Program

In the year 2011 we are opening a jubilee season of the International Music Festival Lipa Musica. At the start, the festival did not hold international performers. Also, it was not named Lipa Musica. But, it was linked to Ceska Lipa. The founder, Mr. Martin Prokeš, remains its leader to nowadays. Originally, the festival of spiritual music educated the audience from the wide surroundings of Česká Lípa. Gradually, the festival was becoming more and more expanding and it was receiving much more attention from the public. At the present, the festival can stand up to top Czech music festivals. Furthermore, the festival has undoubtedly best publicity and promotion via media in the Czech Republic. It is imbued with admirable patriotism of its creators. The festival does not look like “a culture producing factory” and does not just try to gained money from it. Festival’s organisers try their best to place the musical projects into specially designed premises, they try to match the needs and requirements of towns where the concerts are held as well as they try to fit the projects into small churches. Well balanced requirements of those towns and possibilities of artists bring inventions and ideas on how to uniquely arrange the concerts and provide unforgettable experience of certain evenings. Every year, the organizers surprise with something new – location, genre or conception. The festival’s cultural quality (in the broader understanding of the term “cultural”) goes far beyond the regional criterions if we can even make smaller the regional values to those national ones. The tenth jubilee of the festival Lipa Musica does not mean any essential turning point. In the past years, the festival proved that it does not tend to stop at anniversaries or becomes satisfied with certain definite settings. The festival is continually on the move and every year it goes further and further to new directions and areas. It is certain, that this year will again move a bit further.

Nevertheless, it is important to festival’s organizers to honour the name, time-proven values and fondness of audience. Therefore the festival centre remains in Ceska Lipa, where will be held six essential concerts. Traditionally, other premises holding the concerts are in Zahradky, Kravare, Jablonne v Podjestedi and in Novy Bor. It testifies the interconnection of regional music supporters as well as their atypical rich cultural bounty. The dramaturgy of the tenth volume reached again the top art levels via soprano singer Eva Urbanova
During the festival, audience can listen to other outstanding performers such as Clarinet Factory, Moscow Patriarch Choir and the pianist Ivo Kahanek. These performers promise distinct and authentic experience. As a counterbalance there is a project called “The region introduces its performers”. It is not only socially interesting for the audience but it also brings advice in the repertoire linked to the region.
The Moscow Patriarch Choir will present four concerts. It is also linked to the festival via two previous concerts. Their success was for the organizers so obligating that they had the courage to arrange with the artists these many performances. Each concert will be held in different premises with the last one being performed as emissary project in Prague. The Visegrad’s Night is the original project linking and comparing musical cultures via great czech pianist Ivo Kahánek.

The festival does not lack the popular line represented by Eben brothers. Clarinet Factory promises to convey the experience from so-called crossover field. Their repertoire links classical spiritual music with free production so typical for this ensemble. The concert will be held in the Basilica in Jablonne v Podjestedi. 

The traditional part of the festival’s programme is represented by Ensemble Inégal and Ensemble Tourbillion, which both promise excellent experience of peak quality.

Behind each year of the festival there is a lot of effort. But the final appearance is clear and tempting. The festival offers one autumn month full of enjoyable time for which Liberec region as well as the festival centre in Ceska Lipa can be proud of.  

PhDr. Lucie Maňourová, Ph.D.