The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Academy of St Martin in the Fields and many other orchestras are just a few of the best in orchestral art that the Dvořák Prague Festival has presented to its audiences in recent years. Many of these ensembles represent the very finest in the world and capture leading positions in professional periodicals’ rankings (whose objective criteria we artists may sometimes find difficult to comprehend). This year’s edition is no exception. 

As part of our Christmas advance booking we offer you a concert by an ensemble that comes from a specific group of orchestras inherently linked to radio networks. The Frankfurt Radio Symphony (hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt) is one of Germany’s oldest radio ensembles (founded in 1929) and, along with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, one of the most respected of its kind. The list of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony’s chief conductors during recent decades speaks for itself: Eliahu Inbal, Dmitri Kitaenko, Paavo Järvi and Andrés Orozco-Estrada. The orchestra will visit the Dvořák Prague Festival with its current chief conductor, Alain Altinoglu, who is a regular guest of the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics, Boston and Cleveland orchestras, Concertgebouw Amsterdam and the Czech Philharmonic. The phenomenal violinist and conductor Julian Rachlin will be his partner as soloist.

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It is as logical as it is beautiful that the regular Festival residency has been given to the orchestra whose inaugural performance in 1896 was conducted by Antonín Dvořák. The Czech Philharmonic has certainly made, makes and will continue to make an essential part of the history, presence and no doubt also the future of Czech music and the Dvořák Prague Festival. 

This “local orchestra of world renown” has been seen at the Dvořák Prague Festival in various appearances: whether when performing the complete Dvořák symphonies under Jiří Bělohlávek, or as the overwhelming element in the production of the three last symphonies and instrumental concertos by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky led by Semyon Bychkov. The latter also conducted the orchestra in a memorable production of Dvořák’s Rusalka with Asmik Grigorian in the title role. Beside its other appearances-in-residence during the latest Festival, the Czech Philharmonic also joined with the Bamberg Symphony under the baton of Jakub Hrůša in the unique United by Mahler project re-enacting the world premiere of the Seventh Symphony at the Prague Exhibition Grounds. It has also performed on several occasions with musicians taking on the double role of solo instrumentalist and conductor at once, such as Julian Rachlin, Sir András Schiff, and Leonidas Kavakos in the upcoming year. What are the Czech Philharmonic’s concerts known for – both within the Dvořák Prague Festival and beyond? The orchestra collaborates with world-class performers.  

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The recital concert series, which has been part of the Festival for many years, will be represented by two concerts this year. The first one, a classical recital evening offered for our Christmas advance booking, will introduce pianist Paul Lewis who closed the 2023 festival with a greatly acclaimed performance of Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor. Paul is one of the world’s very best pianists. He is the kind of virtuoso who ultimately serves the works he performs and their composers. He is admired for his unfussy and unpretentious music interpretation. You leave his concerts thinking “That was amazing Beethoven”, in contrast to other performers whose concerts you leave impressed by their superb musical abilities regardless of the repertoire you just heard. One has to note that both of these interpretation styles are needed, as each of them brings out strong emotions in the audience, which is crucial in the sharing of art.  

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