The Czech organ festival resounds throughout the Czech Republic in the summer. Thanks to him, the largest baroque organ in our country and an instrument designed by Santini will come to life

Excursions are also associated with selected concerts, during which listeners can view the instruments up close and learn about their history, construction and technical points of interest.

• Kladruby (©Tomáš Tůma, Albatros Media as)

The Czech Organ Festival takes place in cities and in the choirs of small village churches in dozens of places throughout the Czech Republic. Already May 18 the organ in the church of St. Ignáce on Prague’s Charles Square, where the outstanding organist László Adrián Nagy will perform as part of the Hungarian Organ Night.

“The next concert will take place, for example, in Polná na Vysočín. It is the largest preserved baroque organ in Bohemia of domestic origin and one of the most important European instruments of the 18th century. They were made around 1708 by the Brno master Jan David Sieber. The organ has 31 registers: sixteen on the first manual, eight on the positive and seven on the pedal,” describing Adam Viktor, founder and artistic director of the festival, who is himself a renowned organist.

• Adam Viktora (©René Volfík)

“This year, for the first time, a concert will be held as part of the Czech Organ Festival also in Kladruby, where there is an extremely valuable baroque organ, the design of which was created according to the design of the famous architect Jan Blažej Santini. Concerts will also take place in other places with exceptional historical organs such as Batelov, Děčín, Dolní Hbity, Březno, Kašperské Hory, Mikulášovice, Planá, Sedlec-Prčice and many others.Adam approaches Viktor.

• Field (©Dalibor Michek)

Churches and organs within walking distance

There are about 10,000 organs in the Czech Republic, which is the most per capita in the world. “And that is a big commitment. The organ needs to be cared for and played. Once decommissioned, they deteriorate quickly.” portrays Viktor.

“At the end of the 18th century, the network of churches in our territory was very dense in a fascinating way. According to the regulations of the time, no resident of the kingdom was allowed to walk more than one hour to the church. That is why we have a church or chapel within approximately four to five kilometers of every human settlement. And a church without an organ would be hard to find in the 18th century. In recent decades, however, the liturgical service has ceased in many places, and with it the organ has fallen silent. These are often very valuable tools. The festival represents, among other things, an alternative opportunity for a second life for such organs.” narrates.

Concert programs within Czech Organ Festival they also correspond to the different stylistic options of individual instruments. These come from the period from the 17th to the first half of the 20th century. “Simply put, baroque music is ideal for a baroque organ, romantic repertoire is best suited for a romantic instrument. Festival concerts composed of period pieces often include improvisations, which are an inherent part of the organ.” explains Viktora.

• Adam Viktora (©René Volfík)

Jewelry can be breathed into life

According to its artistic director Adam Viktory, the main mission of the festival is to promote the historic Czech organ. “They are often unique instruments that are not normally played. At the same time, we have a great treasure in the endless sound possibilities of the Czech historical organ.” he says. “Our festival is held to highlight these neglected gems and breathe new life into them. Thanks to it, even tools that are known only from specialist literature come to life. Many people find out for the first time what a unique feature they have in their village. A historical organ is the most complex musical instrument – ​​there are no two completely identical, they are always original and have a very specific sound.” explains.

Viktora himself is a top organist. In addition to him, other important performers such as Pavel Černý, Vladimír Roubal, Jaroslav Tůma will perform at the festival this year, and there will be guests from abroad: in addition to the mentioned László Adrián Nagy, for example, the German organist and composer Martin Sturm. “It’s always excellent professional organists who prepare special concert programs for individual instruments,” emphasizes Adam Viktora.

• Adam Viktora (©René Volfík)

Organ concerts throughout the country

The Czech Organ Festival will visit most regions of the Czech Republic this year. The concerts will take place at the following locations: Batelov, Bystré, Děčín, Deštná, Bezno, Bělá nad Radbuzou, Bohušovice nad Ohří, Bor, Česká Kamenice, Dobroměřice, Dolní Hbity, Horšovský Týn, Hranice, Horní Vltavice, Chlumec, Halže, Březno, Lštění, Kašperské Hory, Kerhartice, Kladruby . Prépychy, Ratměřice, Litohlavy Vršíček, Sedlec-Prčice, Smolnice, Solany, Spálené Poříčí, Staré Sedliště, Svojkov, Šluknov, Štědrá, Stříbřec, Tatobity, Trpín, Troubsko, Třebušín, Týnec, Uterý, Velké Opatovice, Vitice, Vlachovo Březí.

“Even if we had twice or even three times as many festival locations, we would still be able to present only a very small part of all the amazing Czech historical organs every year,” concludes the director of the festival, expert and enthusiastic promoter of historic organs, Adam Viktora.

The Czech Organ Festival was founded in 2007 by organist and conductor Adam Viktora. During its existence, the festival has organized over a thousand organ concerts and excursions to important organs. They were attended by tens of thousands of enthusiastic listeners and admirers of historic organs throughout the Czech Republic.

• Adam Viktora (©René Volfík)

Adam Viktor

Organist and conductor Adam Viktora performs at music festivals throughout Europe, gives lectures and concerts at international organ congresses, acts as an advisor in expert commissions for the restoration of important historical organs, and records for European radio and television stations.

He is very interested in historical organs and activities aimed at their preservation and promotion. He is the founder and artistic director of the Czech Organ Festival. He teaches organ playing at the Pilsen Conservatory and historically informed interpretation at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague.

He is the artistic director of Ensemble Inégal and Prague Baroque Soloists, with whom he recorded more than 20 award-winning CDs and performed countless concerts at important European festivals such as Prague Spring, Oude Muziek Utrecht, Musica Antiqua Brugge, Lufthansa Festival London, Bachtage Leipzig, Tage alter Musik Regensburg, Stockholm Early Music Festival and others.

Adam Viktora also became a significant representative of the process of rediscovering the work of the Czech Baroque genius, Jan Dismas Zelenka. He founded and organizes the Zelenka Festival Prague – Dresden and organizes the musicological colloquium Zelenka Conference Prague. With the ensemble Ensemble Inégal, he has won the prestigious French Diapason d’Or award four times.

Source: TZ
Opening photo: Adam Viktora (©René Volfík)