Smetana trio
The Smetana Trio, founded in the year 1934 by the legendary Czech pianist Josef Páleníček, is today one of the foremost Czech ensembles. In 2014 the Smetana Trio celebrates 80th jubilee of its foundation. It can be seen frequently on leading concert stages both in the Czech Republic (Prague Spring, Janáček May, Moravian Autumn, Concentus moraviae, Malá Strana Chamber Festivities) and abroad (France, Germany, Switzerland, Great Britain, Benelux, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Japan, Brazil, USA, Canada, South Korea, Egypt).
The Smetana Trio works with leading conductors – i. a. Jiří Bělohlávek, Libor Pešek, Serge Baudo, John Axelrod, Michael Boder, Tomáš Hanus, Stanislav Vavřínek – and Czech and foreign orchestras, including, for example the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra della Svizzera italiana Lugano, the Prague Symphony Orchestra, the Prague Philharmonic, the ONPL Orchestra Nantes, the Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice, the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra Olomouc.
The Smetana Trio has made a number of recordings for Czech and international labels and has recorded regularly for Supraphon since 2000. This cooperation has brought a number of prestigious awards both at home and abroad – e.g. a CD with works by Smetana, Suk and Novák (Supraphon 2005) received prestigious awards from the French magazines Diapason and Le Monde de la musique. This recording was also chosen by the British BBC Music Magazine as its chamber music recording of the month in August 2005. Another Smetana Trio recording, this time works by Dvořák (Supraphon 2006), was again voted by the BBC Music Magazine as the best recording of the month in September 2006 and later received the BBC Music MagazineChamber Award for 2007 and also the prestigious French Diapason D’Or. The recording of trios by Tchaikovsky and Dvořák (Supraphon 2008) received the BBC Chamber recording of the month in December 2008. Other Supraphon recording project, released in autumn 2012, are complete piano trios by J. Brahms. The most recent recordings are with works by J. Brahms – 1stpart of complete concertos (Double Concerto and Piano Concerto No.1 – TRIART Recording 2013) and complete recording of trios by Shostakovich and Ravel (Supraphon 2014) – MusicWeb International – recording of the month, June 2014. In 2015 the Smetana Trio recorded the new CD of the complete trios by B. Martinu, which received many international awards immediately – BBC MM Chamber Award 2017, BBC MM Recording of the month, Diapason d´Or, Sunday Times Recording of the week, TIP of the Harmonie etc.
The newest recording of the Smetana Trio with piano trios by Zemlinsky, Rachmaninov and Arensky
(issued in March 2019) receives its first world awards already - BBC Music Magazine Chamber Choice (May 2019) and France Musique´s Disc du Jour – the 29th May 2019.
The Smetana Trio performed many times on international stages in last times – for example in France, where the Smetana Trio very successfully cooperated with Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire conducted by John Axelrod – 7 times Triple Concerto by Beethoven for 10 000 listeners. In recent times the Smetana Trio played for many festivals and concert series in Europe, America and Africa – for example in France - Cambrai, Chalon, Nice and Aix en Provence, in England – London and many further cities of Great Britain, in Germany - München, Würzburg, Tübingen, Festival Hohenloher Kultursommer, but also in the USA, Brazil, Switzerland, Italy, France and Egypt. In 2018 the Smetana Trio mediates its art to the audience in the Czech Republic – incl. Prague Spring Festival, in England – incl. prestigious Wigmore Hall in London, in Italy, Germany, Rumania and again in the USA – this time in 12 cities for example on renowned stages in Washington, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego. In 2019 the Smetana Trio continues in its successful tour in the USA and Canada, playes many concerts in the Czech Republic, England – incl. the new concert at the Wigmore Hall, in Italy, Switzerland, Spain and South America.
