THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL DEDICATED TO THE LIFE AND WORK OF THE CZECH BAROQUE GENIUS, JAN DISMAS ZELENKA.
It is no coincidence that the first year of the new Zelenka Festival Prague takes places in 2014, the Year of Czech Music, thus creating a new and fitting platform to help spread Zelenka’s music throughout the world.
The legacy of the Czech music composer Jan Dismas Zelenka is a European phenomenon on the contemporary music scene and the newly revived works of this musical genius, both in terms of live performances and CD recordings, have literally rewritten the history of baroque music. Only a few years ago, nobody would have expected to discover such significant works of the European baroque, as evidenced by the enthusiastic reception of the performances and CD recordings of Zelenka’s previously unknown pieces everywhere around the world.
The festival is organized by the Czech musical group Ensemble Inégal.
Lead by the conductor Adam Viktora, the ensemble, which has been promoting the legacy of this Czech musical genius for many years, has received many international musical awards (Diapason d ́Or, International Recording Review – Outstanding, Goldberg 5 Stars, etc.) for precisely the performance of Zelenka’s works. It presents Zelenka’s music as contemporary premiers every year, during its concert series Czech Baroque Music – Discoveries and Surprises. It has performed and promoted Zelenka’s music at important musical festivals in the Czech Republic, Great Britain, Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Latvia, Austria and elsewhere.
The Czech musical genius Jan Dismas Zelenka is currently considered one of the most significant baroque composers, alongside J.S. Bach, G. F. Händel and A. Vivaldi. The Zelenka Festival Prague is the first and only festival of its kind worldwide. It was only a question of time for the Czech Republic to officially claim Zelenka’s legacy and send a strong signal that is values the significance of Zelenka’s heritage and proudly supports its revival.
