We will rock you: Cultural events for July 12 – 18

If you still can’t find live music, you’re not trying very hard. Especially with the ultimate Queen cover band (above) coming to Lucerna’s cool new outdoor facility in Výstaviště this week. Elsewhere, you can hear bands or solo singers many nights at the Žižkov Beer Garden and Kasárna Karlín. The performers are mostly local, but at the moment it’s atmosphere that matters, and in that these venues are aces.

Some of the biggest names have responded to the continuing pandemic restrictions by being creative. With all the open-air festivals shut down, David Koller reworked his songs for an acoustic group that will be playing four nights at Jazz Dock. Olympic is scaling down its massive crowds to a small gathering on Střelecký ostrov, which has been unnaturally quiet this summer. Jazz Dock has also started a series of free Saturday afternoon concerts on its rooftop. The space is small, but beers are easy to get and there’s a sweet shady park next to the club.

Indoors, Archa Theatre is back in action with a tasty double bill this week. And the classical crowd has been just as creative as its pop counterparts. The Czech Philharmonic is continuing its charming summer chamber music series, while the Berg Orchestra continues to push boundaries with a new, site-specific work at St. Salvator Church in Old Town. Organizers are promising an immersive, three-dimensional concert experience.

Summer’s not the same without a circus, but two local troupes are doing heroic work to fill the gap left by Letní Letná. Cirk La Putyka stayed busy during the shutdown creating new shows, one of which opened this weekend. And the Losers Cirque Company has found a very nice niche at the Convent of St. Agnes, where a lush courtyard offers a verdant performance space and a choice of watching from benches or blankets.

Meanwhile, the sheer volume and variety of entertainment available online remains astounding – some of it quite good. As this week’s listings suggest, you can spend entire afternoons or evenings watching dazzling circus performances, lavish opera productions or new music commissioned by the Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin. There’s more flamenco dancing, and a special treat from the UK National Theatre, which is showing its rambunctious 2016 production of Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus.

Not afraid of crowds? Then hop a train to Ostrava, where a mini-version of the Colours festival gets underway on Wednesday. Or wander down to Kampa Park any day starting Tuesday for the annual French Market. It always draws big crowds, so be sure to wear a face mask. But with hundreds of varieties of wines and cheeses on offer, along with delicacies like crepes, oysters and snails, don’t plan on keeping it on for long.

SUNDAY 12

Cirk La Putyka: Kaleidoscope
A new piece from Prague’s resident contemporary circus company

Festival of New Music
Fresh sounds commissioned from leading classical composers during the pandemic

Sunday at the Circus (Online)
Catch dazzling acrobatics, juggling and much more without leaving the comfort of your couch

MONDAY 13

David Koller at Jazz Dock
The Czech rock star is bringing his band for four nights of acoustic club sets

TUESDAY 14

French Market at Kampa
A Francophile’s delight offering food, drink, music and family entertainment

Berg Orchestra: Lost in Space
An immersive musical experience in three dimensions

WEDNESDAY 15

NeFestival Colours of Ostrava
A scaled-down, three-day version of the annual music megafest

Music at Karlín Barracks: DINGO and Pokoj25
Mellow sounds for a summer night from a Country music group and one-man band

Czech Philharmonic Summer Concert Series: Prague Vivaldi Ensemble
A sextet from the orchestra plays chamber music favorites, including a complete Four Seasons

THURSDAY 16

UK National Theatre: Amadeus
A reprise of the 2016 production of Peter Shaffer’s iconic play with live musical accompaniment

Losers Cirque Company at the Convent of St. Agnes
The dance troupe continues its run at this National Gallery site with another acrobatic performance

Flamenco de Sofa: Adrian Santana
The director, choreographer and dancer shows his stuff in an original work he calls Simbiosis

Archa Theatre: Tygroo and the Allstar Refugee Band
Archa kicks off its summer music series with a lively and creative double bill

Vypsaná fixa at Žižkov Beer Garden
Punk pop at what is becoming one of the best summer spots to drink and hear music

FRIDAY 17

Lucerna Music Bar Outdoors: Queenie
Quite possibly the ultimate cover band, slavishly devoted to every lick and move of the original

Olympic on Střelecký ostrov
The veteran Czech rockers take it to the river

SATURDAY 18

Saturday at the Opera (Online)
Free viewing of the crème de la crème from European opera houses and beyond

Jazz Dock: Jazz on the Roof
An outdoor performance by Futur Swing, a band inspired by the music of Django Reinhardt