Smetana's Litomyšl
Smetanas Litomyšl (Czech Smetanova Litomyšl ) is a music festival in the Czech city of Litomyšl .
The festival was first held in 1949 and has been held almost every year between the end of June and the beginning of July in the East Bohemian town of Litomyšl, where Bedřich Smetana - the first well-known representative of Czech national music - was born.
The festival mainly offers operas and concert versions of operas, but there are also gala concerts, oratorios, cantatas and recitals, all those forms in which vocal music dominates. There is also symphonic, instrumental or chamber music, ballets and concerts in the cathedral or promenade concerts are also held here. Participants are on the one hand guests from abroad, but primarily Czech soloists, ensembles and conductors.
The main location of the festival is right on the site of the Litomyšl Castle , which was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999 . The main events usually take place in the covered second courtyard, which can accommodate an audience of up to 1,300 people and has excellent acoustics. Other venues include various halls in the chateau, churches and the Litomyšl Cathedral, the Smetana House and another selected town in the Pardubice region .