Smetana Litomyšl Festival • Nicholas Kraemer

“It is the fulfilment of a dream we shared with Jiří Bělohlávek: after two years of preparations, we are ushering in concerts of the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra. This name does not stand for one particular ensemble; instead it represents a project in which the orchestra members will be performing in various chamber groups,” said David Mareček, Chief Executive Officer of the Czech Philharmonic, in the spring of 2018. Jiří Bělohlávek was convinced that it was healthy for the Czech Philharmonic to play in a smaller ensemble with a repertoire spanning the Baroque to the present, where the musicians can hone their intonation, phrasing, and collaboration as individuals within a whole group. The Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, consisting exclusively of the members of the Czech Philharmonic assembled for a specific occasion, was officially established in the Czech Philharmonic’s 123rd season. Since then, the ensemble has already prepared fifteen projects presented both during the orchestra’s regular season at the Rudolfinum and at festival appearances.

Nicholas Kraemer, a pioneer of historically informed interpretation and now the chief guest conductor of the Chicago-based orchestra Music of the Baroque, has earned an international reputation for leading ensembles specialising in early music. He guest conducts modern orchestras as well (especially in the USA and the UK, but also with the Berlin Philharmonic, for example), putting his knowledge of informed interpretation to use. Although music of the Baroque is his main specialisation, his repertoire spans from Monteverdi to the present.

He began his career as a harpsichordist, but he soon changed over to playing basso continuous in front of an orchestra. He conducts from the harpsichord to this day, as the Prague public witnessed in January 2024 at his Czech Philharmonic debut. He bases his carefully considered interpretations on historical knowledge of great depth, as he demonstrated in one of the mainstays of his broad repertoire, Handel’s oratorio Messiah. The performance’s authenticity and its lively character were appreciated by the audience, and a critic called Kraemer’s concert one of the season’s highpoints.