11th December 2008

Three Fragments from the opera Juliette

On 11 December 2008, the Rudolfinum hall in Prague hosted the premiere of one of Bohuslav Martinů’s major works. The libretto of the opera Juliette was originally written in Czech, yet – with the aim to gain for it appropriate international publicity – the composer furnished it with a French libretto, expecting to have excerpts from the most vital scenes broadcast by French Radio. At the time, however, Three Fragments from the opera Juliette (The Key to Dreams) was not broadcast. It would be another 70 years until it was performed. The Three Fragments were brought to life by Sir Charles Mackerras, who conducted the Czech Philharmonic and the soloists Magdalena Kožená and Steve Davislim. In 2009, Supraphon’s live recording of the unique concert received a number of prestigious accolades, including the Gramophone Award, the Diapason d’Or de l’Année, Le Diamant d’Opera and the ECHO Klassik.

Album detail
Catalogue number: SU 3994-2