In the spirit of previous years, the seventh year (August 7. – 22.) had another surprise. The palette of the different spaces where festival music was heard was enhanced by the scenery.
It was the first time that concerts were played in the castle’s second courtyard. The Carmina Burana cantata from 1936 by Austrian composer Carl Orff was heard in the midst of beautiful architecture. The gem of the festival was mezzosoprano Dagmar Pecková’s singing recital with the Prague Chamber Philharmonic directed by Jiří Bělohlávek. The first half of the festival was concluded by the string serenade nocturne on the castle’s southern terraces, situated above the river. In Český Krumlov’s dominating feature, the church of St. Vítus, spiritual music was played. The concert was devoted to the musical legacy of Adam Michna of Otradovice. New to the festival were three musical and entertaining Saturday afternoons, when talended young soloists, groups of recorder players, children’s choirs and folklore groups and court dances in baroque costume accompanied by historic musical instruments took turns on stage. The festival once again culminated in the castle’s second courtyard, where Giuseppe Verdi’s monumental Messa da Requiem was performed with international soloists.
