Opening August 8, Bard Music Festival Explores Life and Times of Foremost 20th-Century Czech Composer in “Martinů and His World”

(Annandale-on-Hudson, July 2025) — On Friday, August 8, the Bard Music Festival returns with an intensive two-week exploration of “Martinů and His World.” In eleven themed concert programs, the festival’s 35th season examines Bohuslav Martinů, the 20th century’s foremost Czech composer, by considering him as A Musical Mirror of the 20th Century (Weekend One: August 8–10), and investigating the stand he took Against Uncertainty, Uniformity, Mechanization (Weekend Two: August 14–17). Aside from Program Six, presented in nearby Rhinebeck, all concerts take place in the stunning Frank Gehry-designed Fisher Center for the Performing Arts and other venues on Bard College’s idyllic Hudson River campus. Six programs will also stream live to home audiences worldwide on the Fisher Center’s virtual stage, and chartered coach transportation from New York City will be available for the final performance (see details below). Representing a centerpiece of the 22nd Bard SummerScape festival, the Bard Music Festival is set once again to prove itself “the summer’s most stimulating music festival” (Los Angeles Times).

“One of the most remarkable figures in the worlds of arts and culture” (NYC Arts, THIRTEEN/WNET), festival founder and co-artistic director Leon Botstein is music director of both the American Symphony Orchestra (ASO) and Bard’s unique graduate training orchestra, The Orchestra Now (TŌN). He explains:

“What’s interesting about Martinů is that he was almost permanently in his career in exile, an émigré, and he was intensely prolific. … He as a composer was very eclectic. He didn’t have one style, really, so he modulated from one style to another. … He never overstays his welcome as a composer, and he had a real sense of the beauty and the uniqueness of instrumental sounds. So, we’re trying to survey his career as a way of introducing the public to a composer we know they’ll like.”

See Botstein and co-artistic director Christopher H. Gibbs discuss “Martinů and His World” further here.

In a concert with commentary by Botstein himself, he and TŌN help open the festival with two of Martinů’s major orchestral works: the Second Symphony, a work commissioned for The Cleveland Orchestra, and Double Concerto, which remains one of the composer’s crowning achievements [Program 1]. Botstein also leads TŌN in the Second Symphony by Martinů’s compatriot Erwin Schulhoff; the Memorial to Lidice, Martinů’s searing response to the Nazis’ annihilation of a Czech village; his award-winning Sixth and final Symphony (Fantaisies symphoniques); his masterly Fourth Piano Concerto, “Incantation”; and the Piano Concertino by his great friend Rudolf Firkušný (the dedicatee of the Fourth Piano Concerto), which receives just its third performance to date [Program 3].

As in previous seasons, Bard’s choral and operatic programs all feature the Bard Festival Chorale under the leadership of choral director James Bagwell. The choir joins TŌN for the Field Mass, Martinů’s powerful anti-war cantata, and the world premiere of the original French version of his one-act opera Mariken de Nimègue (“Mary of Nijmegen”) [Program 7]. Botstein conducts the chorus and the ASO in accounts of Martinů’s only large-scale oratorio, The Epic of Gilgamesh, and of Ignis pro Ioanne Palach, a cantata by his talented student Jan Novák [Program 9]. To conclude the festival, Botstein, the ASO, and the Bard Festival Chorale reunite for a semi-staged concert performance of what is arguably Martinů’s finest work – his eighth opera, Julietta – starring Grammy-winning tenor Aaron Blake and soprano Erica Petrocelli, who lends her “searing intensity” (Los Angeles Times) to the title role [Program 11]. All five orchestral and choral concerts will be livestreamed.

The festival presents a wide range of Martinů’s chamber music. “Theremin queen” Dorit Chrysler (The Village Voice) takes part in his folk-inflected Fantasia [Program 1] and Grammy-winning flutist Brandon Patrick George performs his Flute Sonata, a work inspired by the song of a whippoorwill [Program 2]. In a concert with commentary by scholars-in-residence Michael Beckerman and Aleš Březina, Gramophone Award nominee Danny Driver interprets Martinů’s pentatonic piano piece The Fifth Day of the Fifth Moon and the Cleveland Quartet Award-winning Balourdet Quartet performs his heartfelt Seventh String Quartet, “Concerto da camera” [Program 4]. The opening weekend concludes with a livestreamed program featuring the Bard Festival Chamber Players in performances of his witty ballet La revue de cuisine, his contrapuntal Tre ricercari, and his dazzling Harpsichord Concerto, with Opus Klassik Award-winner Mahan Esfahani as soloist [Program 5]. Other Martinů chamber highlights include his lyrical Third Cello Sonata and the Second Nonet, composed in his final months, which finds fresh colors and textures within its neoclassical form [Program 8].

