The seventh year of the PKF — LOBKOWICZ Donor Series will sparkle with a virtuosity and will present the greatest talents from the contemporary world music scene again. We are inviting you to the intimate and special ambience of the Lobkowicz Palace at Prague Castle which enables the PKF — Prague Philharmonia to share its artistic enthusiasm and vision with those who are fascinated by the never-ending stories of the art. In 2023 you will be able to enjoy four evenings in an unrepeatable atmosphere, surrounded by the unique Lobkowicz collections, during which we will recount some fascinating stories about the search for beauty and harmony in the art and in the whole society. We will lead you straight to the heart of the PKF — Prague Philharmonia orchestra. 

Performers:
Alexandra Tirsu — violin
Michal Sedláček — artistic leader

Program

Nino Rota
Concerto for String Orchestra

Hector Villa-Lobos
Bachianas Brasileias no. 4 (Prelúdio. Introdução)

Ástor Piazzolla
Four Seasons of Buenos Aires

Evening Programme:
18.00    Welcome drink and tour of the exhibition 
18.30    Stories from the Arts — the curators of the Lobkowicz Music Collection reveal its treasures through enthralling story-telling 
19.00    Concert by the PKF – Prague Philharmonia and soloists in the Imperial Hall 
19.15    Meeting the artists with refreshments provided by the head chef of the Lobkowicz Palace 

We usually associate classical music with Italy, Germany or France. But we also find creators of extraordinary works outside of Europe: the Brazilian Hector Villa-Lobos and the Argentinian Ástor Piazzolla undoubtedly among them. They both approached the musical material in a similar way and combined the usual methods of classical music with elements of folk music of their countries. 

For Piazzolla, this connection was most evident in tango, or rather in its new form called tango nuevo. Piazzolla was able to transform the traditional genre into sophisticated, unique compositions in which, in addition to folklore and classical music, jazz is also mixed. 

The legendary composer of film melodies, Nino Rota, moved between several genres. The artist, whose music is known to the general public mainly from Fellini's films, was also an excellent composer of classical music. The proof is his Concerto for String Orchestra, to which he lends his sense for portraying diverse moods and captivating tectonic structure.

Alexandra Tirsu debuted as a soloist at the age of eight, and today she is one of the most promising violinists of the young generation. The Romanian-Moldavian virtuoso, laureate of prestigious international competitions in Osaka and Seoul and recent winner of the third prize at the ARD Munich competition, she is quickly gaining the attention of critics and fans of classical music.

She has performed under the baton of conductors such as Semyon Bychkov and Dmitriy Jurovskii and collaborated with a number of leading contemporary performers, for example Sol Gabetta and Patricia Kopačinskaja.

She has played in the Musikverein in Vienna, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg and the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center. She currently plays an extremely rare Stradivari from 1699 that belonged to the legendary Ida Handel.