On Tour: Rudolfinum Prague

Prag, Rudolfinum
20:00 Uhr

 We’re off to the »Golden City«! It gives us great pleasure to regularly travel with our Chief Conductor to his beloved city of Prague – where he studied and began his career as an internationally esteemed conductor. This year, we are guests at the prestigious Dvořák Festival for a residency – because the audience loves Jakub Hrůša’s captivating interpretations. The opening concert already includes two of his favourite works: Dvořák’s wistful cello concerto, about which he said: »Think of a boy who is in love – that’s the content.« His popular symphony »From the New World« is also highly emotional and has been described as an »expression of his love for his homeland from afar«. On the second evening, we celebrate Smetana’s 200th birthday: the three pieces »Richard III«, »Wallenstein’s Camp« and »Haakon Jarl« tell of love, heroism and suffering.
We combine them with a milestone by Beethoven, who was a frequent guest in the Vltava metropolis – and here he even met the woman he called the »Immortal Beloved« in a letter that remains a mystery to this day. His »Symphony of Fate« captivates with its grandiose metamorphoses of the four famous notes through to the magnificent finale. To conclude our visit, we will be focussing on Mahler, who also had Bohemian roots and whose Seventh Symphony is deeply linked to our orchestral history. We are performing it at a very special location in close friendship with our fellow musicians in Prague: At the place of the premiere in 1908 – and just like back then, when our predecessor orchestra of the German opera house »topped up« the Czech Philharmonic for this monumental work, we are now playing together again, music stand to music stand.

Jakub Hrůša Conductor
Julian Steckel Violoncello

Antonín Dvořák Konzert für Violoncello und Orchester h-Moll op. 104
Antonín Dvořák Symphonie Nr. 9 e-Moll op. 95 »Aus der Neuen Welt«