Paganini Project: Vodička / Steidl

Two leading Czech soloists bring a musical feast to the summer residence, the royal court, where Paganini's sonatas for violin and guitar shine like a dialogue between two equal partners – dazzlingly virtuosic, yet with delicate elegance.

In the elegant surroundings of Červený Dvůr, whose atmosphere lends the music a special depth and intimacy, two extraordinary performers will meet: violinist Jiří Vodička, concertmaster of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, and world-renowned guitarist Pavel Steidl. Together they will present a program dedicated to the work of Niccolò Paganini, a genius virtuoso whose compositions for violin and guitar are among the most remarkable works of the 19th century. In his time, Paganini managed to transcend the technical limits of violin playing, complementing it with a dialogue with virtuoso guitar in an equal musical partnership. Both musicians excel in their musicality and mastery of their instruments, as evidenced by their international renown.

This concert is part of the Festival Wednesdays, which includes following concerts:

- - - Pavel Haas Quartet, 22.7. 19:30, Masquerade Hall Český Krumlov
    - Paganini project: Vodička / Steidl, 29.7. 20:00, Červený dvůr Psychiatric Hospital
    - Artists
      
      Jiří Vodička - violin
      
      Pavel Steidl - guitar

Program

Nicolo Paganini: Sonatas for Guitar and Violin (selection)

Jiří Vodička

Jiří Vodička is a Czech violinist, soloist, chamber musician, and, since 2015, one of the concertmasters of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. He is one of the most successful Czech violinists of his generation. He is the overall winner of the Louis Spohr Competition in Weimar and a recipient of Young Concert Artists awards in Leipzig and New York. At the age of 14, he was exceptionally accepted to study with Prof. Zdeněk Gola in Ostrava, where he completed his master’s degree. He regularly performs as a soloist with leading orchestras and teaches at the Prague Conservatory and Ostrava University. He is the founder of the successful ensemble The Trio and is involved in a number of chamber music projects (with Pavel Steidl, David Mareček, Jan Mráček, and Barocco sempre giovane). In 2024, he was the soloist at the Czech Philharmonic’s New Year’s Concert, and in 2025, he performed Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto under the baton of Semyon Bychkov. He has recorded the album Violino Solo and the double album Dvořák for Supraphon, which received awards from Gramophone and Diapason. He plays a historical violin by Joseph Gagliano (1774).

Pavel Steidl

Pavel Steidl, born in Rakovník, became one of the most prominent guitarists of his generation after winning the Radio France International Competition in Paris in 1982, whose jury included Alexander Tansman, Antonio Laura, and María Luisa Anido. He studied with Milan Zelenka and Štěpán Rak in Prague. After emigrating to the Netherlands in 1987, he developed a distinctive style combining historically informed interpretation of 19th-century guitar literature with elements of world music. He has been living in the Czech Republic again since 2004 and has been teaching at the conservatory in The Hague since 2019. He has collaborated with personalities such as Leo Brouwer, Carlo Domeniconi, John Williams, and Miroslav Vitouš, and has been a member of the European Guitar Quartet since 2012. Steidl also composes, performs worldwide, and was voted Guitarist of the Year 2004 by readers of Guitart magazine. He plays Simplicio, Verreydt, Boucher, and Sheppard instruments, as well as historical guitars from the Stauffer school.