R3 / Tomáš Netopil and Taras Bulba ⬩ Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra

This final evening of November, full of rhythm, colour, and the distinctive sound of the cimbalom, shows that this instrument reaches far beyond the world of folk music.

The programme opens with Parables by Bohuslav Martinů, a three-movement orchestral work characterised by pulsating rhythm, contrasting motivic development, and colourful instrumentation. The piece was written in 1958 in the closing period of the composer’s life and is one of his most mature orchestral compositions.

The world premiere of Concerto for Two Cimbaloms and Orchestra by the renowned composer Jana Vöröšová presents the cimbalom as a concert instrument. The concerto was commissioned by the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra and written specifically for the husband-and-wife duo Nikol and Petr Spěvák, outstanding cimbalom players and graduates of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest.

In the second part of the evening, we will hear Taras Bulba, a three-movement orchestral rhapsody by Leoš Janáček inspired by the novella by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. The work is renowned for its dramatic power and orchestral colour, its musical energy evoking the strength and courage of the human spirit.

Conductor Tomáš Netopil is one of the leading figures of the Czech musical scene. He is Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Prague Symphony Orchestra, a former Principal Guest Conductor of the Czech Philharmonic, and he also worked for many years with the Essener Philharmoniker, where he led both operatic and symphonic projects. He studied conducting and violin and collaborates with leading orchestras in Europe and around the world.

This will be an evening in which fresh music, a premiere composition for cimbaloms, and Janáček’s rhapsody come together in a captivating musical experience – with Nikol and Petr Spěvák as soloists and Tomáš Netopil on the conductor’s podium. We look forward to welcoming you.