Dny Bohuslava Martinů 22 | Bohuslav Martinů Days

A Few Words About the Festival

The Bohuslav Martinů Days have endeavoured to present and promote the music of their namesake composer for 28 years now. The core of the programme consists of concerts by leading Czech chamber ensembles and superb soloists, who introduce listeners to prominent and obscure works by the composer. The festival incorporates the Bohuslav Martinů Foundation Competition, which motivates the youngest generation of musicians to discover Martinů, thus helping to form promising new talents. Concerts held in collaboration with the Czech Philharmonic and the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra also present extensive symphonic works each year. The festival showcases the wealth and diversity of Bohuslav Martinů’s works in the context of music by other Czech and international composers who share a common historical, stylistic, or personal link with Martinů.

Bohuslav Martinů is a point of radiance in the stratosphere of Czech music. Along with Smetana, Dvořák, and Janáček, he is a mainstay of the treasure trove of Czech national culture.

Competition

The 27th edition of the competition will take place on 25-27 November 2022 in the Martinů Hall of the Liechtenstein Palace

The Bohuslav Martinů Foundation Competition has been shedding light on new talents in the disciplines of piano, violin, violoncello, voice, harpsichord, wind instruments, and chamber ensembles for the past 27 years. Recent laureates include the clarinettist Anna Paulová, the pianist Matouš Zukal, as well as the violinist Roman Patočka, the cellist Tomáš Jamník, or the pianist Ivo Kahánek, and many others. Last year’s winners were Robin Červinek (baritone) and Vilém Vlček (violoncello), who will present their art at a concert on 10 December.

“The aim of the competition is to promote Bohuslav Martinů’s compositions among young, talented musicians and to support the performance of works by other Czech composers of the past decades,” the competition rules declare. This commitment is reflected in the competition format, which requires both a composition by Bohuslav Martinů for the given instrument and a work by some other Czech composer written after 1960, along with a work from the global repertoire of 18th- and 19th-century music.

Similar conditions apply to this year’s disciplines, that is, violin and chamber ensemble from trios to sextets with piano. Audiences can look forward to repertoire by Martinů, who was himself a violinist and who wrote impressive and often technically demanding works for the instrument, or to his chamber works marked by a generous breadth of musical inspirations.

The competition will be held in the following categories

violin
chamber ensembles from trio to sextet with piano

The competition is intended for candidates up to 28 years of age from the Czech and Slovak Republics or for foreign students studying in the Czech Republic.

Since 1996, the annual Bohuslav Martinů Festival has included an interpretation competition. Young performers regularly have the opportunity to measure their artistic abilities in eight categories:

Violin / chamber ensemble trio to sextet with piano
Piano / chamber ensemble trio to sextet without piano
Wind instruments (flute, clarinet, trumpet) / harpsichord
Vocal / cello

The focus of the competition lies in the interpretation of the works of Bohuslav Martinů. The choice of other repertoire underlines the historical links and connections with his work and personality.

More information can be found in the terms and conditions of the competition.

Conditions of the competition

The 28 ͭ ͪ Bohuslav Martinů Days Festival

The 28th Bohuslav Martinů Days Festival and the 27th Bohuslav Martinů Foundation International Competition for young artists, being on the threshold of their musical careers took place from 27 November to 17 December 2022. Seven of them in the Martinů Hall, where we welcomed the Czech elite interprets. The other three took place in the Dvořák Hall of the Rudolfinum in cooperation with the Czech Philharmonic, the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Czech Chamber Music Society. The audience had the opportunity to hear performances by both Czech and foreign artists. Among the highlights of this year's edition was, for example, the renewed premiere of Bohuslav Martinů's String Quartet No. 1, in the version of the Bennewitz Quartet, which is based on the parts of the Ševčík-Lhotský Quartet with notes by the composer himself. Furthermore, a performance of the Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 2 H 293 performed by world superstars Leonidas Kavakos and the Czech Philharmonic under the baton of Jakub Hrůša. A standing ovation was also given to the January concert in the Dvořák Hall of the Rudolfinum, which took place in cooperation with our traditional partner - the Czech Chamber Music Society.

Contact

Address:

Nadace Bohuslava Martinů
Bořanovická 14
182 00 Praha 8-Kobylisy

Email:

nadace@martinu.cz

Phones:

+420 284 685 228
+420 601 584 787