Dear fans and attendants of the Lednice-Valtice Music Festival,
In the neighbourhood of festivals larger in scope and history, this festival – now in its seventh year – is still a junior. But a junior that has looked around the world and found its way and its place. And the audience favour. After last year’s edition devoted to baroque music, this year will be lightened by romantic music and refreshed by lively rhythms. The programme will remind us of the past of the Moravian Croats who came to South Moravia in the sixteenth century. Fleeing from the Ottoman armies, they found in South Moravia an environment similar to their home and enriched its culture with their influence, their spiritual culture, dance and architecture. The energy preserved in their music is conveyed to us by outstanding performers, offering us a unique opportunity to experience the rich musical heritage of the region.
For these moments, let us allow ourselves to take our minds off our everyday worries and let us also fully experience the emotions that are inherently linked to good music and have healing power. After two difficult years, and at a time when the word “war” has once again made the headlines in the European space, let us live each of these moments to the full.
I wish a successful year to the festival, numerous satisfied visitors to the organisers and the joy of music and of meeting and enriching each other the audience.
Martin Baxa | Minister of Culture of the Czech Republic
Dear friends,
The Lednice-Valtice Music Festival has been bringing a beautiful music to the pearl of South Moravia for seven years. This year, it follows the Balkan wave as the inspiration is the story of the Moravian Croats. They fled to Moravia five hundred years ago to save themselves from the Ottoman invasion. Does this remind you of anything? In the shadow of the current events in Ukraine, this story is more than relevant. It is as if our past is speaking to us through the centuries.
I look forward to the romantic and lively strains of Balkan music with you!
Jan Grolich | Governor of the South Moravian Region
Dear friend of the high music art,
I am extremely grateful to the organisers and I am delighted that the seventh traditional Lednice-Valtice Music Festival 2022 brings a bit of Croatian music performed by Croatian artists. It is a festival where the beautiful architecture of the castle buildings in the UNESCO-listed Lednice-Valtice area, situated in the picturesque South Moravia, comes alive with musical tones for two weeks. I am proud that the Croatian Embassy was given the opportunity to become one of the patrons of this exceptional artistic event.
The performers are top young Croatian virtuosos of international experience: Aljoša Jurinić on piano, Luka Ljubas on violin, Vid Veljak and Latica Anić on cello, plus Ensemble Illyrica – “the most exciting Croatian experimental band”. These concert days will feature works by the famous Croatian composer Dora Pejačević (1885–1923), including her Symphony in f sharp minor, considered by music experts to be the first modern symphony in the history of Croatian music. Dora Pejačević’s work as a composer, a person exceptional in many ways, was brought to an end by her untimely death. The musical expression of the representative of the Croatian noble Pejačević family enlivens the premises of another noble family, the Liechtenstein family – which is the best choice for the Lednice-Valtice Music Festival.
The festival also evokes one distinct segment of the Croatian presence in South Moravia. We are proud that the accompanying programme will present an important Croatian autochthonous minority in the Czech Republic with the lectures “The Arrival of Croats in South Moravia” by historian Miroslav Geršić and the presentation of the book “The Colours of Croatian Moravia” by Lenka Kopřivová, vice-president of the Association of Citizens of Croatian Nationality.
We can especially be proud of the complexity of the Croatian contribution to the festival, as it is the best indicator of the deep cultural ties between our two friendly nations, Czechs and Croatians, in a year when we celebrate the 30thanniversary of the international recognition of modern Croatia.
Dear friends of good music, let us enjoy this year’s Lednice-Valtice Music Festival and, to paraphrase Dora Pejačević, let us allow the sound of music to “let much light enter our souls again.”
