Free Admission — No Ticket Required
This concert is presented as a special cultural exchange event between Japan and Prague, and admission is free of charge.
No ticket purchase is required.
For reservations and inquiries, please contact: kono_kokusai@yahoo.co.jp
PART I
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Don Giovanni
Aria – Leporello ("Madamina, il catalogo è questo")
Aria – Don Giovanni ("Deh, vieni alla finestra")
Japanese Songs
Kozaburo Hirai
Piano Fantasia “Sakura Sakura”
Female Vocal Ensemble “Sakura Sakura”
Kunihiko Hashimoto
“Mai" (Dance)
Kosaku Yamada
“Matsushima Ondo”
Giuseppe Verdi
La Forza del Destino
Act I
Duet – Leonora & Alvaro ("Ah! per sempre, o mio bell'angiol")
Act II
Aria – Leonora ("Madre, pietosa Vergine")
Duet – Leonora & Guardiano ("Or siam soli")
— Intermission —
PART II
Giuseppe Verdi
La Forza del Destino
Act III
Aria – Alvaro ("La vita è inferno all'infelice")
Duet – Alvaro & Carlo ("Solenne in quest'ora")
Aria – Carlo ("Urna fatale del mio destino")
Aria – Preziosilla (“Rataplan”)
Act IV
Duet – Alvaro & Carlo ("Le minacce, i fieri accenti")
Aria – Leonora ("Pace, pace, mio Dio!")
Flute Solo
Antonín Dvořák
Sonatina in G Major, Op. 100 – I. Allegro risoluto
Antonín Dvořák
Rusalka
Aria – Rusalka ("Song to the Moon")
Aria – Prince ("Vidino divná, přesladká")
Ensemble Finale
Antonín Dvořák
"Songs My Mother Taught Me"
Vocalists
Kayoko Kono Soprano
Kotona Soda Mezzo-Soprano
Tomoki Iinuma Tenor
Toshihiro Tachibana Baritone
Jumpei Obata Bass
Piano
Yasuko Matsumoto
Yui Imukai
Flute
Ritsu Munakata
Chorus
Tamiko Shimojima
Toyo Nagata
Sumiko Nakagomi
Rieko Aono
Hidemi Yatsuka
For this concert in Prague, KONO International Exchange will present a cultural exchange program combining Japanese art songs with opera arias by celebrated European composers such as Verdi and Dvořák, with the aim of creating a musical bridge between Japan and the Czech Republic.
Through this project, we hope you will experience the delicate poetry and emotional sensitivity found in Japanese songs. At the same time, we would be honored to share how Japanese performers, with their own artistic sensibilities and cultural background, interpret and express the rich traditions of European classical music.
We sincerely hope this concert will become a warm and meaningful musical encounter between Prague and Japan.
About KONO International Exchange
KONO International Exchange is a Japan-based musical organization dedicated to promoting international cultural exchange through music.
In addition to presenting opera and vocal concerts throughout Japan, the organization has held annual Christmas international exchange concerts for more than ten years at Casa Verdi in Milan, the historic home for musicians founded by Giuseppe Verdi. In the past, the group also had the opportunity to collaborate with students and musicians from the Prague Conservatory and present concerts at Suk Hall.
We also place great importance on supporting younger generations of singers and fostering artistic exchange and collaboration with local musicians. Through music, we sincerely hope to create meaningful connections across cultures and generations.
Through music, we hope to create a warm and welcoming space where people from different cultures can connect and share artistic experiences together.
As a small token of our appreciation, there may also be a special surprise gift for our guests. We sincerely look forward to sharing this memorable evening with you.
