Autumn concerts

On October 12, the band performed in Suk Hall at the House of Music in Pardubice, joined by its Austrian guests. The Swarovski Musik Wattens Concert Band, which won first place at the international competition in Prague two years ago, accepted the invitation to this joint concert and performed in the first half of the program. Under the baton of their conductor Stefan Köhl, the orchestra, a resident ensemble of the Swarovski company, delivered an outstanding performance. The repertoire included works by Philip Sparke, Joaquín Rodrigo, and Alfred Reed. In the second half, the Czech National Concert Band took the stage under the direction of its chief conductor Václav Blahunek. The highlight of the evening was a performance by trumpeter Jiří Houdek, who presented Vincenzo Bellini’s Concerto for Oboe.

The band’s second autumn performance was part of the inaugural Swing Festival in Pardubice. The orchestra concluded the festival with a gala evening, once again conducted by Václav Blahunek, presenting a special program tailored to the event. The repertoire featured works by George Gershwin, Frank Sinatra, and Glenn Miller. The soloist of the evening was clarinetist and saxophonist Felix Slováček Jr., who performed Artie Shaw’s Concerto for Clarinet and, as an encore, played the soprano saxophone with a virtuosic rendition of Waldyr de Azevedo’s Amorador.

The Czech National Concert Band concluded its performances for this year but is already inviting audiences to its next concert at the Talichův Beroun Festival, which will take place at the Plzeňka Cultural House in Beroun on February 15, 2025.