Musicians From Prague To Open 28th NFoM Concert Season

One of the most beautiful cities in Central Europe is Prague – located on the much beloved blue Moldau River, a river lauded in song and symphony and just as blue, when the weather is right, as the Danube, a little further south.  Even the bridges across the Moldau have a fabled history and count among the most picturesque bridges, framed, as they are, with statuary and occupied by students from all over the world.

Prague is also the city where Mozart premiered his famous Don Giovanni opera and, what is more, the very theater, the Tyl Theater, is still there, although it has been beautifully renovated and the candle footlights have been replaced with electric lamps.  Prague is the city of Dvorak and Smetana and Janacek and many another prolific musician. And the standard of musicianship is one with a long history of excellence.

From this tradition springs The Talich Quartet, recognized internationally as one of Europe’s finest chamber ensembles, the embodiment of the Czech musical tradition.

The Talich Quartet receives great acclaim for its performances around the world. It is regularly invited to prestigious music festivals.

Members of Newtown Friends of Music (NFoM) heard the quartet perform a few years ago and were so taken with their performance that they decided to present them in Newtown. As it turned out, they had to wait until 2005 to share them with those who enjoy NFoM concerts. 

The quartet will open the 28th season of concerts sponsored by Newtown Friends of Music when it performs at Edmond Town Hall on Sunday, October 16. The concert will begin at 3 pm and will be followed by the traditional post-concert reception, during which time the audience is invited to meet with the performers in the town hall’s front lobby.

Jan Talich, violin, is a member of the Czech Republic’s premier musical family and son of the founder of the Talich Quartet. He is the founder and director of the Talich Chamber Orchestra. He performs on an 1845 J B Vuillaume violin.

Petr Macecek, violin, has served as concertmaster of Prague Chamber Orchestra, Slovak Chamber Orchestra and Suk Chamber Orchestra, of which he was also artistic director. His violin is a Francesco Ruggieri from 1964.

Vladimir Bukac, viola, has served as first violin of Czech Philharmonic, as concertmaster of The Chamber Orchestra of the Music Univeristy Prague, and as a member of the Prague as well as Suk Chamber Orchestra. He has also had solo engagements in Australia and New Zealand, and from 1990 to 1993 he lived in Japan, where he performed and toured as a soloist and chamber musician. His instrument is a Lorenzo Guadagnini from 1740.

Petr Prause, cello, has served as first cello in Prague Czech Radio Symphonu Orchestra, been a member of numerous orchestras including Beethoven Chamber Orchestra and Czech National Symphony, and performed as soloist with orchestras in France, Germany, Denmark, England and throughout Eastern Europe. His cello is by J Gagliano from 1795.

For their performance in Newtown on October 16, The Talich Quartet perform, as homage to the great Beethoven, his Quartet in D Major, Opus 18, No. 3. This will be followed by Janacek’s beloved Kreutzer Sonata, based on Tolstoy’s novella of the same name and dealing with tragic tales of deception, adultery and jealousy.

Concluding the afternoon’s performance will be Smetana’s String Quartet in E minor (“From My Life”).

Tickets are $18 for adults and $16 for senior citizens. Children between the ages of five and 14 are admitted free of charge when accompanied by a ticket-holding adult.

Advance reservations are strongly recommended. Plenty of free parking is available behind the town hall and the facility is handicapped accessible.

Season tickets are also available. For a free brochure write to Newtown Friends of Music at PO Box 295, Newtown CT 06470-0295, visit www.NewtownFriendsOfMusic.org, where there is more information about the music, the artists, the program, or call 426-6470.