Pavel Černoch Excels at Concert in Český Krumlov

Reviews of the concert Labyrinth of Love: Puccini & Verdi at the International Music Festival Český Krumlov, held on 8 August 2026

The magnificent finale of the 35th edition of the Krumlov Festival took place on the stage of the Brewery Garden. It brought together two composers who profoundly transformed Italian opera: Giuseppe Verdi and Giacomo Puccini. Although separated by almost half a century, they represent two successive stages of one great tradition. Verdi brought the golden age of Italian Romanticism to its culmination, while Puccini opened the way towards 20th-century music theatre. What unites them, however, is their extraordinary ability to create music that speaks to audiences regardless of language or era.

The opera gala in the Brewery Garden offered a sumptuous feast of Puccini and Verdi. A stellar international line-up delivered the festival’s grand finale to an enthusiastic audience: Danielle de Niese, Pavel Černoch, Ester Pavlů and Tomáš Netopil.

Under the baton of Tomáš Netopil, one of the Czech Republic’s leading conductors, the Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK performed scenes from some of Verdi’s and Puccini’s most celebrated operas, including La bohème, Tosca, La traviata and others.

OperaPlus.cz, Alena V. Kunčíková:

A Labyrinth of Voices, Emotions and Styles: Three Distinctive Singers at the Finale of the Krumlov Festival

Read the original article on OperaPlus.cz

Labyrinth of Love brought the Krumlov Festival to a close on 8 August with an evening in which two contrasting worlds of Italian opera met alongside three distinctive vocal personalities. Danielle de Niese, Ester Pavlů and Pavel Černoch, under the baton of Tomáš Netopil, presented Puccini and Verdi in all their lyrical, dramatic and intensely expressive dimensions.

“…Pavel Černoch shaped the role of Cavaradossi with great musical logic. In Recondita armonia, he employed a controlled vibrato that allowed for clean intonation in the lyrical passages. E lucevan le stelle was a fine example of carefully constructed dynamic progression: from a delicate pianissimo, through a gradual broadening of the tone, to a full forte that nevertheless remained within the bounds of stylistic appropriateness….”

“…In La donna è mobile, Pavel Černoch opted for a controlled forte, keeping the tone open and unforced. His diction was precise, particularly in the rapid consonants that are essential to Verdi’s style. The ornamentation was executed cleanly and without mannerism, allowing the aria to sound entirely natural within the Verdi idiom….”

“…Pavel Černoch then brought the evening to its conclusion with Nessun dorma from Turandot, delivered with a full, resonant tone and a confident climax on the final ‘vincerò’, providing the audience with the catharsis they had been anticipating.

The closing concert of the Krumlov Festival was a labyrinth of different forms of love. Puccini and Verdi were presented not as two separate worlds, but as two aesthetic principles that complement one another. Danielle de Niese, Ester Pavlů and Pavel Černoch brought the programme to life through their phrasing, tonal colour, dynamics and stylistic precision, turning the evening into a celebration of the art of opera. There was no single star of this concert – three powerful voices took turns in the spotlight, and their combined energy transformed the evening into an unforgettable festival highlight.”

KlasikaPlus.cz, Marta Ulrychová:

Puccini and Verdi Lead Audiences into an Operatic Labyrinth of Love

Read the original article on KlasikaPlus.cz

“With the aria Nessun dorma, Pavel Černoch crowned a magnificent evening filled with treasures of Italian music.”

“…By contrast, the brief aria of Dick Johnson, Ch’ella mi creda, from La fanciulla del West (The Girl of the Golden West, 1910), performed by Pavel Černoch, captivated the audience with its poignant melody, which, among other things, became a source of emotional support for Italian soldiers during the First World War….”

“…From Puccini’s middle creative period came Cavaradossi’s opening aria, Recondita armonia, from Tosca. Pavel Černoch performed it in his lyrical tenor with a complete understanding of its meaning, technical precision and great respect for the Italian language (throughout the evening, I admired the attention he devoted to pronunciation)….”

“…The concert concluded with Pavel Černoch singing Calaf’s aria Nessun dorma from Puccini’s final, unfinished opera Turandot. With captivating intensity, he crowned a magnificent evening filled with treasures of Italian music. The command ‘Let no one sleep!’ must surely have been obeyed well into the night by many audience members who had travelled a long way to this South Bohemian town to hear these celebrated performers….”

Photo: Libor Sváček