Vivaldi and Vrchlabí
Count Vaclav Morzin, thanks to whom the Augustinian Monastery in Vrchlabi was completed, was a highly educated man and a lover and connoisseur of art, which he also greatly supported. He had the Morzin Palace built in Mala Strana, a central district of Prague. He paid special attention to music. His ensemble was full of outstanding musicians of the fi rst half of the 18th century and the culmination of his art activities was his cooperation with Antonio Vivaldi. It was Morzin to whom Vivaldi dedicated his collection entitled Il cimento dell’armonia e dell’inventione, Op. 8 in 1725. The collection includes the violin concertos known as Le quattro stagioni – The Four Seasons.
The collection, published in 1725 in Amsterdam, includes the following message:
“My Serene Lord, when I thought of the past years, through which I have enjoyed the exceptional honour to serve Your Serenity as a music master in Italy, I felt ashamed when I realised that I had not served you evidence of my deep respect for you; for which I have decided to publish the herein presented volume to lay at your feet. I beg you not to be surprised to fi nd, between these few modest concertos, also The Four Seasons, which have for a long time been generously enjoyed by Your Serenity…”
The humblest, most dedicated and loyal servant of Your Serenity,
Antonio Vivaldi
The Summer of Music in Vrchlabi
After his death, Count Vaclav Morzin was buried in the family tomb in the Monastery Church of St. Augustine in Vrchlabi. This church is the place where Sunday concerts are held regularly in summers as part of the traditional event called The Summer of Music in Vrchlabi. Listen, just like Count Vaclav Morzin did, to the gentle sounds of classical music.
The monastery concerts maintain a distinct dramaturgical concept, combining leading interpreters, perfect musical arrangements and European or global concert experience. At the same time, however, thanks to the close cooperation with the Karel Halir Primary Art School, it offers a stage for young musicians from this Vrchlabi school. Part of the Summer of Music in Vrchlabi is also a September concert commemorating the violin virtuoso and Vrchlabi native, Karel Halir, and the August concert called Vivaldi & Morzin in Memoriam.
Visit the monastery church
In summers, the Church of St. Augustine is regularly open to the general public from Tuesdays to Sundays. At other times of the year, the church and the most interesting sights of Vrchlabi that are otherwise inaccessible can be visited on guided tours that start at the Regional Tourist Information Centre in Vrchlabi.
Virtual tour of the palace with Vivaldi's music
Take a tour through the interiors of the castle, learn what the different rooms are used for, what historical milestones the castle has passed or who contributed to the castle's current appearance. The mayor will guide you through the tour with a guided tour. Come and take a look.
A documentary about the musical friendship between Count Václav Morzin of Vrchlabí and composer Antonio Vivaldi
was made in 2018 and presents the unique connection between these two important people and the Krkonoše town of Vrchlabí. In the documentary, you can not miss the music of this Italian genius, the words of the author of the book Musicians of Count Morzin, Václav Kapsa, but you will also see the town of Vrchlabí in the changing of the four seasons and the monastery of St. Augustine (the necropolis of the Count Morzin family) at the time of the Vrchlabí Music Summer Festival. Viktor Preiss will accompany you with words. The film can be watched online, is enriched with foreign language subtitles (in English, German and Italian) and the DVD with the documentary is also available for purchase at the regional information centre.
