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October 28th is a memorable day in the history of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. This year, this day marked the 91st anniversary of the establishment of the independent Czechoslovak state. There were many ceremonies happening on this date all over the world, thus the experience below described by Ladislav Krivanek is just one of many that numerous Czech and Slovak compatriots could experience during this celebration. Did you attend one? Just let us know or learn about a unique concert in Canada or the artists below.

Video: Felix Slovacek

On the eve of a national holiday in the Czech Republic, the Montreal Consulate of CR organized a unique concert of the pianist Boris Krajný and Felix Slováček, the clarinet and saxophone-player. This outstanding concert took place in the beautiful hall of the historic Bon-Pasteur Chapel, which has superb acoustics, and due to it’s size it does not require any sound system. Mrs. Jaroslava Jeslínková, Consul General, cordially greeted all the guests by the door, and in the opening ceremony she welcomed all the audience and all the diplomats of other countries. In both official Canadian languages (English and French), she reminisced about the history and progress of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic from 1918 until today, when CR was presiding over the EU for six months.

This concert satisfied even the most demanding members of the audience. In the compositions from the 17th up to 21st century were works by Carl Stamitz, Johann Sebastian Bach, Alessandro Marcello, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Zdeněk Fibich, Bedřich Smetana, Artie Shaw, Claude Debussy, Fryderyk Chopin, Darius Milhaud, Manuel de Falla, Ronald Binge, Jaroslav Ježek, Ennio Morricone, and others. It was more than obvious that all the audiences in other Canadian cities were or will be highly delighted with the concert as many people were in Montreal, because it could only be described as superlative. Their next concert, for example, will be at University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada on Nov 1st, at 3 PM.

Almost everybody knew about the superior quality of Boris Krajný’s execution, as one of the world’s most distinguished pianist, who visits Canada quite often. However, we had a chance to see Felix Slováček in Montreal for the first time. He surprised even those who knew him forty years ago, by playing classical music. The consonance of a piano with the clarinet and saxophone delivered a really magical intonation to all the musical pieces. The audience rewarded both artists after each composition with thunderous applause, and with many standing ovations after the concert, thus we could enjoy some more beautiful encores.

I was very sorry for not bringing my video camera to capture those magnificent moments, as it would be a memory for a lifetime. The concert was ensued by the banquet where the members of an audience could meet both artists. Our whole-hearted thanks to Mrs. J. Jeslínková, Consul General, and to Czech consulate for this magnificent event.

Photographs for CzechFolks.com © Michel Karpoff

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