Eighteenth Pražský podzím music festival underway

The 18th annual Pražský podzím music festival got underway in the capital on Friday evening, with an opening concert dedicated to the Czech composers Dvořák, Janáček and Martinů. The festival will continue until October 1, and consist of 23 concerts, played by nine foreign and four Czech orchestras, with more than 30 soloists making a special appearance. Pražský podzím has made headlines for events behind the scenes recently, with famous Czech conductor Libor Pešek refusing to appear at the festival after organizers used his face and name on their posters without asking his permission first. Pešek’s orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, will perform at the festival with replacement conductor Oliver Dohnányi instead.