On the Trail of Antonín Dvořák
This year’s „Dvořák Praha“ festival traditional prelude „On the Trail of Antonín Dvořák“, will take us to Maleč, a chateau near Chotěboř.
In the 19th century, this lovely neo-Renaissance Empire structure served for 40 years as the summer home of the illustrious Czech patriot, František Ladislav Rieger, and of his father-in-law, František Palacký, during the last years of his life. Rieger’s daughter Marie Červinková-Reigrová, one of the most educated Czech women of her day, was also present at the chateau. An important part of her literary activity consisted of writing opera libretti, two of which – The Jacobin and Dmitrij – were set to music by none other than Antonín Dvořák. While working on those operas, the composer regularly engaged in correspondence with Červinková-Reigrová, and he was a guest at Maleč on numerous occasions. Lovely recollections of these visits have been preserved from the diaries of the librettist and correspondence from the period. Festival visitors to the chateau and adjacent garden will have the chance to take in the atmosphere of an authentic environment where many important figures of Bohemia’s public and cultural life from the latter half of the 19th century spent time, and they will get to enjoy musical works by Dvořák, played in places that contributed significantly to their creation. In accordance with tradition, festival musicologist Dr David Beveridge will supplement the programme with his expert commentary. After the programme, those who are interested may visit an exhibition titled "A Memorial to F. L. Rieger and F. Palacký".
Programme: – Antonín Dvořák: Selected scenes from the operas Dmitrij, Op. 64, and The Jacobin, Op. 84