The Kroměříž Academy opened its 9th year with the baroque concert Ad Astra in front of a full Chamber Hall
The Chamber Hall of the Archbishop's Castle in Kroměříž came alive with the sounds of Baroque music again on Thursday, August 13. The ceremonial opening concert Ad Astra officially kicked off this year's Academy Kroměříž music festival. A packed hall, an exceptional environment, and the combination of world-renowned performers with young talents created an evening that set the bar for this year's festival really high.
The historic backdrop of the Chamber Hall, associated with music for centuries, created a natural setting for the compositions of the old masters. With ease and charm, harpsichordist Barbara Maria Willi convinced the entire hall to join in singing an unconventional take on a medieval song by Marco Uccellini.
The main singer of the evening was Simona Šaturová , a renowned soprano with international fame and winner of the Thalia Prize. Her performance of Vivaldi's motet In furore iustissimae irae was one of the highlights of the first half of the program. She also won the audience over with one of Handel's most famous arias, "Lascia ch'io pianga".
Alongside her was the young baritone Pavel Divín, laureate of the Academy Kroměříž 2025. His return to the festival stage took a completely different form this time – he performed as a soloist alongside renowned performers. In the aria Why do the nations so furiously rage together from Handel's oratorio Messiah , he showed why he impressed the Academy jury last year.
The sensitive and energetic accompaniment was provided by the Collegium Colloredo resident ensemble , which included harpsichordist Barbara Maria Willi, conductor and violinist Tomáš Netopil, violinist Vojtěch Zajíc, cellist Petra Machková, lutenist Kateřina Maňáková, and violist Václav Křivánek.
The evening's program offered a diverse mosaic of Baroque music - from instrumental sonatas and compositions by HIF Biber and PA Ziani, through Bach's St. Matthew Passion to works by Antonio Vivaldi and George Frideric Handel.
The finale belonged to Simona Šaturová and Pavel Divín together. Their duet "A teneri affetti" from Handel's opera Ottone concluded the first concert evening of Academy Kroměříž 2026 to long-lasting applause from the packed Chamber Hall.
