Česky
Elán adds a third concert to the O2 arena. For the first time, he will perform his hits with a symphony orchestra in front of a Czech audience.
Elán’s greatest hits with a leading symphonic ensemble. No fan of one of the most famous Czechoslovak bands has ever heard such a connection. That will now change. Elán is adding a third concert to the O2 arena and for the first time in his career he will be playing for the Czech audience with a symphony orchestra. Three concerts in Prague’s largest hall will conclude on February 7, 2025 with a performance called Elán Rock Symphony. Tickets go on sale on Wednesday, March 13 at 10 a.m. with limited seating capacity only. Fans can buy tickets on the websites ticketmaster.cz and ticketportal.cz.
The band managed to sell out the previously announced two indoor concerts in Bratislava and two in the O2 arena in Prague within a few weeks. If it also sells out two current symphonic concerts in the same places, it will become the first Czechoslovak band to fill the largest hockey stadiums in both countries three times in a row.
“For more than 50 years, my teammates have encouraged me to combine the music of Elán with symphonies. I always rejected it, I just didn’t feel that way. Now, at the end of his career, is probably the best time to show up even in such a composition. According to our tests, I conclude that it will be bomb,” says Jožo Ráž, adding that, in his opinion, the strings and brass will add even more power and energy to Elán’s music.
“It will be our classic rock concert accompanied by a symphony orchestra. We work on compositions every day, and it sounds really great. It will be an experience not only for the fans, but also for us,” adds guitarist Jano Baláž and adds that the band carefully selected the ensemble that will perform Elán’s greatest hits. In the end, the musicians chose the Bohemian Symphony Orchestra Prague, headed by chief conductor Martin Šanda. He has extensive experience in combining rock and symphonic music. His orchestra completed several European tours with the rock bands Deep Purple, Europe or Alice Cooper. He can also boast of collaborating on projects with the Swedish band Sabaton, the British band Kosheen or the famous Spanish opera singer José Carreras and violin virtuoso Vanessa-Mae.
The group Elán was founded in 1968. They released fifteen studio albums, five English albums and a number of compilations, for the sales of which they received an incredible 25 platinum records. 100,000 fans did not miss Elán’s concert at Letná, and the Slovaks also sold out the famous Carnegie Hall in New York in 2007. The pillars of the band are Jožo Ráž (vocals, bass guitar) and Jano Baláž (vocals, guitar). One of the founders of the band Vašo Patejdl (keyboards, vocals) died last August. Elán last gave a concert in 2018, when he ended his spectacular Czechoslovak indoor and open air tour full of visual effects and projections in the sold-out Prague O2 arena.