Smetana Days
As March begins, the city of Pilsen rings with the tones of classical music. The sold-out concerts prove that this genre still has plenty of fans in the 21st century. This love is then carried over to the Smetana Days festival, which is held every year in Pilsen as a way to honour one of the Czech Republic’s most significant composers, Bedřich Smetana. Come and listen to the music that will speak to your soul, and let the festival surprise you with concerts of other genres, as well as with a colourful accompanying programme.
The legacy of Bedřich Smetana
The traditional festival doesn’t bear the name of the leading Czech composer by accident. Bedřich Smetana attended grammar school in Pilsen, where his uncle was the headmaster. During his time in Pilsen, Smetana decided to pursue a music career and wrote a number of his first small-scale piano pieces here.
Motto of the festival
As in years prior, you can expect an array of genres, intriguing dramatics, and the unification of music, literature, dramaturgy, and the arts. This year’s Smetana Days will adhere to a single motto: “From work to entertainment: Free time in the Czech culture of the 19th century”, which is reflected in multiple artistic projects, including the traditional, interdisciplinary scientific symposium.
Smetana Days 2023
This year, the festival has prepared chamber music concerts for you, such as Eine kleine Nachtmusik by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, performed by the Haydn Ensemble. You can also look forward to the concert project Domov můj (My Home) by world-renowned guitarist Štěpán Rak. The crowning jewel of the entire festival will then be the concluding symphonic concert Stabat Mater by Antonín Dvořák, performed by the Pilsen Philharmonic, the Czech Philharmonie Company of Brno, and soloists Alžběta Poláčková, Václava Housková, Václav Vallon, and Roman Jonál.