“One of New York’s finest organists” (The New York Times), Renée Anne Louprette plays works by Leoš Janáček and Petr Eben on the newly renovated organ of the Episcopal Church of the Messiah in nearby Rhinebeck [Program 6]. Other chamber works by Martinů’s predecessors, contemporaries, and successors include the youthful yet confident Piano Quartet by his teacher Josef Suk [Program 2]; the folk-permeated First String Quartet by his gifted composition student Vítězslava Kaprálová [Program 4]; the sparkling Concerto da camera by Martinů’s Tanglewood colleague Arthur Honegger [Program 5]; and Joan Tower’s Petroushskates, a recent work that harks back to Martinů in its rich timbral variety and rhythmic drive [Program 10].
 

Supplementary events and companion book

Besides the eleven concert programs, there will be two free panel discussions: “Why Martinů: Understanding Classical Music, Past and Future” and “Music and Politics: From the Multinational Empire to Contemporary Populism and Autocracy.” These will be supplemented by informative pre-concert talks – all free to ticket-holders – by scholars Byron Adams, Michael Beckerman, Aleš Březina, Derek Katz, Christopher H. Gibbs, Marina Frolova-Walker, Anna Harwell Celenza, and Richard Wilson. Bard SummerScape and the ASO also present the first fully staged American production of Dalibor, widely considered by fellow Czechs to be the greatest opera by Martinů’s compatriot Bedřich Smetana (July 25–August 3). Edited by Bard’s 2025 Scholars-in-Residence – Aleš Březina, director of Prague’s Bohuslav Martinů Institute, and New York University’s Michael Beckerman, editor of Martinů’s Mysterious Accident and of two previous Bard Music Festival publications: Dvořák and His World (1994) and Janáček and His World (2003) – the companion book Martinů and His World is published by the University of Chicago Press.
 

Round-trip bus transportation from New York City

Chartered bus transportation from New York City is available for the festival finale, Program Eleven (August 17). This may be ordered online or by calling the box office at 845-758-7900, and the meeting point for pick-up and drop-off is at Lincoln Center on Amsterdam Avenue, between 64th and 65th Streets. More information is available here.
 

SummerScape tickets

Tickets for mainstage events start at $25 and livestreams are $20. Panel discussions are free of charge and open to the public. For complete information regarding tickets, series discounts, and more, visit fishercenter.bard.edu or call Bard’s box office at (845) 758-7900.

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Program details of Bard Music Festival, “Martinů and His World”

All performances (except Program Six) are in the Fisher Center and other locations on Bard College campus, Annandale-on-Hudson, which is accessible by regular Amtrak trains. Program Eleven is serviced by round-trip bus from Manhattan: see above for details.

WEEKEND ONE: A Musical Mirror of the 20th Century

PROGRAM ONE: A Career Beyond Borders
Friday, August 8
Sosnoff Theater
7pm performance with commentary by Leon Botstein: with Jana McIntyre, soprano; Taylor Raven, mezzo-soprano; Michael Stephen Brown, Erika Switzer, & Orion Weiss, piano; Luosha Fang, violin; Dorit Chrysler, theremin; the Balourdet Quartet; Alexandra Knoll, oboe; The Orchestra Now, conducted by Leon Botstein, music director (plus livestream)

Bohuslav MARTINŮ (1890–1959)
   Nos. 2 & 5 from Etudes and Polkas, Book II, H308 (1945)
   Petrklíč / Primrose, H348 (1954)
   Fantasia, H301 (1944)
   Piano Quartet No. 1, H287 (1942)
   Double Concerto, H271 (1938)
   Symphony No. 2, H295 (1943)

PANEL ONE: Why Martinů: Understanding Classical Music, Past and Future
Saturday, August 9
Olin Hall
10am–12 noon
Christopher H. Gibbs, moderator; Michael Beckerman; Leon Botstein; Marina Frolova-Walker
Free and open to the public

PROGRAM TWO: The French Connection
Saturday, August 9
Olin Hall
1pm preconcert talk: Byron Adams
1:30pm performance: Taylor Raven, mezzo-soprano; Brandon Patrick George, flute; Thomas English, bassoon; Michael Stephen Brown, Danny Driver, & Erika Switzer, piano; Luosha Fang, violin; James Kim, cello; Jason Mellow, viola

