Orchestre e Teatri Lirici
PKF - Prague Philharmonia
In 1994, the world-famous conductor Jiří Bělohlávek together with a group of talented young musicians founded the Prague Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra, which has been active to this day; since its 20th season under the name PKF — Prague Philharmonia. Over the 27 years of its existence, this orchestra has gained respect throughout the music world. It is appreciated for its ch
In 1994, the world-famous conductor Jiří Bělohlávek together with a group of talented young musicians founded the Prague Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra, which has been active to this day; since its 20th season under the name PKF — Prague Philharmonia. Over the 27 years of its existence, this orchestra has gained respect throughout the music world. It is appreciated for its characteristic sound as well as for the focus of its repertoire, including, but not limited to, the music by Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven. The PKF — Prague Philharmonia has played with a number of internationally acclaimed conductors and soloists, such as Jakub Hrůša, Julian Rachlin, Martha Argerich, Jefim Bronfman, András Schiff, Gil Shaham, Isabelle Faust, Emmanuel Pahud, Luciano Pavarotti, Diana Damrau, Anna Netrebko, Plácido Domingo, Gautier Capuçon, Maxim Vengerov, Mischa Maisky, Juan Diego Flórez, Jonas Kaufmann and many others.
The orchestra is regularly invited to international music festivals (BBC Proms, Dresdner Musikfestspiele, MITO Settembre Musica, Pražské jaro, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden) and gives concerts at top world venues (Berliner Philharmonie, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Gasteig Mnichov, Tokyo Suntory Hall, Royal Opera House Muscat in Oman, Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Centre in Kuwait, among others).
The PKF — Prague Philharmonia has recorded over 90 CDs, released by leading Czech and international music publishers (Deutsche Grammophon, Warner Classics, Sony Classical, Decca, EMI, Harmonia Mundi and Supraphon). Its recordings have garnered numerous prizes: the Gold Record RAC Canada in 2000, Harmonie Award in 2001 and Diapason d’Or in 2007. The CD Héroïque with Bryan Hymel was nominated for the International Opera Award in 2016 and the CD Bohemian Rhapsody with Gábor Boldoczki was nominated for the International Classical Music Award (ICMA) in 2017. The Ravel, Debussy & Bizet CD received excellent reviews from the London Sunday Times, Gramophone and the BBC Music Magazine, which included it in its top ten recordings of the week; the CD with the acclaimed tenor Benjamin Bernheim for Deutsche Grammophon from November 2019 won Opus Klassik Award and numerous accolades in international press (Diapason d’Or, Choc de Classica, among others). The orchestra has been led by the French conductor Emmanuel Villaume since the 2015/2016 season.