Barrie Kosky has been announced as the recipient of this year's Antonín Dvořák Prize. The award, which is one of the Czech Republic's highest honours, recognises Barrie's exceptional contribution to popularising Czech classical music in the Czech Republic and abroad.
Barrie's numerous productions of Czech opera include the critically acclaimed production of Kat'a Kabanova at the 2022 Salzburg Festival, which was recently released on DVD.
"With one foot in the world of opera, the other in musicals, and an idealist’s belief in the power of theatre, Australian Barrie Kosky is one of today’s most sought after directors. He has the ability to draw out the pure essence of each piece and convey it radiantly to the public.
This year’s Antonín Dvořák Prize thus goes to this artist, whose masterful grasping of music extends to many of the most beautiful Czech operas: Rusalka, The Cunning Little Vixen, From the House of the Dead, and, most recently, Katya Kabanova. This latest production, conducted by Jakub Hrůša at the 2023 Salzburg Festival, has been nominated for the 2024 Gramophone Awards.
Kosky is a showman through and through, as the New York Times has written, yet one who also sees into the depth of things, utterly disregarding divisions between so-called high and low art. He served as the director of Komische Oper Berlin for ten years and currently works at the Bavarian State Opera and festivals in Aix-en-Provence, Bayreuth and Glyndebourne.
Kosky’s multifaceted personality is mirrored in the programme of the concert, which features Dvořák and Janáček in the first half and musical composer superstars Kurt Weill and Leonard Bernstein in the second."
From the announcement by Dvořákova Praha.
Read more about this prestigious honour here.
