VLADIMIR COSMA IN CONCERT
Music composed and conducted by Vladimir Cosma
Performed by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra (CSNO) and the CNSO Mixed Choir
Soprano: Lenka Audolenská
Harmonica: Rachelle Plas
Pan pipes/Romanian whistle: Cezar Cazanoi
Trumpet/Flugelhorn: Emil Bizga
Mandolin: Vincent Beer-Demander
Cimbalom: Michal Grombiřík
June 21, 2026
Municipal House, Smetana Hall
Prague, Czech Republic
PART 1: THE COSMA CONNECTION
As a child of the ‘80s growing up in Australia, I was never exposed to French cinema or its music.
When I grew up and got into soundtracks, my favourites – who included luminaries like John Barry, Patrick Doyle, and James Horner – composed for predominantly British and American films. Of the few non-British or American composers I knew and liked such as Georges Delerue and Gabriel Yared, I only discovered them through the work they did in Hollywood.
So, how did I discover the music of Vladimir Cosma, a composer famous for his work in European cinema yet largely unknown in Hollywood?
About a decade ago I was talking to a fellow soundtrack fan about who we fancied in the movies and my friend immediately offered the name “Sophie Marceau”– “Oh, the sexy villainess in that Bond film, THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH?” I innocently asked. “Yes, that’s her! But I love her in LA BOUM.” “LA BOUM?” I responded. “What’s that?”
To say that my friend was shocked and in disbelief would be an understatement.
After discovering that I had not seen the film nor heard its amazing music, my friend immediately put on “Reality” from LA BOUM and… Boom! (pun intended) – I was immediately hooked.
PART 2: A PROLIFIC TUNESMITH
Vladimir Cosma is a ridiculously prolific film composer. You need only look at the contents (and number of CDs!) in the four gigantic box sets released by Larghetto Music chronicling his career:
Truth be told, I haven’t gone through every minute of every CD in these four box sets – it would take months or longer to properly savour his work. But of the many discs I have gone through, one thing is clearly evident: Cosma is a master tunesmith, and you’d be hard-pressed finding a composer that can match the number of earworms in his voluminous catalogue.
A lot of his melodies are wistful, upbeat, and slightly mischievous- I suppose because he has scored so many comedies in his career. But he also has a romantic side that is just so gorgeous and pure… if you know, you know.
In any case, he is a composer that I have ALWAYS wanted to see live, and I finally got my chance in Prague recently the day after a Michael Giacchino concert happened across town.
PART 3: COSMA IN CONCERT
An unusually hot Sunday in June saw Vladimir Cosma conduct the Czech National Symphony Orchestra (CNSO) and CNSO Mixed Choir through a selection of his very greatest hits for the movies at the famed Municipal House, Smetana Hall in Prague.
Attended by none other than Petr Pavel, who is the current President of the Czech Republic, it was quite a special occasion.
But the concert itself got off to a slightly worrying start. After a few words from Pavel, the audience was asked to wait as Cosma was not ready to come out despite the orchestra and choir patiently waiting on stage.
About twenty minutes later Cosma finally appeared, slowly hobbling across the stage to the podium. Despite looking visibly frail and perhaps in some kind of discomfort, as soon as he raised his baton to conduct the first piece, we knew our man was OK and ready to lead us through a night of his most beloved music.
PART 4: THE FIRST HALF
L’As des as (1982)
Ace of Aces
The concert kicked off with music from “L’As des as (Ace of Aces)”, a 1982 French-German action-comedy starring Jean-Paul Belmondo as a man swept into a dangerous mission to rescue a Jewish family from the Gestapo. It was impossible not to love this heroic and upbeat piece that featured brass taking on the main melody.
Les Aventures de Rabbi Jacob (1973)
The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob
The suite from “Les Aventures de Rabbi Jacob (The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob)” worked the audience into a frenzy with its festive, whimsical and deliriously mischievous tone. I couldn’t help but smile when the choir joined with their chants, grunts and loud whistles – it really was a riot! The timpanist was also going off like a rattlesnake, perfectly capturing the spirit of the madcap adventures of the film’s protagonists who are disguised as rabbis on the run from assassins and the police.
La Boum 2 (1982)
The Party 2
“Your Eyes”
“La Boum (The Party)” had “Reality” and “La Boum 2 (The Party 2)” had “Your Eyes” – both iconic and timeless songs of the cinema. And what a performance we were treated to at this concert with soprano Lenka Audolenská delivering a divine and truly enchanting arrangement of the song. Her pacing and phrasing were simply perfect – I could truly feel the innocence, the honesty and that purity of love. Bravo!
