, Czech Philharmonic