MATINEE, OR THE PRAGUE SPRING DEBUT

Expectations and demands were high on my part and that of the teachers. Of course I handled everything well without any technical, music or even language issues. As I mentioned in the previous blog, next year I start attending the Conservatoire de Paris (CNSMD de Paris), where I will be spending the next 3-5 years, so I won’t be leaving the environs of France any time soon.

In my case, it wasn’t just about final examinations, which required concentrated and systematic preparation. This year on May 13, I had the honor to also present myself in a solo recital at the Prague Spring international festival, which took place in the Suk Hall of Prague’s Rudolfinum. Appearing by my side was the excellent and talented pianist Lenka Korbelová, graduate of the Music and Dance Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague and the International Piano Academy in Imola, Italy. The program included compositions of a classical, mainly French repertoire, conceived in such a way that the energy between myself, the pianist and the listener gradually intensified up to the very end of the recital. Charles-Maria Widor and his Introduction et rondo Op. 72 resounded throughout the hall and prepared the listeners for what was next to come. This was the world-famous Sonate pour clarinette et piano by Francis Poulenc in three movements (Allegro tristamente, Romanza and Allegro con fuoco). The last composition from French clarinet literature was Fantaisie et Danse en forme de gigue by the lesser known composer Jules-Semler Collery. The program then moved eastward, specifically to Russia. Variations sur Casse-Noisette or Variations on The Nutcracker, based on the ballet The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and arranged by Alexandre Chabaud, was one of the concert’s pinnacles. And for the last piece, I returned to the Czech Republic. The world premiere resounded of the Variations on a Gypsy Melody by Adam Skoumal, who attended the concert himself. All the feedback I was able to gather was very positive, which was the greatest success for me because it is the task of every musician to provide the public with a one-of-a-kind experience and the energy that he or she can create on the stage. I believe we were successful in this!

The opportunity to study abroad is one step to success, so I am very happy to have this opportunity. I am convinced that my professional quality would not have gone in the same direction had I not studied abroad. These opportunities such as the Prague Spring festival came to me mainly thanks to a foreign education, which in my field specifically achieves high quality. I would hereby like to thank The Kellner Family Foundation once again for their financial support, and I firmly believe that I will have the opportunity to continue to apply that support in my continuing education.