9.7.

20.20

Big castle hall, opening concert

Gabriela Demeterová – violin
& Pavel Steidl – guitar,
Collegium of Gabriela Demeterová

PROGRAM

Gabriela Demeterová
started to play the violin as early as at the age of three. From 1983, she studied at the Prague Conservatory and at the Academy of Performing Arts (AMU) under Prof. Nora Grumlíková. From 1980, she entered many national as well as international competitions and was awarded many a prize, among others in Kocian’s violin competition in the Czech Republic or in The Yehudi Menuhin International Competition in England, where she first participated in 1987 becoming the first Czech finalist in the history of the competition. In 1992, she gained the 2nd prize in the Prague Spring Violin Competition. One year later, she became winner of the Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition in Folkestone, England, winning all main prizes, including the overall winner and a special prize for the best performance of J. S. Bach’s composition. During her studies, she regularly took part in master classes all over the world. 

Since 1994, she has been recording for Supraphon, where she has issued 12 CD’s already. After a remarkably successful concert conducted by Libor Pešek in Prague Rudolfinum - where she performed Dvořák’s Violin Concerto – Supraphon offered her an exclusive contract until 2002.

Gabriela gives concerts not only throughout Europe, but also in the USA and Japan. She cooperates with notable ensembles and conductors from all over the world. 

            G. Demeterová is a soloist as well as artistic director of the Czech Philharmonic Collegium chamber ensemble, which focuses on performing baroque music and little-known pieces of Czech composers. With this ensemble, she has recorded three CD’s - Italian Baroque, Magic Violin, and Carl Stamitz (Supraphon).

G. Demeterova has been involved in baroque music study and performance for several years. She plays a modern instrument using elements of period performing practice. Her partner performers include Giedré Lukšaité-Mrázková (harpsichord and organ) and Jaroslav Tůma (organ). Since 1998, Gabriela has been using the baroque tuning (415Hz), which is almost a halftone lower than what we use today. A better sound of the particular keys and their discord, a better possibility of work with upper partials, and a better tone-colour led her to using the lower tuning.

In the year 2000, G. Demeterová completed her two-year post-graduate course at the Royal Academy of Music in Denmark, where she studied under Marta Líbalová. The specific rules of period performing practice she consulted with specialists in Holland as well as in Denmark with Prof. Marta Líbalová in Denmark.

To celebrate the Year of J. S. Bach in 2000, Gabriela Demeterová recorded for the Supraphon Company all six Bach’s Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord BWV 1014-1019 using the old tuning. The harpsichord part was played by Giedré Lukšaité-Mrázková. 

            In 2001, Gabriela Demeterová also started to study playing the viola. This was an opportunity to prepare for Supraphon, her home recording company, a project in which she herself recorded both the violin and the viola part. It is and exceptional recording of Six Duets for Violin and Viola Op. 1 by Karl Stamitz. This challenging project was realised at the beginning of the year 2002. The duets have never been played in our country because of the unusual demands of the viola part. Gabriela Demeterová has become one of the few musicians who play both the violin and the viola.

In August 2001, G. Demeterová founded the international music festival of “Baroque Pearls”. The focus of this project is, among others, to support the reconstruction of the historic objects in which the festival takes place. One of these “baroque pearls” is the Manětín Chateau near Plzeň, another the church St. Nicolas’  in Kozojedy, or the Chateau of Valeč. G. Demeterová would like to direct attention to the region of Plzeň-North and its jewels.

In January 2003, she founded The Endowment Fund of Gabriela Demeterová, which has become the main organizer of Gabriela Demeterová’s festival. The chief task of the endowment fund is support for young artists and reconstruction of historic monuments in the Czech Republic. In August 2004, already the 4th year of the international music festival took place, again under the auspices of Pavel Dostál, Minister of Culture of the Czech Republic. More details on the festival and the endowment fund, you will find on the following WEB sites: www.barokniperly.cz.

In the year 2002, the Czech Television offered Gabriela the position of moderator in the new music programme of Terra Musica, which you can see on ČT2 every fortnight. This offer extended the spectrum of her activities by another interesting territory. The programme maps the current world of culture in the Czech Republic. Gabriela’s guests are interesting personalities from the field of classical music; in the year 2002, there appeared for example conductors Libor Pešek, Paavo Järvi, and Jiří Kout. In the first part already, she invited to the studio the world-famous Czech pianist Ivan Moravec, whom we can see on ČT only very rarely. In the year 2003, when the Czech Television renewed its offer, she received, among others, conductor Genadij Rožděstvěnský. In the same year, Gabriela started to regularly take concert tours of Japan.

In February 2003, Gabriela Demeterová made her debut in Indianapolis, the USA, in the famous Clowes Hall, where she performed with one of the best-known chamber ensembles in the USA, The Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Kirk Trevor, the principal director. She came again to the USA in June of the same year. In Columbia, the capital of Missouri, she appeared at the prestigious Summer Music Festival, again conducted by Kirk Trevor.

Full details on Gabriela’s concert performances, you will find on the following WEB sites: www.gabrielademeterova.cz

In the year 2003, Gabriela started to work with pianist Norbert Heller, with whom she is currently recording the complete set of W. A. Mozart’s Sonatas for Piano and Violin at the Libochovice Chateau. Both artists, and that is why the recording is exceptional, play historic instruments in the original tuning; Norbert Heller the hammerclavier from the workshop of Konrad Graf (probably from the years 1820 – 1830), which is a part of the Libochovice Chateau exposition, Gabriela Demeterová her Kašpar Strnad violin from the year 1795. The whole set will be issued during the years 2003 and 2005. The project is realised for Digital Media in Loděnice u Prahy, which is also news for her supporters.

Since 2003, Gabriela has been collaborating with Czech Radio 3 – Vltava. She prepares two programmes, Rondo, in which she presents remarkable recordings from the world of classical music, and Matiné, for which she chooses fascinating topics connected with classical music.

In September 2003, Gabriela Demeterová was appointed a member of the artistic council of the Prague Academy of Performing Arts.

Since June 2006, Gabriela estabilished Collegium of Gabriela Demeterova  - ten members ensemble that  fully helps her to realise her musical visions. Gabriela is the artistic leader and soloist of this ensemble which is completed from members of top Czech orchestras.

Gabriela performs on a violin made by Giuseppe Rocca, an Italian master, in the year 1855, a Kašpar Strnad violin from the year 1795, and a viola by Dalibor Bzirsky from the year 2005.

Pavel Steidl
was born in Rakovnik (Czech Republic). Since he won first prize at the Radio France International Competition in Paris, he has become one of the most widely celebrated soloists of his generation. His highly expressive performances of rare 19th-century guitar literature on authentic instruments add a wonderful dimension to his already exceptional performances.

Pavel Steidl also composes himself and his own compositions are often played on his concerts.

P. Steidl played in more then 30 countries of the world from among Canada, Cuba, Spain, Poland, Austria, Costa Rica, Mexico, Guatemala, Australia, Japan, England, Scotland and many others.

On demand of Italian Guitar Magazine Guitart his name appeard between eight most important guitarist of the year 2003.