In Prague, horns will play in facemasks
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norman lebrecht
April 22, 2020
The Czech Philharmonic is planning to reclaim its hall for a non-audience concert this weekend.
Among other innovations, ‘the programme takes full advantage of recent advances in special protective equipment enabling 11 horn players to take part in the concert and still wear the facemasks that they are required to wear outside of their homes.’
Press release follows.
Jakub Hrůša to Conduct Benefit Concert Live from the Rudolfinum in Prague Saturday, 25 April
In solidarity with freelance musicians across the Czech Republic, string and horn players from the Czech Philharmonic will join forces with colleagues from the early music group Collegium 1704, Prague Philharmonia (PKF) and soloists Ivo Kahánek (piano), Radek Baborák (horn) and Aleš Bárta (organ), to raise the profile of freelance musicians unable to work during the pandemic and to raise money for elderly people in the Czech Republic.
The performance filmed from the stage of the Rudolfinum in Prague will be available on the Czech Philharmonic’s Facebook page on Saturday, 25 April, from 8pm (GMT+1) via a live stream provided by Czech TV. Led by the Czech Philharmonic’s Principal Guest Conductor Jakub Hrůša, three Concertmasters – Josef Špaček, Jiří Vodička and Jan Mráček – and Collegium 1704’s Artistic Director Václav Luks, the programme features music by Czech composers Dvořák and Janáček alongside works by Bach, Bruckner, Hassler, Mendelssohn, Saint-Saëns and Vivaldi (click here for full details). The programme takes full advantage of recent advances in special protective equipment enabling 11 horn players to take part in the concert and still wear the facemasks that they are required to wear outside of their homes.
Glad to hear I’m not alone in this endeavor. The pic I posted of me practising with a mask was removed by one of the administrators of this site.
…and social distancing?
They don’t need to fully “socially distance” there in the way that you imagine.
“…special protective equipment enabling 11 horn players to take part in the concert”
I’m curious as to what that looks like.
I’m imagining a large white drop cloth like you see over furniture in haunted houses. With a couple of eye holes.
Great Job: A masque for dancing…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwJqhXbS2xE
No doubt Helmut Lachenmann will use the device for new types of sound in his works.
Do they really mean “GMT+1”? I was under the impression that the local time zone for Prague is CEST (Central European Summer Time), which is *two* hours ahead of GMT, or one hour ahead of BST (British Summer Time).