Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary Lípa Musica Turnov Music Evening Michaela Káčerková, organ Marek Eben, recitation Petr Eben (1929-2007) Labyrinth of the World and Paradise of the Heart I. Musical prologue II. "When I was that age..." A View of the World III. "When I think like this..." Masks IV. "Few then were there who were idle..." Arrows of Death V. "I lead me and bring me to the street..." Sweet Shackles of Love VI. "And my leader said to me..." The Feast of the Academy VII. "And behold, a man with a paper scepter..." The ignorance of the learned VIII. "That then my leader always made me the castle of Fortuna..." Wheel of Fortune IX. "Meanwhile," said the interpreter... The crime of mankind X. "And All-father said, Let us go to the castle..." The false promise of the golden age XI. "But after a little while..." Vanity of vanities XII. "I, not even to look at it..." Terror and faintness XIII. "When shall I cease to speak..." Return to God ONLINE TICKET SALE: https://lipamusica.enigoo.cz/app/tickets/events/167 "In performing Labyrinth, I am connected in my thoughts with both Comenius and my father. As a performer of the text, I naturally try to convey the content faithfully, which is not so easy given the language Komenský uses, so one has to concentrate on that. But I can't help but think of him when listening to my father's music. And I have to say that at the very end, it always takes me a lot of work not to succumb to my emotions."- Marek Eben The Labyrinth of the World and the Paradise of the Heart also has an exceptional and symbolic meaning for the Lípa Musica festival. It was first performed here during the first edition. Its author Petr Eben himself took care of the organ performance in Česká Lípa. Originally a full-length improvisation, with which he himself, as an excellent organist, had performed all over the world since 1991, he later wrote it down in sheet music, thus enabling other organists to perform the piece as well. Komensky's texts remain so timely that Labyrinth is still needed, not only for its exquisite language, wit and hyperbole, but above all for its chilling timelessness and universal validity. "The cycle, interspersed with a recitation of the timeless text, seems to complete Comenius, but Eben goes even further, beyond the horizon of the literary subject, to heights both harsh and unearthly, and the text is an inspiration for the composer's boundless imagination."- Luboš Stehlík, Harmonie Marek Eben comes from a musical family, and he himself is active in music, although he is better known to the general public as a successful presenter. However, we should not forget about the Eben Brothers, which is actually a kind of "leisure activity" for all three brothers, yet its results are neither naive, stupid nor down-to-earth. On the contrary, they contain refined unrefinedness, precise musical performance, sometimes humour, sometimes depth. But thanks to the performance of Labyrinth, Marek Eben also does a great service to Komenský. Many listeners were last kissed by Komensky in primary or secondary school. Marek Eben brings his legacy to life and, despite the archaic language, he makes the audience realise that Komenský was no dry man either. "I would sum up my relationship to Labyrinth as follows: the more I play it, the more it touches my soul."- Michaela Káčerková Czech organist Michaela Káčerková studied organ with Jan Hora and Jaroslav Tůma. After the Prague Conservatory and the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, she studied at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy in Leipzig. The cornerstone of her repertoire is Czech organ music, which she also presents in frequent concerts in various European countries, the USA and Japan. In addition to her active career as a musician, she is also a music manager and since 2021 has been the director of the Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra.

We are always rushing, running and chasing somewhere, so that we can finally rest in God's arms, that is, in eternity... Return to where you came from, return to your heart and close the door behind you.