Jaroslav ŘÍDKÝ (1897–1956)
   Alla Polka (1933)
Bohuslav MARTINŮ (1890–1959)
   String Trio No. 1, H136 (1923)
Alexandre TANSMAN (1897–1986)
   Bassoon Sonatina (1956)
Bohuslav MARTINŮ
   Flute Sonata, H306 (1945)
   Foxtrot for piano, H126b (1920)
Albert ROUSSEL (1869–1937)
   Jazz dans la nuit, Op. 38 (1929)
Maurice RAVEL (1875–1937)
   Violin Sonata in G (1927)
Josef SUK (1874–1935)
   Piano Quartet in A minor, Op. 1 (1891)

PROGRAM THREE: Music and Freedom
Saturday, August 9
Sosnoff Theater 
6pm preconcert talk: Christopher H. Gibbs
7pm performance: Jeonghwan Kim & Piers Lane, piano; The Orchestra Now, conducted by Leon Botstein, music director (plus livestream)

Erwin SCHULHOFF (1894–1942)
   Symphony No. 2 (1932)
Bohuslav MARTINŮ (1890–1959)
   Piano Concerto No. 4, “Incantation,” H358 (1956)
   Memorial to Lidice, H296 (1943)
Rudolf FIRKUŠNÝ (1912–94)
   Piano Concertino (1929)
Bohuslav MARTINŮ
   Symphony No. 6 (Fantaisies symphoniques), H343 (1951–53)

PROGRAM FOUR: Martinů’s Distinctive Voice
Sunday, August 10
Olin Hall
11am performance with commentary by Michael Beckerman and Aleš Březina; with Danny Driver, piano; Balourdet Quartet; James Kim, cello; and others

Bohuslav MARTINŮ (1890–1959)
   String Quartet No. 7, “Concerto da camera,” H314 (1947)
   The Fifth Day of the Fifth Moon, for piano, H318 (1948)
   Les rondes, H200 (1930)
Vítězslava KAPRÁLOVÁ (1915–40)
   String Quartet No. 1, Op. 8 (1935)
Bohuslav MARTINŮ
   Variations on a Slovak Theme, H378 (1959)

PROGRAM FIVE: From Paris to New York
Sunday, August 10
Sosnoff Theater
2pm preconcert talk: Anna Harwell Celenza
3pm performance: Mahan Esfahani, harpsichord; Brandon Patrick George, flute; Yoonah Kim, clarinet; Alexandra Knoll, English horn; Andrey Gugnin, Jeonghwan Kim & Orion Weiss, piano; Balourdet Quartet; Bard Festival Chamber Players (plus livestream)

Bohuslav MARTINŮ (1890–1959)
   La revue de cuisine, H161 (1927)
   Piano Sonata No. 1, H350 (1954)
   Harpsichord Concerto, H246 (1935)
Arthur HONEGGER (1892–1955)
   Concerto da camera, H196 (1948)
Aaron COPLAND (1900–90)
   Sextet (1937)
Bohuslav MARTINŮ
   Tre ricercari, H267 (1938)

WEEKEND TWO: Against Uncertainty, Uniformity, Mechanization:
Music in the Mid-20th Century

PROGRAM SIX: The Spiritual Quest
Thursday, August 14, at 7pm
Friday, August 15 at 3pm
Church of the Messiah, Rhinebeck
Performance: Renée Anne Louprette, organ; Bard Festival Chorale, conducted by James Bagwell, choral director

Bohuslav MARTINŮ (1890–1959)
   Vigilie, H382 (1959)
Leoš Janáček (1854–1928)
   Veni Sancte Spiritus (1903)
   Ave Maria (1883)
   Constitues eos principes (1903)
Antonín DVOŘÁK (1841–1904)
   From Mass in D, Op. 86 (1887): Kyrie and Gloria
Petr EBEN (1929–2007)
   From Musica dominicalis (Sunday Music) (1958): Finale
Bohuslav MARTINŮ
   The Mount of Three Lights, H349 (1954)
Leoš JANÁČEK
   From Glagolitic Mass (1926): Postludium

PROGRAM SEVEN: Faith and Folklore
Friday, August 15
Sosnoff Theater
6:30pm preconcert talk: Michael Beckerman and Aleš Březina
7pm performance: Anna Thompson, soprano; Taylor Raven, mezzo-soprano; Tyler Duncan, baritone; Bhavesh Patel, speaker; Bard Festival Chorale, James Bagwell, choral director; The Orchestra Now, conducted by James Bagwell and Zachary Schwartzman; and others (plus livestream)

Bohuslav MARTINŮ (1890–1959)
   Field Mass, H279 (1946)
   Brigand Songs, H361 (1957)
   Mariken de Nimègue, H236/2 I (1933–34)
   From The Prophecy of Isaiah, H383 (1959)

PANEL TWO: Music and Politics: From the Multinational Empire to Contemporary Populism and Autocracy
Saturday, August 16
Olin Hall
10am–12 noon
Michael Beckerman, moderator; Aleš Březina; Larry Wolff; Alison Frank Johnson
Free and open to the public

