［CITY］
Prague … Czech
［SCHEDULE］
2023：5.12 … 6.2
To the festival site ▷
The surroundings of Prague Castle and the Charles Bridge are attractive no matter how many times you walk. This city was used for the location of the movie “Amadeus” because of this atmosphere in addition to economic reasons. Czech director Milos Foreman knew the charm better than anyone else.
In Prague, the music festival was established in May 1946 as a 50th anniversary project of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. It was one year after Czech Slovakia, which was merged by Nazi Germany in 1939, regained its independence. The name conveys the pleasure of having “spring” in both season and homeland.
The opening concert is opened every year on May 12th, the date of death of composer Smetana, who represents the country. And at the opening concert, his continuous symphonic poem “My Country” is always played.
The festival lasts until the beginning of June, and there is now an international competition. The final concert of the competition is also included in the festival schedule. The venue is “Smetana Hall” and “Artist’s House” etc.
After the Second World War, Czechoslovakia was placed under the influence of the Soviet Union. The 1968 democratization movement “Prague Spring” was subdued by the Soviet armed forces.
The release from the Soviet repression and the realization of real democratization had to wait until the success of the velvet revolution in 1989, about 20 years later.
In 1990, the legendary conductor Rafael Kuberik returned to his home country after 42 years of asylum. He participated in the establishment of this festival on a young day. He once again directed the opening concert and shared the excitement with people. This festival is not only music, but also a festival that has spun history.
