Romana Špačková Shone at the Season's Closing Concert, Moving the Audience and the Stage

On Wednesday, June 18, we celebrated the moving and festive conclusion of our 31st concert season at the Rudolfinum. The star of the evening was our outstanding concertmaster, Romana Špačková, who tackled the exceptionally demanding Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 77 by Dmitri Shostakovich with incredible technical brilliance and deep emotion. Her breathtaking performance was rightfully met with a thunderous standing ovation from the audience. One of the most powerful moments of the evening was when her three daughters came on stage to congratulate their mother in person.

For Romana, this concerto is a truly heartfelt matter, as she shared in her touching confession:

“This concerto holds so many memories for me of my dear professor Václav Snítil, with whom I had the opportunity to study at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. I cannot fail to mention my other professor, Jan Šedivka, with whom I went to study for a year in faraway Tasmania and also worked on this concerto.
And then there is my mother, who is the reason I play the violin. She taught me from the age of 5 and didn't have an easy time with me. I always think of her during the Passacaglia, the third movement of the concerto. She has been watching over us from heaven for 5 years now. Thank you so much.”

It was an evening filled with sincere emotion and the most beautiful farewell to the past season.

Season 31 has come to a close — let's move on to season 32! We look forward to seeing you at the A1 concert with Simon Trpčeski on Thursday, 4 September!

Photos: Ivan Malý