Czech Philharmonic ⬩ Semyon Bychkov

Semyon Bychkov says: “I am convinced that Escaich’s new concerto played by the winner of the Chopin Competition in Warsaw, the Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho, will truly be a musical event. Bartók’s Miraculous Mandarin and Stravinsky’s Petrushka, the first and last works on the programme, were both major events of their own kind at the time of their premieres, which occurred at nearly the same time. Both compositions embody something unparalleled in earlier music, and both caused a bit of a scandal at their premieres. I say ‘a bit’ because any reaction by the pubic and critics seems quite peaceable in comparison with the tsunami unleashed by the premiere of The Rite of Spring. I think the combination of The Miraculous Mandarin and Petrushka will make a revelatory, refreshing impression, and quite a theatrical evening awaits us because both works were originally ballet music.”