The Moravian Autumn festival ranks among the most important cultural events in the Czech Republic. It was established as the Brno International Music Festival in 1966 when, following years of strict isolation imposed by hard-line communism, the activities of Brno artistic institutions were once again acquiring an international dimension, and the responses to its first year were very positive.
The festival invites orchestras to Brno that were previously passing Europe by, alongside top chamber ensembles and the world’s most celebrated soloists. It is not only a festival of “interpretation” which seeks to bring to Brno the cream of the world’s performers and to compare them with first-class home musicians, but also a festival of “programming”, one that is not only about “stars” (and certainly not about “competition” between them), but also about “substance”. Moravian Autumn takes pride in seeking new and interesting threads of programming, approaching living composers and giving them commissions. The festival also draws attention to young performers, giving them an opportunity to display their developing talents.
Short performance of the 53rd edition
We can say with certainty that Czech music has a good sound in the world. We have also become accustomed to the fact that its performance abroad is no longer just the prerogative of Czech performers, but that renowned foreign artists are increasingly including it in their repertoire. Among them, the name of the world-famous British conductor Sir Charles Mackerras, whose birth in 2025 will be 100 years ago, stands out. Mackerras has developed a strong relationship with Czech music, and his attention has been particularly drawn to the legacy of Leoš Janáček, whom he has placed in a European and international context. He came to Brno many times to conduct or study his works, and like few others – to paraphrase Ivo Medek’s laudatio on the occasion of the award of an honorary doctorate to Sir Charles Mackerras at the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts in 2004 – he was able to penetrate Janáček’s feeling and thinking, to understand his soul and to put this understanding into interpretation with astonishing ease, which, of course, was backed up by years of detailed knowledge of Janáček’s compositional and theoretical work, underpinned by a keen musicality and other aspects, including the ability to command the Czech language.
Vítězslav Mikeš, festival dramaturg
The festival has its own website.