Dear Music Lovers, Dear Friends,
Following the jubilee tenth edition of the Lednice-Valtice Music Festival, a new chapter now begins. The festival’s eleventh edition is dedicated to France – to its music, elegance, theatrical spirit, spiritual depth, and extraordinary sense of beauty.
The inspiration for this year’s festival is the Golden Carriage of Prince Joseph Wenzel I of Liechtenstein. In 1738, it accompanied the newly appointed Imperial Ambassador to the court of Louis XV during his ceremonial entry into Paris and, shortly afterwards, into Versailles. This remarkable symbol of aristocratic splendour recalls the diplomatic mission, courtly culture, and refined artistic taste of its era. An intriguing detail is that the procession was drawn by horses from the Prince’s stud farm at Eisgrub, today’s Lednice.
This symbolic journey is the one we are retracing this year. We bring French music back to the Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape in many different forms—from Baroque sacred music and operatic and ballet inspirations to the music of the twentieth century.
One of the most memorable moments in preparing this year’s festival was our June visit to Versailles together with the festival’s partners and patrons. It was our way of expressing gratitude for their long-standing support and trust. Within the magnificent palace, we were able to experience together the atmosphere of the place from which one of the festival’s principal inspirations originates. At the Royal Opera, we met conductor Gaétan Jarry and the resident French ensemble, who will also perform in Lednice this year.
The festival will also welcome Catherine Trottmann, Ana Vieira Leite, Sandra Hamaoui, violinist Cosima Soulez Larivière, and many other distinguished artists from both the Czech Republic and across Europe. We have not forgotten our youngest audiences either, for whom we are preparing an educational ballet performance, creative art workshops, and ballet workshops.
My sincere thanks go to all our partners, supporters, artists, collaborators, and visitors who share this journey with us. I firmly believe that this year’s festival will once again offer an inspiring programme, naturally connecting French music with the unique atmosphere of the Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape.
Jiří Partyka Artistic Director of the Lednice-Valtice Music Festival