Ondřej Melecký

double bass

After completing his studies at the conservatory (1992) and at the Academy of Music (1996; master´s degree) the constant feature of his musical career has been interpreting classical music and its various genres and historical periods.  Versatility is seen mainly in his performing of historically informed music (“authentic intrepretation”; from the most voluminous and most important works of the Baroque, Classicism and Romanticism with the ensemble Musica Florea, to the works of early Classicism and Baroque with the Ensemble 18+) and contemporary music.

He gained experience in performing a wide range of genres. He performed chamber music with the Czech Nonet and founded the chamber ensemble Classicon XX, with which he recorded and performed works by the classics of the 20th century. He premiered many chamber-orchestral compositions with the Berg orchestra and played with major orchestras both symphonic repertoire (the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, the Prague Chamber Philharmonia, the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, currently he is a member of the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra) and opera repertoire (the National Theatre in Prague, the Smetana Philharmonic Orchestra Prague in Germany). He cooperated with the clarinettist Dimitri Ashkenazy, also under the guidance of his father, Vladimir Ashkenazy (with the Prague Philharmonia and as a selected chamber musician at the summer festival in Erlach, Switzerland). He performed numerous Czech and world premieres of chamber works by contemporary authors (K. Saariaho, R. Saunders, J. Harvey, E. Varese, T. Murail, G. Benjamin, W. Lutoslawski, G. Ligeti, J. Adams, B. Lang, H. Dutilleux, H. Eisler, R. Ayres, G. Kurtág, I. Xenakis, E. Canat de Chizy, Michael Jarrell, Dai Fujikura, etc.) as a permanent player in the ensembles Konvergence and Prague Modern – he records CDs and performs at concerts in major international festivals and at independent venues (Besancon, Vienna, Prague, Berlin and Paris).