Congratulatory concert on the occasion of the 80th birthday of guitarist Štěpán Rak. With his son Jan-Matěj and the Prague Guitar Quartet, he will rock the Masquerade Hall with six guitars.
Guitar virtuoso, composer, professor at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. Also, a photographer, traveller, lover of life - that's Štěpán Rak. In 2025 he will celebrate a significant anniversary of his life. On this occasion, the festival will present him with a congratulatory concert. He will perform both in solo pieces and together with his son Jan-Matěj, with whom he has been a sought-after virtuoso duo for many years. The Prague Guitar Quartet, whose members are students of Štěpán Rak, will also come to congratulate Štěpán on his 80th birthday. The ensemble is appreciated and recognized by the professional public and performs all over the world. At the end of the concert, a unique combination of six guitars will be heard in a composition by the birthday boy called Rumba.
Artists
Štěpán Rak – guitar
Jan-Matěj Rak – guitar
Prague guitar quartet: PGQ
Marek Velemínský
Eliška Holá
Matěj Freml
Patrick Vacík
Program
Štěpán Rak: Fanfare
Jaroslav Ježek: Isabel Valse
Štěpán Rak: Suite Again (selection)
Jaroslav Ježek: Life is just a coincidence
Štěpán Rak: Variations on a Theme by Jaromír Klempíř
intermission
Variations on a Baroque Theme (improvisation)
Antonín Dvořák: At the Old Castle
Štěpán Rak: Fantasy-Rhapsody
Štěpán Rak: Moods (Lento cantabile, Allegro, Tombeau, Toccata)
Edvard Hagerup Grieg: Peer Gynt Suite č. 1 op. 46
“Morning Mood” “Anitra's Dance” “In the Cave of the Mountain King”
Štěpán Rak: Rumba