Smetana Litomyšl festival kicks off

The Czech Philharmonic opened the 66th edition of the Smetana Litomyšl classical music festival on Saturday evening in front of a packed festival hall with an excerpt of music from Smetana's opera Libuše and the Czech national anthem. Several other compositions by Bedřich Smetana were also performed during the course of the evening, including the overture to the opera The Bartered Bride, the Festive Overture in D major, and the symphonic poem Hakon Jarl. The concert ended with the symphonic poem Vltava from the cycle Má vlast (My Homeland). Violinist Jan Mráček and pianist Ivo Kahánek performed with the orchestra, which was conducted by Jakub Hrůš. Czech President Petr Pavel and his wife were among the audience.

The festival proper started on Sunday morning and will continue until July 7. The 200th anniversary of Bedřich Smetana's birth passed this year.