About Opera Gala
Opera Gala is Robert Hugo’s concert project, presenting classical music in the setting for which it was originally intended – a baroque castle hall where the music resonates naturally, without the effect of a modern concert apparatus.
The dramaturgy connects opera arias, symphonic works, and chamber pieces inspired by the cultural centers of Prague, Vienna, and Valtice. The program draws on the Central European musical tradition of the 17th and 18th centuries and offers listeners a selection of the very finest classical repertoire.
The musicians perform on period instruments or faithful replicas and respect the original arrangements of the works. The interpretation follows historically informed practice, which differs significantly from the modern symphonic tradition – in lightness, color, and dynamic sound.
The program may include, for example, selections from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, symphonic works by Ludwig van Beethoven and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, famous opera arias including the Queen of the Night from Mozart’s The Magic Flute, as well as music by Johann Strauss and other operetta melodies that lend the evening nobility and Viennese charm.
The project was created under the leadership of Robert Hugo, a respected specialist in 17th-century Czech music, who combines interpretive mastery with long-term research and reconstruction work in the field of early music.
Opera Gala is for listeners who want to experience classical music not as a reproduction of tradition, but as a living and authentic event.