9 WEEKS OF BAROQUE FESTIVAL

BENEFIT FOR THE CHURCH / NICOV
6 July / Monday 2:00pm – 7:00pm
An afternoon cultural programme and guided tours of the church. 5:30pm concert of Baroque music performed by the Small European Orchestra with a choir.

The Pilgrimage Church of the Birth of the Virgin Mary in Nicov constitutes a unique spiritual and scenic landmark of the region of Plánicko, as well as the entire South-West Bohemian territory, and rightfully ranks among the national cultural heritage sights of the Czech Republic. Thanks to the initiative of the Royal Governor and owner of Nepomuk’s dominion, the count A. B. Martinic, this originally medieval chapel, which served as a pilgrimage place and grew in importance especially in the second half of the 17th century, was rebuilt after 1720 into a monumental temple based on a project of the most significant Czech architect of the high Baroque period, K. I. Dientzenhofer. It is one of the first separate sacral realisations of this architect in his youth where his later unique style is already evident.

PROGRAMME
A rich cultural programme, the proceeds of which will be used to support repairs to this unique monument, has been prepared by the Endowment Fund of Nicov as the first of a series of charity events. You can enjoy guided tours, an organ concert and a theatrical performance by the ensemble Geisslers Hofcomoedianten, which is known primarily for its art projects at the Kuks Chateau. The highlight of the programme will be an evening concert of Baroque music performed by the Small European Orchestra with a choir led by the concert master Lenka Malá and the conductor Josef Popelka.

2:00pm opening ceremony, speech, short musical performance
2:30pm guided tour of the church
3:00pm theatrical interactive exhibition Ambrosia | an unconventionally staged exhibition during which viewers individually explore and put together one of the oldest surviving Jesuit plays of our area | performance by Geisslers Hofcomoedianten directed by Petr Hašek
4:30pm organ concert in the church performed by Josef Popelka
5:00pm guided tour of the church
5:30pm concert by the Small European Orchestra with a choir, concert master Lenka Malá, conductor Josef Popelka | F. Manfredini – Concerto Primo, G. Caccini – Ave Maria | F. X. Richter – Sinfonia a Quattro | A. Vivaldi – Concerto no. 2 for Flute and Strings | G. F. Händel – Lascia ch'io pianga | D. Buxtehude – Alles was ihr tut, Bux WV4, for soloists, choir and violin

A path through a Baroque landscape will be marked around the church: passing by the Marian Chapel with the healing waters – the Pilgrimage Church of the Birth of the Virgin Mary – the statue of St John of Nepomuk – the observatory tower Pod Šafránkou (around 1,350 m). A bus will operate between Plánice and Nicov (Plánice, the Museum of František Křižík, the Church of St Blaise, the Marian Column).

ARTISTS AND PARTICIPANTS
GEISSLERS HOFCOMOEDIANTEN
JOSEF POPELKA
SMALL EUROPEAN ORCHESTRA

Admission: optional, proceeds will be used to repair the church | the number of the transparent bank account is 2500242478/2010
TICKETS ON THE SPOT
Capacity: 300 places
Programme partner: Endowment Fund of Nicov, http://www.nicov.eu
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