15. 2. 2022
Prague Conservatory Concert Hall, 7.30 pm
Opening Concert - Anniversary of the King of the Argentine Tango
Ladislav Horák- accordion
Prague Conservatory Chamber Orchestra
Chuhei Iwasaki - conductor / Japan
Pavel Haas
Study for strings
Ástor Piazzolla
Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas / Four Seasons in Buenos Aires
Verano Porteño / Summer (Allegro moderato)
Otoño Porteño / Autumn (Allegro moderato)
Invierno Porteño/ Winter (Lento)
Primavera Porteña / Spring (Fuga. Allegro)
Ladislav Horák - accordion
Ladislav Horák is a graduate of the Prague Conservatory and the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, a laureate of international competitions in Andorra, Italy and Spain. He performs as a soloist and with domestic and foreign orchestras, he is invited to prestigious festivals around the world. He has presented a number of Czech and foreign composers in world premieres. He represents the Czech accordion school in international organizations (La Confédération Mondiale de l'Accordéon, Europeane Accordion Federation) or as chairman of the juries of international competitions (Castelfidardo, Innsbruck, Mons). As the only accordionist from Central Europe, he is invited to the juries of the prestigious German competitions Deutscher-Akkordeon-Musikpreis (DAM) and Deutsche-Orchesterwettbewerb (DOW). He has led masterclasses in Europe and the United States. He specializes in interpreting the "tango nuevo" style of the Argentine composer Ástor Piazzolla. The CD recording "Vivat tango", which he recorded together with cellist Petr Nouzovský, won the 2014 competition "The Violoncello Foundation" in New York.
Prague Conservatory Chamber Orchestra
The conservatory “should be an institute designed to preserve the practical knowledge of the art of music in all its branches as well as the theoretical knowledge associated with it and the masterpieces that this art has created. In addition, such an institute should stand at the forefront of a progressive movement that is as characteristic of young art as European music, and preserve the beauty and goodness that the past has left us while proceeding slowly and carefully to discover the future. I hope that I am not subject to national partisanship when I say that, of all the European conservatories I know, the Paris Conservatory best meets this definition. In second place is the Prague Conservatory.” These are the words of Hector Berlioz, with which he captured his impressions of his visit to Prague in 1846. The Prague Conservatory opened in 1811, its main goal was to educate orchestral players. Since 1815, the conservatory orchestra has played a significant role in Prague's musical life, and as a component of Prague's musical life, it still fulfils its role today, with concerts by symphony, chamber ensembles, and string or other orchestras, especially since 2011, when the conservatory got its own concert hall.
Japanese conductor Chuhei Iwasaki studied from 2003 to 2006 at the Toho Gakuen Conservatory in Tokyo, then at the Prague Conservatory and at HAMU in Prague, where he found his place of work. He collaborates with orchestras and theatres in the Czech Republic, has performed in the Dvořák Prague Festival, Smetanova Litomyšl, St. Wenceslas Music Festival, has been a guest in Slovakia, Poland, Spain, etc. From 2014 he has been teaching at the Prague Conservatory and leading its chamber orchestra. In 2014–2018 he was the chief conductor of the Film Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra. In 2018 he became the chief conductor of the Moravia Brass Band and between 2019 and 2021 he was the permanent guest conductor of the Pilsen Philharmonic Orchestra, and since the 2020/21 season, he has been its chief conductor.