PROGRAM EIGHT: Tradition and Innovation
Saturday, August 16
Olin Hall
1pm preconcert talk: Derek Katz
1:30pm performance: Alex Sopp, flute; Hsuan-Fong Chen, oboe; Alec Manasse, clarinet; Michael Stephen Brown & Piers Lane, piano; Shannon Lee & Austin Wulliman, violin; Luosha Fang, viola; Nicholas Canellakis & Thomas Mesa, cello; and others

Bohuslav MARTINŮ (1890–1959)
   Duo No. 1, “Three Madrigals,” H313 (1947)
   Cello Sonata No. 3, H340 (1952)
   Nonet No. 2, H374 (1959)
David DIAMOND (1915–2005)
   Quintet (1937)
Karel HUSA (1921–2016)
   Évocations de Slovaquie (1951)

PROGRAM NINE: The Epic Power of Tradition
Saturday, August 16
Sosnoff Theater
6pm preconcert talk: Michael Beckerman
7pm performance: Leah Hawkins, soprano; John Matthew Myers, tenor; Norman Garrett, baritone; William Guanbo Su, bass-baritone; Bhavesh Patel, speaker; Itamar Zorman, violin; Bard Festival Chorale, James Bagwell, choral director; American Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Leon Botstein, music director (plus livestream)

Jan Novák (1921–84)
   Ignis pro Ioanne Palach (1969)
Bohuslav MARTINŮ (1890–1959)
   Ariane (Aria)
   Violin Concerto No. 2, H293 (1943)
   The Epic of Gilgamesh, H351 (1955)

PROGRAM TEN: Martinů’s Legacy
Sunday, August 17
Olin Hall
11am preconcert talk: Richard Wilson
11:30am performance: Iva Bittová, vocals and violin; Alex Sopp, flute; Hsuan-Fong Chen, oboe; Shari Hoffman & Alec Manasse, clarinet; Danny Driver & Andrey Gugnin, piano; Austin Wulliman, violin; Thomas Mesa, cello; Victoria Drake, harp; and others

Alexander TCHEREPNIN (1899–1977)
   Ten Bagatelles, Op. 5 (1912–18)
CHOU Wen-chung (1923–2019)
   Suite for Harp and Woodwind Quintet (1951)
Witold LUTOSŁAWSKI (1913–94)
   Dance Preludes (1954)
Frank ZAPPA (1940–93)
   Ruth is Sleeping (1993)
Jaroslav JEŽEK (1906–42)
   Étude (1933)
Joan TOWER (b. 1938)
   Petroushskates (1980)
Bohuslav MARTINŮ
   Quartet for Oboe, Violin, Cello, and Piano, H315 (1947)
Songs by Bohuslav MARTINŮ and Iva BITTOVÁ (b. 1958)

PROGRAM ELEVEN: The Opera of Dreams: Martinů’s Julietta
Sunday, August 17
Sosnoff Theater
2pm preconcert talk: Marina Frolova-Walker
3pm performance: Erica Petrocelli, soprano; Megan Marino, Taylor Raven & Krysty Swann, mezzo-sopranos; Aaron Blake & Rodell Rosel, tenors; Alfred Walker & Philip Cokorinos, bass-baritones; Kevin Thompson, bass; members of the Bard Festival Chorale, James Bagwell, choral director; American Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Leon Botstein; directed by Marco Nisticò; projection and video design by John Horzen (plus livestream)

Bohuslav MARTINŮ (1890–1959)
   Julietta, H253 (1937)

Round-trip transportation from New York City is available for this performance.
 

SummerScape 2025: other remaining key dates

Until August 16
Spiegeltent: live music and dancing

July 25–August 3
Opera: Smetana’s Dalibor
(new production; first fully staged production in U.S.)

All programs subject to change

The Fisher Center is generously supported by Carolyn Marks Blackwood and Gregory H. Quinn, Jeanne Donovan Fisher, the Martin and Toni Sosnoff Foundation, Felicitas S. Thorne, Andrew E. Zobler, the Advisory Board of the Fisher Center, Fisher Center members and general fund donors, the Educational Foundation of America, the Smokler/Hebert Family Fund, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature. The Bard Music Festival is generously supported by Helen and Roger Alcaly, Kathleen Vuillet Augustine, the Bettina Baruch Foundation, Jeanne Donovan Fisher, the Marstrand Foundation, the Naughton-Chesley Gift Trust, Denise Simon and Paulo Vieira da Cunha, Felicitas S. Thorne, the Wise Music Family Foundation, the Bard Music Festival Board, and Bard Music Festival members.
 

This event was last updated on 07-24-2025

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