Discover the 66th Chopin Festival in Mariánské Lázně
Festival held annually during the third week of August by Fryderyk Chopin Society. The Society was founded in 1959 and its honorary chairman was the piano virtuoso and then professor of piano at the Prague Academy of Performing Arts František Rauch. It was imprinted with the mission to develop and transmit Chopin’s compositional legacy, to spread knowledge about Chopin’s life and works. In the same year, the 1st Chopin Festival was held. Chopin Festival, which became one of the five oldest European music festivals. Since 1962, the festival has been enriched every two years piano competition, where sounds exclusively the works of F. Chopin and which has already featured a number of outstanding young performers whose names soon became known to the entire musical world.
66th edition full of beautiful music
August days filled with music belong to the the greatest cultural festivals in the Czech Republic and significantly enrich the cultural life of Mariánské Lázně, bringing many outstanding performers and distinguished conductors from all over the world. Although the festival has been running for some time, many artistic experiences are still to come. Opening concert will be held on Saturday August 16 at 7:00 p.m. in the Casino Community Center and the program includes Chopin Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 in E minor Op. 11 performed by pianist Alexander Kobrin from the USA and Symphony No. 104 in D major by Joseph Haydn, performed by the West Bohemian Symphony Orchestra of Mariánské Lázně.
The Municipal Theatre will host piano recitals, namely 18, 19 and 21 August. You can look forward to the well-known Chopin’s melodies, such as the Berceuse in D flat major Op. 57, Nocturne Op. 27, Waltz Op. 18, Variations brillante Op. 12, Barcarolle in F sharp major Op. 60, Sonata in B minor Op. 58 No. 3 and Variations “La ci darem la mano” Op. 2. During the recitals you will also hear music by R. Schumann, S. Rachmaninov and I. Stravinsky. J. S. Bach, W. A. Mozart and F. Mendelssohn – Bartholdy. Lovers of piano music should not miss Ivan Klánský’s congratulatory concert, which will be held 20 August at the Casino Community Centre. Here also 23 August will be played closing concert.
To Chopin at Kynžvart and the monastery in Teplá
But the Chopin Festival will not only be in Mariánské Lázně. Music will also resound in the Teplá Monastery and Kynžvart Castle. V Teplá Monastery ring August 19 2025 Blue Salon selection of songs F. Chopin, R. Schumann and F. Schubert. Jan Martiník will sing and Martin Kasík will accompany him on piano. The audience will be taken to Teplá and back by bus from the Municipal Theatre at 19:15.
Chamber concert at Kynzvart revive the castle 22 August 2025. There will be Three Preludes and Three Etudes by H. V. Lobos, Fantasie on the Motifs of La Traviata by F. Tarrego and G. Verdi, as well as Platero y yo Op.190 by M. Castelnuovoo-Tedesco and El Decameròn negro by L. Brouwer. He will play all the pieces on classical guitar Claudio Piastra from Italy. And how do you get here? Transport to the castle is provided by bus from the Municipal Theatre. Departures will be at 17:15 and 19:45. Tickets must be picked up in advance. The recital at Kynžvart Castle starts at 18:00 and 20:30.
Exhibitions at 66. 66th Chopin Festival
V Goethe Gallery Festival visitors can see the City Museum “Music in Pictures” Dominik Petr, Jiří Pužej’s photography exhibition entitled “Artists at the Chopin Festival II” and in the courtyard of the Chopin House you will find a very interesting exhibition “Castles and chateaux in the neighbourhood“. It shows the valuable historical monuments of the Polish provinces of Lower Silesia, Opole and Silesia, which border the Czech state border. It also touches upon the common chapters of Czech-Polish history.