H. E. Ljiljana Pancirov | Croatian Ambassador to the Czech Republic
Dear friends,
It is a great pleasure to see that a charming place in South Moravia is once again crossing its own borders and reaffirming its status as a world cultural heritage site – with the power that only music has. The year of the 7th Lednice-Valtice Music Festival marks the centenary of the renewal and confirmation of the Treaty of Alliance between Czechoslovakia and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (Kingdom of Yugoslavia) signed in Belgrade. Therefore, I feel very happy that this festival will also take us on a journey to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. The founders of the states and alliances, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk and Alexander I of Yugoslavia, laid the foundations for modern cultural exchange. Intensive cultural exchange later resulted in worldwide recognition through the works of artists such as Emir Kusturica. I am glad that thanks to the collaboration of Nika Gorić, David Bižić and the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava under the baton of conductor Marko Ivanović and through the guest appearance of the Bojan Ristić Brass Band, the universality of the human spirit is reaffirmed at this festival.
I wish you to feel 100 years of joy, brotherhood and love in the days of this wonderful festival.
H. E. Berislav Vekić | Serbian Ambassador to the Czech Republic
As an ambassador, I am honored and happy that Bosnia and Herzegovina will have the opportunity to present itself at this year’s festival . Not only that is the area of the most beautiful Czech castles, but also a festival of exceptional artistic value and we are happy that artists from our country can be part of this important event. Let this year’s festival be a celebration of music and art in the most special way, so that we can enjoy all the wonderful performances we will hear. Bosnia and Herzegovina will present itself with the essence of our country – “sevdah.” Sevdah is the spirit of our people . The songs are incredibly elaborate, emotionally charged and are traditionally sung with great passion. In Bosnia, we have an expression “pasti u sevdah” which literally translates to “fall into sevdah” and it means to experience the feelings of sevdah, the sweet agony that lovers may feel, the possibility of being healthy but sick and dying at the same time, the torment of loving but not being loved, to sink so deeply into this state of agony provoked by the pains of love. Get inspired and travel in your mind for a moment through the cobblestones of my homeland with our fabulous musicians. I wish all participants and organizers a successful and unforgettable festival!
H. E. Martina Mlinarević | Bosna and Herzegovina Ambassador to the Czech Republic
Dear friends of classical music,
I am honoured to be one of the patrons of the Lednice-Valtice Music Festival, where Slovenia plays a big and honourable role this year.
Firstly, I very much welcome the gesture of the festival’s organizers to give young artists the opportunity to display their skills. One such example is excellent Slovenian soprano singer Nika Gorič, who will also perform at the closing gala concert of the festival together with the Janaček Philharmonic Orchestra.
Secondly, I must mention Giuseppe Tartini, born and raised in the Slovenian city of Piran, he was a famous violin player and composer. I am delighted to be the patron of the concert featuring his compositions, since we are celebrating 330 years of his birth and on this occasion, the Government of Slovenia has declared this year as the year of Tartini. He left a vast oeuvre of around 130 concertos and more than 170 violin sonatas, as well as numerous theoretical treatises, which have had significant influence on the development of violin technique. His frequent use of ornaments and trills of all kinds classifies him as a Rococo composer, although he was essentially a Baroque composer.
It is also of great importance that the work of Slovenian Renaissance composer, Jakub Petelin Gallus will be performed at the festival. He is one of the most significant and prolific composers of late Renaissance, who have opened the door to the stylistic future for the most diverse areas of the musical phrase. He sought inspiration firstly in Olomouc, where he was a Kapelmeister, and continued in Prague where he was drawing influence from the intellectual and humanist circles at the court of the then Emperor Rudolf II, with whom he had close relations. Gallus’s work was based on ethics and his mission was that music served the ethically good and beautiful in the hope of unification into one. Among other quotes, he also wrote “Free music has never given up its help easily to anyone worthy of freedom”, and it is this quote that gives us an insight into his resonance with the humanist nature from which he drew inspiration for his works.
The Czechs and Slovenians are historically very close, connected linguistically and culturally, so let us also be united at this year’s Lednice-Valtice Music Festival by the beautiful music, which awaits us.
