PRESS RELEASE Brno, April 22, 2021
Of its 65th season gradually drawing to a close, Filharmonie Brno has only performed three concerts: the Launch, Ludwig 250 & Arvo 85 and Angels of Sorrow – the latter with a modified programme due to the ban on singing. Thus their last performance in Besední dům was on 2 October, with the final live concert bringing a premature close to the Janáček Brno festival a few days later on 11 October. Since that time, listeners have only come across them through live broadcasts on the radio or through streaming. “And this will remain the case until the end of the season, i.e. to 25 May when we were to play our final programme. Considering the continuing lack of clarity over easing restrictions within the cultural sector and the return of audiences, we have made the decision to conclude this season,” says Filharmonie Brno Managing Director, Marie Kučerová. She notes that listeners may get their first opportunity to see the orchestra in June at one of the philharmonic festivals, the Exposition of New Music.
The fact that the orchestra isn’t playing in the hall for an audience doesn’t mean that we have time off. As early as Saturday 1 May, you can tune in to a live broadcast from Besední dům. At 7 pm, Czech Radio Vltava begins its “Super Brno” concert entitled Novák 100, which will incorporate works by Jan Novák, Leoš Janáček and Erich Wolfgang Korngold. “This season, we also performed a live broadcast of our Paľa Plays Schnittke programme, plus the world premiere of Thomas Larcher’s Symphony No. 3 “A Line Above the Sky”, which radio stations from other countries also broadcast,” says Filharmonie Brno Programme Director, Vítězslav Mikeš. In addition to radio broadcasts, the orchestra also streamed a Concert presenting new CDs, the Advent Concert, the Real Vivaldi project, and last week two major symphonies, Brahms & Glass: #2. “While they say the pandemic has taught us new things, this applies in spades in this field. Even so, we took care with our streams and only broadcast exceptional projects which are worth listening to even indirectly. It remains the case that nothing can substitute for live music. Our stream last week pleased me all the more when hundreds of people in the United States listened to us live thanks to Glass’s Second Symphony,” says Kučerová.
Filharmonie Brno made use of this imposed break to record new CDs, and also to pose for new orchestra photographs. It also significantly boosted its online educational activities. “We regularly met up with hundreds of children from around the country for online workshops. We broadcast almost fifty programmes, some, for example, in collaboration with the Moravian Gallery,” says Filharmonie Brno’s teacher for education, Kristýna Drášilová.
As yet, we cannot quantify the economic losses suffered due to the interruption in our operations. Audience members can ask for a refund on their tickets only after the date of their cancelled concerts. “I want at least in this way to thank all those who have waived their right and allowed us to keep these payments. We truly appreciate it. Our losses are in the millions of crowns, and not just from ticket fees, but also from lease of Besední dům and the cancellation of international tours,” notes Kučerová. She says that listeners can look forward to the introduction of the new season in the second half of May.
Media contact: Kateřina Konečná, Head of PR and Marketing, Filharmonie Brno
+420 775 426 040 katerina.konecna@filharmonie-brno.cz