If any instrument naturally belongs at a festival celebrating Dvořák’s music, it is the cello. Yet according to the ensemble Cello Duello, two instruments are better than one—and best of all is when they engage in a playful contest. This duel leads not to bloodshed or injuries but to friendly sparring between two outstanding musicians, driving each other to ever greater artistic heights. Renowned cellists Jens Peter Maintz and Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, both former students of David Geringas, bring their phenomenal artistry and sense of humour to the stage. Maintz is a resident artist at the Lucerne Festival, and both are among the world’s most sought-after cello teachers, leading masterclasses during the Dvořák Prague Festival. Their programme features adaptations of Haydn’s classics, a virtuosic piece by Paganini, themes from Rossini’s operas, and an original duet by Jacques Offenbach—himself once a cellist. programme Joseph Haydn — Duet for Two Barytons in D Major, Hob. X:11 Niccolò Paganini — Cantabile in D Major, Op. 17 (arr. for two cellos by W. E. Schmidt) Carl Maria von Weber — Adagio and Rondo for Harmonichord and Orchestra, J. 115 (arr. for two cellos by W. E. Schmidt) Adrien-François Servais — Caprice on themes from Rossini’s opera Le Comte Ory Jacques Offenbach — Duet for Two Cellos in E Major, Op. 54/2 Niccolò Paganini — Mosè-fantasia More Übergeordnete Aktionen festivals The Dvořák Prague International Music Festival 5. 9. 2025 — 23. 9. 2025