H. E. Tanja Strniša | Slovenian Ambassador to the Czech Republic
Dear fans of the Lednice-Valtice Music Festival,
It is my pleasure and honour to take over the patronage of tonight’s concert taking place in the beautiful premises of the Valtice Castle Theatre. This year reminds us in a tragic way that peace on our continent is not a matter of course. This year’s music festival focuses on the ethnic group of Croats in South Moravia. Thus, the Lednice-Valtice Music Festival serves as a welcome contribution to the exchange between the rich cultures of Europe and to their mutual knowledge. This recognition and appreciation of cultural diversity in Europe promotes coexistence in peace. To keep the atmosphere of the castle theatre, tonight will Baroque-focused. I am delighted that we will be able to go back to the time of Baroque thanks to the young musicians such as violinist Jiří Vodička and orchestra Barocco sempre giovane.
H. E. Maria-Pia Kothbauer | Liechtenstein Ambassador to the Czech Republic and Austria
“The Balkan Inspirations” is a prelude to this year’s 7th edition of the Lednice-Valtice Music Festival. Unity in diversity was one of the typical features of the Danube monarchy, which was once home to many nations and ethnicities. The Croats, who fled the Ottoman wars in the 16th century, found their new home here in South Moravia thanks to the invitation of the Princes of Liechtenstein.
The Moravian Croats and their culture thus became another stone in the rich mosaic of cultural symbiosis of this beautiful region in the heart of Europe. Despite the many historical vicissitudes, the descendants of the Moravian Croats are trying to preserve their culture to this day. Nevertheless, it is fortunate that this year’s festival will help to bring it closer to the public.
Music has always been an integral part of the culture of life in aristocratic estates. This was no different at the Liechtenstein court. Therefore, I am very glad that these good traditions have their place in today’s hectic and complicated times.
Daniel Herman | Honorary Consul of the Principality of Liechtenstein in the Czech Republic
Dear fans of music, South Moravia and unforgettable cultural experiences,
it is truly marvellous to witness the diligence, expertise and precision of Jiří Partyka and his entire team with which they annually take Lednice-Valtice Music Festival a big step further. As a South Moravia native, I am honoured that they chose the South Moravian region for this outstanding cultural event. It gives me and my family the reason to return to the region from our home in the United States on the regular bases. Gone are the days when the first year had only one supporter – my father. Now in its seventh year, the festival enjoys the support of multiple high-profile individuals who want to highlight this important and unique event and I believe that they want their children to realize the importance of supporting culture as a result – as I want myself. I wish the festival all the best, and I am eagerly awaiting the premiere edition featuring American musicians and composers.
Monika Vintrlíková | honorary consul of the Czech Republic to Atlanta, USA
Music brings people together. This is not a platitude – this fact has been scientifically proven. And it is no different in the case of LVMF. Through this unique music festival, nations, ethnicities and regions are not only connected. Thanks to the LVMF, the amazing territory of the Lednice-Valtice area and Mikulov, two historical areas with a unique genius locus, are intertwined in modern times. It is an exaggeration to say that after centuries, the two most important noble families are reunited: the House of Liechtenstein and the House of Dietrichstein, which have left an indelible cultural trace in these regions. I am enthusiastic about this convergence of our wonderful destinations and I thank all the protagonists involved in the birth of this extraordinary musical feast.
Rostislav Koštial | mayor of Mikulov and senator from Břeclav region
Dear friends of a beautiful music,
For the 7th year already, the unique Lednice-Valtice Music Festival is the culmination of a rich cultural season in Valtice. It brings marvellous performers and beautiful tones to which we listen with pleasure in the beautiful backdrop of the monuments of the Lednice-Valtice area, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site for 26 years.
This year’s edition finds its inspiration in the Balkans and recalls the arrival of the dashing Croats in South Moravia, where the Liechtensteins invited them to escape the Ottoman armies. I believe it will be an extraordinary experience for all listeners.
