2024-07-28 15:03:13
The world premiere of Gustav Mahler’s Seventh Symphony will be commemorated by a joint concert of the Bamber Symphony Orchestra and the Czech Philharmonic, which will take place on September 11 in the open air at the Exhibition Center in Prague under the name “Connected by Mahler”. It is organized by the Dvořák Prague Festival as an imaginary replica of the first performance of Mahler’s work, which took place in the same place in 1908.
At that time, the orchestras of the Czech Philharmonic and the former New German Theater in Prague performed under Mahler’s baton, whose members laid the foundations of today’s Bamber Symphony Orchestra after being expelled from Czechoslovakia.
“An auditorium with 2,000 seats and a stage for the combined orchestras of the Czech Philharmonic and the Bamber Symphony Orchestra will be built on the space in front of the Industrial Palace,” announced festival spokesperson Markéta Voráčová. At the Exhibition Center, where almost nothing remains of the buildings and pavilions built in 1908 for the Jubilee Exhibition of the Chamber of Commerce and Trade, the Czech Philharmonic and the Bamber Symphony Orchestra will perform under the baton of Jakub Hrůš.
Jakub Hrůša is one of the most famous Czech conductors. | Photo: Musacchio, Ianniello e Pasqualini
“The concert will be completely unrepeatable, two orchestras that have never played together will perform together in this masterpiece by Gustav Mahler, moreover, approximately in the place where the premiere took place at the Exhibition Grounds. All these circumstances give this concert a charge that will not be repeated, ” emphasizes the conductor.
For Hrůša, the event also has a social dimension. He expects to contribute to the harmonious coexistence of the Czech and German elements. “I see the symbolism of the brotherhood of two nations that live side by side, that have had a lot of tension and problems between them in history, and I consider the connection and harmonization that will happen with the help of music to be very important. Although of course I know that music will not change politics, it can at least to show in which direction mutual dialogue could go,” adds Jakub Hrůša.
An open air concert is insured against force majeure. If it is necessary to cancel it due to weather, the organizers will refund the entrance fee to the visitors. “If I say it with a bit of exaggeration, we have to be careful that the wind doesn’t take our notes away,” notes Jan Mráček, concertmaster of the Czech Philharmonic, about the specifics of playing in the open air. He believes that unlike performing in air-conditioned halls, he and his colleagues will enjoy a less formal atmosphere and fresh air. “When playing outside, the acoustics are of course different, but the concert will be amplified for the audience, which helps us to better connect and communicate,” adds Mráček.
With the event Spojeni Mahler, the Dvořák Prague Festival will join the Year of Czech Music. The name covers a cultural event commemorating significant anniversaries of musical personalities every ten years.
The organizers want to treat the evening as a comprehensive experience. Before the start of the concert, a documentary about the Seventh Symphony will be shown on the stage on a large-screen screen, and in the premises the audience will be able to learn about the historical circumstances of the world premiere in 1908. “We agreed with the adjacent restaurant that they will cook until 11 p.m. they can enjoy the evening with everything. We are betting on a less formal atmosphere, no dress code is required,” adds festival spokesperson Markéta Voráčová.