This concert was a quite special occasion for Julia Fischer, who was presented with the Martinu Medal of the Bohuslav Martinu Foundation following the concert in the Rudolfinum in Prague. Julia Fischer had just thrilled her audience with her interpretation of Martinu’s Violin Concerto. “Technically everything was perfect with the utmost fullness of sound. Thanks to her rich and full sound, which she deployed with great taste and imagination, Fischer displayed exceptional talent for the Czech and Slav repertoire. It was a serious matinee, at which Fischer brought out virtuoso ornamentation seldom to be heard in this context.” Such was the admiring press comment. Fischer’s solo performance was the centrepiece of a concert that also featured works by Dvorák (Concert Overture) and Beethoven (Symphony No. 6), which wonderfully portray the world of nature.
Martinu Symphony Cycle: Martinu 3 & 6
With the Symphonies Nos. 1 and 4, Jirí Belohlávek and his Czech Philharmonic started the ambitious project of recording the complete Martinu symphonies cycle at the visually and acoustically spectacular Rudolfinum Prague. After the death of his mentor Jirí Belohlávek, who was considered one of the world’s most renowned Martinu experts, rising star conductor Jakub Hruša is going to complete the cycle with performances of Martinu’s Symphonies Nos. 2, 3, 5 and 6 between March 2018 and January 2019. Hruša has recently been hailed by the New York Times for his “passionate, thrilling” way of presenting his ‘all-Czech’ concert at the BBC Proms.
Martinu Symphony Cycle: Martinu 2
Jirí Belohlávek and his Czech Philharmonic embarked on the ambitious project of recording the complete Martinu symphonies at the visually and acoustically spectacular Rudolfinum Prague, starting with Nos. 1 and 4. After the death of Belohlávek, his pupil Jakub Hruša took over the project, continuing the cycle with Symphonies Nos. 2, 3 and 6. Praised for his “passionate, thrilling” way of conducting his ‘all-Czech’ BBC Proms concert by the NYT, Hruša is uniquely qualified to face the task of performing the works of Martinu, who is deemed the greatest Czech composer of his generation.
Martinu Symphony Cycle: Martinu No. 5
Jirí Belohlávek and his Czech Philharmonic embarked on the ambitious project of recording the complete Martinu symphonies at the visually and acoustically spectacular Rudolfinum Prague, starting with Nos. 1 and 4. After the death of Belohlávek, his pupil Jakub Hruša took over the project, completing the cycle with Symphony No 5. Praised for his “passionate, thrilling” way of conducting his ‘all-Czech’ BBC Proms concert by the NYT, Hruša is uniquely qualified to face the task of performing the works of Martinu, who is deemed the greatest Czech composer of his generation.
Prague Sounds – Concert for Europe with Semyon Bychkov & the Czech Philharmonic
For this special concert, the Vltava river in Prague turned into a unique concert venue. Floating stages were built especially for this concert. To celebrate Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Czech Philharmonic perform some of the most iconic pieces of Czech classical music. The concert opens with the anthem of the European Union, Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy”, and is completed by Smetana’s Vltava (The Moldau), Dvorák’s Carnival Overture and – as the main piece of the evening – Janácek’s monumental Glagolitic Mass, one of the most powerful sacred compositions ever. It is the perfect piece to celebrate Europe: “the ancient classical meets the spontaneously avant-garde in a special and optimal way.” (Lidové noviny) PROGRAM: Beethoven: ”Ode to Joy” Finale of Symphony No. 9, Op. 125; Dvorák: Carnival overture op. 92; Smetana: Vltava, a symphonic poem from the cycle ‘My Country.’ Janácek: Glagolitic Mass
Dvorák – Symphony No 1 in c minor “Bells of Zlonice”
From the stunning Rudolfinum in Prague: the Czech Philharmonic conducted by ist chief conductor Jirí Belohlávek performing Dvorák´s symphonies: Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, OP. 3 “The Bells of Zlonice” (48´- A985500040001). Complete cycle of all 9 symphonies also available, see A985500040001-9.
Dvorak – The Complete Symphonies
Antonín Dvorák (1841–1904) stands alongside Smetana as a founder of the new Czech music. His nine symphonies, presented here for the first time as a filmed cycle, show Dvorák to be a thoroughly individual and original composer whose symphonic concepts and wealth of musical expression are often surprising, representing a distinctly different engagement with the formal legacy of the nineteenth century from one symphony to the next. The Czech Philharmonic regards Dvorák’s symphonic output as an essential part of its repertoire. All the symphonies in this cycle were performed in the Dvorák Hall of the Rudolfinum in Prague, one of Europe’s oldest and loveliest concert halls and also where
Dvorák conducted the first concert by today’s Czech Philharmonic in 1896. Jirí Belohlávek, Chief Conductor of the Czech Philharmonic, is considered an established authority on the Slavic music of his homeland.
Nine Sketches of Dvorák
Documentary to the complete Dvorak Symphonies Cycle recorded in the Rudolfinum, Prague, by Czech Philharmonic under the baton of chief conductor Jirí Belohlávek: Alongside the performances in concert, the symphonic cyle is presented in a special interpretative version in which conductor Jirí Belohlávek explains how each symphony came to be written and highlights the key musical features of the individual movements. Jirí Belohlávek visits important places in the composer’s life, interviews experts and key figures and investigates how his symphonies came to be so successful.
Má vlast
Is there any more evocative piece of national music than “Ma Vlast” or “My Country”? Smetana’s six orchestral poems – the most famous of which is “Vltava” with its instantly recognizable melody and evocation of this great river – tell of Bohemia’s lands and legends. It is performed here by the orchestra so strongly associated with Czech identity and an institution that continues to represent Czech culture on the international stage.