PRESS RELEASE Brno, March 16, 2026
Pēteris Vasks, one of the world’s most prominent composers, will celebrate his 80th birthday in April. The Brno Philharmonic will join in the celebrations with three concerts. “First a chamber concert at Besední dům, followed by two large-scale concerts at the Janáček Theatre. This is our favorite and proven format for presenting a composer in various guises,” said Marie Kučerová, director of the Brno Philharmonic, noting that Brno audiences are familiar with Vasks’s work from previous years and have always received it with enthusiasm. From Wednesday through Friday, audiences can look forward to Terezie Fialová, her partner Jiří Bárta, and British actor Simon Callow. The concerts will be conducted by Rumon Gamba, one of the most distinctive contemporary British conductors.
On Wednesday, Terezie Fialová will perform Vasks’s composition Gadalajki, his most significant and extensive work for solo piano. The subtitle The Four Seasons refers to the Nordic landscape, its diverse forms, moods, and feelings. “We will hear snowflakes falling to the ground, as well as birdsong—so characteristic of Vasks—or experience the mood of a morning when wreaths float down the river after Midsummer’s Night,” said Vítězslav Mikeš, program director of the Brno Philharmonic.
On Thursday and Friday, the celebrations will move to the Janáček Theatre, where Jiří Bárta will open the evening with Vasks’s Cello Concerto No. 1. The work is very demanding for the soloist, not only because of the three prescribed cadenzas, but especially because of the contrasts with rapid transitions from intimate pianissimo to dramatic climaxes. “The two outer movements are lyrical, embodying the ideal of beauty and hope. The contrasting toccatas strike with devastating force, irony, and sarcasm, and in the central monologues, both extremes clash,” described dramaturg Vítězslav Mikeš, noting that the sound of the cello hovers above the orchestra like a human voice.
The second half of the concert will feature William Walton’s music for the film Hamlet, starring Laurence Olivier in the title role. In 1948, it became the first non-American film to win the Oscar for Best Picture. Christopher Palmer arranged the music into a concert suite titled Hamlet: A Shakespeare Scenario, creating a highly evocative and captivating work. In Brno, British actor Simon Callow—whom audiences may recognize from Forman’s Amadeus or the film Four Weddings and a Funeral—will complement the performance with two Shakespearean monologues.
The concerts at Besední dům and Janáček Theatre begin at 7:00 p.m.; tickets are available at the Philharmonic box office, online at filharmonie-brno.cz, and at the venue before the concert.
Media contact: Kateřina Konečná, +420 775 426 040, katerina.konecna@filharmonie-brno.cz
