2024-09-09 07:57:30
The Bamber Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor Jakub Hrůš, opened the Dvořák Prague Festival this Friday evening at the Rudolfinum. Dvořák’s Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in B minor was played by the German-born Julian Steckel. After the break, the New World Symphony was on the program, after which the enthusiastic audience applauded two encores.
The show will last until September 24 and, in addition to the composer after whom it is named, it will also commemorate Bedřich Smetana and other Czech authors. This year, he is applying for the Year of Czech Music. The name covers a cultural event commemorating significant anniversaries of musical personalities every ten years.
“This year’s Dvořák Prague is intrinsically connected with the celebrations of the Year of Czech Music. For several years, we have started it with the emblematic works of Antonín Dvořák. And when we thought about what should characterize Czech music besides Dvořák, we approached the conductor Jakub Hrůš, who is one of the greatest nowadays ambassadors of Czech music in the world,” says the artistic director of the festival, pianist Jan Simon.
“We thought it would be nice if he came with the Bamber Symphony Orchestra and performed these two works. We also talked about a soloist and we came to the conclusion that since we are already in the Czech-German relationship, we will approach the winner of the great cello competition in Munich by Julian Steckel,” he adds. The German musician succeeded in this competition in 2010.
The concerto for cello and orchestra in B minor was composed by Dvořák between 1894 and 1895. A few days before starting the work, he hesitated whether to choose the cello, violin, or piano as the solo instrument. The work was performed for the first time on March 19, 1896 in London and soon became part of the repertoire of the world’s cellists.
The New World Symphony is, among other things, the first to be heard after the landing of American astronauts on the moon. It is said to be the result of the author’s admiration for the United States.
Conductor Jakub Hrůša, as this year’s resident artist of Dvořák’s Prague, will perform at the festival four times.
In addition to the position of chief conductor of the Bamber Symphony, he is the principal guest conductor of the Czech Philharmonic and the orchestra of the National Academy of St. Cecilia in Rome. In the autumn of 2025, he will take up the position of music director of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London.
The formation of the Bamber Symphony in 1946 is connected with Czech-German history. Its founders were also exiled Germans, players of the Prague German Philharmonic who were forced to leave their homes by the consequences of the Second World War. Despite the tense post-war situation, the orchestra has always maintained its Czech roots.
This year’s edition of Dvořák’s Prague has a budget of approximately 74 million crowns. Compared to last year, it was increased by approximately ten million crowns due to the project Connected by Mahler, during which the Bamber Symphony Orchestra and the Czech Philharmonic will perform together under the open sky at the Exhibition Center. The price of tickets has increased slightly. The most expensive are those for performances by the Vienna Philharmonic, where the price ranges from 2,490 to 4,190 crowns.
Last year, according to the organizers, almost 17,000 spectators visited the show, 2,000 more than the year before. Another thousands of interested people were attracted by the digital work Dvořák Dreams by artist Refik Anadol in front of the Rudolfinum.
Video: Why Tata Boys avoid political topics (3/9/2024)
“Humanity is always going around in circles,” says Tata Boys singer Milan Cais. His teammate Mardoša would also like it if people weren’t so “heated up”. | Video: Team Spotlight