Mistral’s Daughter (1984)
“L’Amour en héritage”
“Mistral’s Daughter,” a TV miniseries about the tumultuous lives of three generations of women, featured another arresting performance from Audolenská with opening support from solo piano. With orchestra soon joining, we were swept away by yet another wistful and unforgettable Cosma melody… and what a climax!
La Chèvre (1981)
The Goat
“La Cabra”
The mood was about to change with the arrival on stage of ethnic flute extraordinaire, Cezar Cazanoi. For “La Chèvre (The Goat),” a buddy cop comedy set in Mexico, Cosma composed (yet another) catchy theme that is breezy, lighthearted and full of sunshine. Cazanoi brought that sunshine out in spades with his impassioned performance of the theme first on the panpipes, and then later on the Romanian whistle – all while his panpipes were tucked under his arm! The piece ended with a cheeky comedic flourish by Cazanoi that had the audience chuckling in their seats.
Le Jouet (1976)
The Toy
Oh how I loved this performance of Cosma’s music for “Le Jouet (The Toy)”!
For this performance they rolled out the big guns: soloists on harmonica, trumpet, cymbalom, and mandolin. As soloists riffing on that fun “stop-start” main theme, they worked up an absolute riot – hats off especially to the incredible Rachelle Plas on the harmonica for playing in a way that I didn’t even know was possible. She has to be seen to be believed!
Le Dîner de cons (1998)
The Dinner Game (1998)
Le Dîner de cons (The Dinner Game), a film about a group of businessmen who host a recurring dinner party at which they compete to bring the best “idiot,” was represented with an infectious foot-tapping piece that brought all instrumental soloists to the fore. Each soloist absolutely burned up the stage with their improv, adding to the mischievous chaos of the piece.
It was some way to end the first half!
PART 5: THE SECOND HALF
Diva (1981)
“La wally”
The second half kicked off with the gorgeous operatic piece, “La wally” from Diva, a French thriller about an opera-obsessed postman that accidentally records a crime while trying to make a bootleg recording of a famous opera singer. For this piece, Audolenská returned to the stage to deliver a stunningly beautiful performance of Cosma’s theme. As with her other performances that night, when the piece came to an end, Audolenská turned and pointed to all members of the orchestra – on both sides of the stage – ensuring that they too would be appreciated for their performance. It’s something I very rarely see at concerts, so I deeply applaud her humility and grace.
Le Château de ma mère (1990)
My Mother’s Castle (1990)
“La Valse d’Augustine”
As a sucker for waltzes, I was on cloud nine as the sounds of Cosma’s magnificent “La Valse d’Augustine” from “Le Château de ma mère (My Mother’s Castle)” filled the hall. Wistful and with a tinge of darkness, I could listen to it on repeat all day.
Salut l’artiste (1973)
Hail the Artist (1973)
Written for a French-Italian comedy-drama, the gorgeous jazz noir piece from “Salut l’artiste (Hail the Artist)” featured a sizzling performance by Emil Bizga on flugelhorn and Plas on harmonica. Soulful, seething and evocative of days gone by, this was another winner that I did not want to end.
L’animal (1977)
Animal (1977)
Although not listed on the concert program, the catchy “L’animal (Animal)” came next featuring guitar, drum kit and orchestra. While I have not seen the film, I have no doubt that it perfectly captures the essence of the slapstick action-comedy it was written for – I do wonder though how the audience would have reacted if they had done a live recreation of the disco version!
La Boum (1980)
The Party
“Reality”
Ah, “La Boum (The Party)” – my very first exposure to the genius of Vladimir Cosma.
Despite being slightly disappointed that it was not the vocal version of the song “Reality,” the orchestral arrangement more than made up for it. With the melody first taken by the oboe, and then by the French horn, I felt nothing but yearning, romance and a thirst for life. And when the choir came in, I was all but ready to melt…
Le Grand Blond avec une chaussure noire (1972)
The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe
Opening with shimmering strings, drum kit soon entered as another (!) seriously catchy theme took shape. Choir later joined as a lone trumpet furiously blasted away in the background. With my foot tapping away, all I wanted to do was get up and dance!
Le Bal des casse-pieds (1992)
The Balloon of the Troublemakers (1992)
The concert came to a conclusion with a CRAZY performance of Cosma’s music from “Le Bal des casse-pieds (The Balloon of the Troublemakers),” a touching comedy about a man’s resilience and the impact of love.
With all soloists back on stage for an improv showdown, we all knew we were in for a very special treat. While Plas stole the show with an astonishing harmonica solo, Cazanoi and Bizga held their own with tremendous solos on Romanian whistle and trumpet.
When the piece finally came to an end, we were all ready to jump up in our seats and applaud – what a concert and what a night.
(La) Boom!
PART 6: OVER TO YOU
Did you go to this concert too? How did you like it?
And what did you think of my report? Feel free to comment below or reach out to me directly in the “Contact Me” section.
