In the presence of Czech Television cameras, the “peeled” audience, under the baton of its chief conductor and music director Semyon Bychkov, heard two of Antonín Dvořák’s most famous symphonic works – Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in B minor and Symphony No. 9 in E minor From the New World.
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With such a chosen dramaturgy, a regular visitor to a concert hall will think that he will either have a long-lasting festive boredom or will witness an extraordinary experience. The latter happened a deed on Friday night.
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Václav Petr, a young Czech cellist, performed as a soloist in Dvořák’s cello concert. He chose rather free tempos and bet on the melody of the work, which is characterized by rich melody and strong emotional coloration. After all, in his work in faraway America, the master thought of his homeland and of his lifelong platonic love, which was his wife’s sister, Countess Josefina Kounicová. Therefore, in the second movement he inserted a free citation of his earlier song May My Spirit Himself and then used it at the very end of the concert, where its theme is recited by solo violin.
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Petr’s Philharmonic colleague, violinist Jan Mráček, who will be heard by visitors to Dvořák’s Prague on Monday, September 14, during Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, also performed in this solo.
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The audience listened to the opening concert of Dvořák’s Prague in veils.
Photo: Martin Divíšek
Semyon Bychkov is a great conductor who can not only satisfy and give space to a solo performance, but will also discover new unsuspected details in the well-known symphonic work. This statement testified to the Brahms-tuned concept of Dvořák’s Novosvětská, where he created a monumental image not only with the final sentence, but also with a contrastingly playful scherzo and a dreamy second part, which does not deny Dvořák’s homesickness.
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It is not without interest that the origin of the work is related to the Colombian celebrations of the discovery of America and its world premiere took place in December 1893 in the then brand new New York concert hall called Carnegie Hall.
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The opening concert of the Dvořák Prague Festival will be repeated in Dvořák’s Rudolfinum Hall on Saturday 5 September from 8 pm.
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