Czech Philharmonic ⬩ Special Forenoon New Years´s Eve Dress Rehearsal

This time, our annual shared musical welcoming in of the New Year will also be a birthday celebration. On 4 January 2021 it will have been 125 years since the musicians of the Czech Philharmonic first gathered on the stage of the Dvořák Hall under the baton of Antonín Dvořák. In the course of one and a quarter century, the leading Czech orchestra has undergone an initial struggle to maintain its existence, has grown artistically, and over the following decades has fulfilled one of its greatest goals by performing before capacity audiences in prestigious concert halls around the world.

We have decided to celebrate the New Yearand this major anniversary“in dance rhythm”with works exclusively by Czech composers. Their music will give each instrumental group and their principal players including the concertmasters a chance to shine. There will be selections from Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances, Suk’s stylised polka from the second movement of A Fairy Tale, Op. 16, Smetana’s overture to the opera The Kiss, and a popular piece by Václav Trojan titled The Frog. The music of Dvořák’s pupil Oskar Nedbal will not be overlooked, either – a conductor, composer, and violist, Nedbal was an important figure in the European musical circles of his day. He had a major influence over the Czech Philharmonic’s artistic development, and he also led the orchestra out of financial difficulties. 24 December 2020 will be the 90^th anniversary of his death. We will also be hearing the Cavalier Waltz from Nedbal’s operetta Polish Blood. We will also remember the music of another of Dvořák’s pupils, Julius Fučík, who dedicated pieces to the Czech Philharmonic including the march Sempre avanti!

For the occasion of the Czech Philharmonic jubilee, Jan Kučera has composed a Concerto grosso for two violins, cello and orchestra. The concertmasters Jiří Vodička, Jan Mráček, and Václav Petr will be featured in the world première of Kučera’s concerto.

Concert is organised by the Czech Philharmonic in cooperation with Impresario – Czech Artist Agency.