The concert season of 2016/2017 is considered by many to be Mozart's: 260 years since his birth and 225 years since his death. Musicians all over the world celebrate these dates each in his own way: record discs, make films, stage plays and different concert programs. Russian soprano Ekaterina Monisova, whose work is based on European classic, has prepared a number of programs for Mozart jubilee, which became notable events in the musical life.

Honored Artist of the Republic of Khakassia, laureate of several international contests Monisova receives the second year in a row an invitation to take part in one of the most famous European music forums, the international festival České doteky hudby (Czech Music Touches).

This one-month Christmas festival is one of the largest classical music festivals of Czech and the only musical forum in the country with its own chamber orchestra. The head of the festival Miroslav Mateika is a prominent public figure, musicologist, graduate of the Department of Music Theory of the Faculty of Philosophy of Univerzita Karlova (Charles University), who taught at Prague Conservatory and Jan Deyl Conservatory in different years and gifted musician, who leads his own band Ensemble Martinů. The festival is supported by the Ministry of Culture of Czech Republic, the Prague City Council, Czech Television and Radio.

The concept of the festival is based on the idea to cover as wide a range of musical genres as possible. Within the framework of this concept the creators of the festival distinguish three basic principles of the formation of its programs: to support young musicians up to 35 years, giving them a chance to stand on stage shoulder to shoulder with eminent masters and famous orchestras; to present Czech and Russian music of the 20th century widely; to develop the festival as a tourist cluster on purpose to unite the music and architecture of Prague and emphasize that Prague is a true cultural and tourist capital.

And of course the 20^th festival couldn’t pass by the Mozart anniversary dates.

Miroslav Mateika: Mozart's music is unique, including the effect of its impact on people. It turns out that everyone who listened to Mozart achieved great success in mathematics and other technical sciences. This is the focus of the Oxford University study, which was presented here in Prague as part of a seminar dedicated to the financing of music projects and the impact of classical music on a person. The seminar was prepared by the Association of Music Festivals. It seems to me that people are constantly surrounded by music and the most important is the influence of music, the impression that the listener will take home with him from the concert hall [from an interview].

Russian musicians are often invited to perform Mozart’s works at this festival and this is a good tradition of Czech Music Touches. The Borodin Quartet, violinist Andrei Baranov, pianist Vasily Primakov have participated in festival concerts in different years and now for the 20^th anniversary of the festival Prague is waiting for Vladimir Spivakov. The art of Ekaterina Monisova immediately won recognition of the Prague public and music community with high vocal level, cool stage image and special attention for the authenticity of the performance. Both in style and sound, timbre and elegance she is well suited for presenting Baroque or Renaissance music.

Ekaterina Monisova: I have a lot of favorite composers from Purcell and Bach to Rachmaninov and Schnittke. Since my childhood I like to play Bach's fugues and Chopin's nocturnes on the piano. My current repertoire includes a variety of music from baroque to jazz. You have to fall in love with composers whose music you perform and now I'm in love with Mozart! Mozart's music helps you to find peace of mind and harmony. Of course, I couldn’t refuse the offer to sing Mozart in Prague, in the city where his famous opera premieres took place. Preparing for the festival I’ve presented my new Mozart solo recital in Moscow recently.

This all-Mozart program was held in the Small Hall of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. The singer was accompanied by the string group of the Musica Viva Alexander Rudin’s chamber orchestra under the baton of Leonid Kazakov.

After 'Milanese' Symphony No.10 in G major and Le Nozze di Figaro overture the orchestra moved to a series of luxurious classical duets with Ekaterina Monisova. Russian soprano started with the rarely performed aria Et incarnatus est from the Great Mass in C minor, a composition that requires vocalist not only virtuosic, but also spiritualized singing. Monisova have perfectly coped with this difficult task, demonstrating the filigree of drawing the ornamentation of the vocal line, the breath evenness, flightiness and clarity of sound. The best features of Russian vocal school and personal qualities of the singer appeared in the performance of arias of Countess from Le Nozze di Figaro (Porgi, amor), Donna Anna from Don Giovanni (Non mi dir) and Servilia from La Clemenza di Tito (S'altro che lagrime). Solemnly festive Alleluia from Mozart's motet Exsultate, jubilate completed triumphantly this Moscow mozartian program. And finally by the request of the public Ekaterina presented her crown arias from Bellini’s Norma (Casta Diva) and Gounod’s Faust (Marguerite’s Jewel song) as the encores.

It is clear that Mozart exercises of the talented Moscow singer could not go unnoticed. So Ekaterina Monisova became the headliner of the Prague Mozart gala at the festival Czech Music Touches in the Smetana Hall of the Municipal House of Prague, one of the most beautiful halls of Europe, where she was accompanied by the chamber orchestra Virtuosi Pragenses under the baton of Petr Louženský (Horn soli were performed by Kateřina Javůrková). The program consisted of popular symphonic and vocal works by Mozart such as Eine kleine Nachtmusik, Horn Concerto No. 4 E-flat major, Symphony No. 29 A major and arias from the Great Mass in C minor (Et incarnatus est), Le Nozze di Figaro (Porgi, amor) and Don Giovanni (Non mi dir).

Ekaterina Monisova recalled her Prague performance: The orchestra sounded great! Flexibility, elegance, subtle sense of style! The conductor caught every my breath. It was a wonderful music making. The audience took us warmly and sincerely.

It should be noted that Ekaterina’s recital at the last Czech Music Touches was held under the aegis of ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation in the Czech Republic Alexander Zmeevsky.

Good creative friendship of Russian singer with the Czech Republic have continued in Moravian castle of Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou on August 5, 2017 when Ekaterina Monisova with the Italian tenor Giordano Luca and the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of the young but already well-known Italian conductor Sebastiano Rolly opened the Peter Dvorský XIX International Music Festival, which was held under the patronage of the world famous Slovak tenor.

Tatyana Tkharyova

The Musical Magazine (Moscow)