Slovak Philharmonic and Slovak Philharmonic Choir

Slovenská filharmónia, Slovenský filharmonický zbor

Conductor: Rastislav Štúr

Soloists:
Kateřina Kněžíková, soprano
Ludovít Ludha, tenor
Adam Plachetka, bass-baritone

Programme: Antonín Dvořák, The Spectre's Bride, cantata, Op. 69

The concert by the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir will bring to mind a triumphant episode in Slovenian choral history. This is because the Orchestra is touring with Dvořák’s The Spectre's Bride for choir, three soloists and orchestra, a dramatic cantata performed in Vienna by the Glasbena matica Ljubljana Music Society in 1896, a time when musical performance in Slovenia was still in its infancy. Under Dvořák’s baton, Slovenian singers enraptured Vienna’s fastidious audiences and exacting music critics.
 

Enjoying an enviable international reputation, the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra (1949) is a regular guest of main music venues and festivals in Europe. Within half a century of intense artistic activity, the Slovak Philharmonic Choir (1946) has developed into a body of exceptional quality and is today one of the foremost European ensembles of its kind. Its unique technical abilities, refined expression, perfectly balanced voices, interpretational skills and exemplary artistic discipline are all reflected in its sublime performances. The musicians will perform under the baton of Rastislav Štúr, an exceptionally talented artist and one of Slovakia’s finest operatic conductors. The features soloists are: Kateřina Kněžíková, a soprano of great technical and expressive prowess, internationally acclaimed tenor Ludovít Ludha, and Adam Plachetka, a bass-baritone with a silky voice and strong stage presence.