MAHAN ESFAHANI: HARPSI LEADING ROLE

The dramaturgical link of the program is the harpsichord, which appears in a different function in each composition: as the leading voice of a larger chamber ensemble (Krása), as a solo instrument accompanied by a symphony orchestra (Poulenc) and finally in the concert part of Weinberg's Seventh Symphony. In all three works, Mahan Esfahani (1984), an Iranian-American musician and musicologist living in Prague, a student of the legendary Czech harpsichordist Zuzana Růžičková, who ranks among the world's absolute top harpsichordists, will take the harpsichord in all three works. In the years 2008-2010, he received – as the first and only harpsichord player – the title of Artist of the New Generation of the British station BBC, in 2009 he received the prize of the Borletti-Buitoni Foundation and was repeatedly nominated for the title of Artist of the Year by Gramophone magazine. He performs on major world stages, performs with important orchestras, actively approaches contemporary authors to compose new compositions for him (Brett Dean, Bent Sørensen, Miroslav Srnka and many others). He released a number of prized recordings on prestigious labels (Hyperion, Deutsche Grammophon). The most recent addition to his discography is an album with harpsichord concerts by Hans Krása, Viktor Kalabis and Bohuslav Martinů, which he recorded with the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Alexander Liebreich; in February 2023, Gramophone magazine named the album Editor's Choice.
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HANS KRÁSA Chamber music for harpsichord and 7 instruments
FRANCIS POULENC Concerto champêtre (Country concerto) for harpsichord and orchestra
MIECZYSŁAW WEINBERG Symphony No. 7 Op. 81 for string orchestra and harpsichord

Mahan Esfahani harpsichord
Brno Philharmonic
conductor Alexander Liebreich