I would like to thank Jiří Partyka and his team for their excellent work in the demanding organisation of this extraordinary event. From the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank all the patrons who support the festival and contribute to its success.
Pavel Trojan | mayor of Valtice
Dear friends,
our village with all its surroundings is an extremely attractive location. Its park with the Neo-Gothic castle, as well as other nearby places such as Pond Chateau, Hlohovec and Apollo sallet, are a constant source of the most beautiful views all year round. Not only is this place enchanting for our eyes and souls, but since the establishment of a new natural healing spa it also heals our bodies. I am very glad that these buildings will resound with the tones of classical music once again thanks to Lednice-Valtice Music Festival – this year mostly with artists from the Balkan region and lectures on regional history will give the local citizens a hint about the inhabitants who became part of the region in the past. Furthermore, this musical event marks a celebration of another important historical anniversary: this year’s 800th anniversary of the founding of our village. In 1222, the powerful Austrian family of Wehingen (also known as Sirotek family) who acquired extensive estates in southern Moravia from the Czech King Přemysl Otakar I, was the lord of the local area. Before the name of the village settled into the form we know today, it appeared in written sources as Lednyczy or Eisgrub. I believe that the festival, which establishment have I witnessed as a mayor, will once again delight its visitors and supporters, as it did in previous years – for which it is an important musical event.
Libor Kabát | mayor of Lednice
Dear fans of a classical music,
The quality of the Lednice-Valtice Music Festival has already earned it a permanent place among the important classical music festivals on our music scene, which is proven by this year’s seventh edition. The city of Břeclav also traditionally participates in its organisation. I am proud that every year one of the concerts is held in our town which is a gateway to the Lednice-Valtice area. This year, for the first time at the Mansion Pohansko. In connection with this year’s thematic focus on Balkan inspirations, top Croatian artists will perform here: pianist Aljoša Jurinić and cellist Latica Anić.
I wish all visitors a profound artistic experience.
Svatopluk Pěček | mayor of Břeclav
Dear friends,
Centuries ago, the Lednice-Valtice area became a symbol of economic and cultural prosperity – real “Garden of Europe”. It includes not only unique castles, greenhouses and parks, but also undoubtedly beautiful music. At the unity of art, science and education, supported in the past by the Liechtensteins, a unique university for gardeners, winegrowers, fruit growers and landscape architects were established in Lednice, currently represented by the Faculty of Horticulture of Mendel University in Brno. The seventh year of the Lednice-Valtice Music Festival will be marked by many important anniversaries. One of them is the 200th anniversary of the birth of one of the most important personalities of our region – Gregor Johann Mendel, the world-renowned “father of genetics”. I trust that this year’s musical feast will also become a worthy celebration of the life, talent and work of the man whose name our university bears in its title with utmost humility.
Thanks to the organizers for preparing another year of the festival for us and I wish us all a wonderful meeting with music.
Alena Salašová | dean of the Faculty of Horticulture of Mendel University in Brno
Most music festivals are held as a parade of concerts that have no connection or interconnection. But there are exceptions that offer something extra. A unifying idea that elevates the festival to an event. After the fabulous success of the Lednice-Valtice Music Festival 2021, which was inspired by the Vivaldi anniversary and focused on Baroque music performed by top European ensembles and soloists, Jiří Partyka is coming up with another project this year. He is a director and programmer of the LVMF, but also, or above all, a human being with roots anchored in South Moravia, but with a heritage of ancestors who once settled in this area. Furthermore, it was not far to an idea that is now becoming a reality. The theme of the 7th edition of LVMF is the story of the Moravian Croats translated into music. Passionate, ardent. It was the philosopher Nietzsche who wrote that “a life without music would be a mistake”. I don’t know about in general, but from 26 August to 8 October 2022 at the LVMF most certainly.
Jiří Vejvoda | guide of the LVMF
