THE MOLDAU

(Bedřich Smetana: 1824 – 1884)

Let yourself be enchanted by a musical journey through Czechia! Bedřich Smetana’s famous pictorial symphonic poem from 1874 follows the course of the Vltava in vivid sound images, from its two delicate mountain springs to its expansion into a majestic river. The music flows through villages, forests and nocturnal landscapes, passes joyful weddings, eavesdrops on nymphs, and grows with wild rapids to the crescendo of a solemn procession by Prague Castle. “The Moldau” is a powerful musical symbol of the Czech landscape and identity.

PIANO CONCERTO No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23

(Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: 1840 – 1893)

A legendary stroke of genius that never fails to delight! The monumental power of the opening alone sends shivers down the spine, and the wealth of sparkling melodies leaves no one untouched. Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, composed in 1874, is rightly regarded as one of the greatest highlights of classical music. Its premiere in Boston in 1875 launched a triumphal tour around the world, and to this day it remains among the most popular piano concertos ever written.

SYMPHONY NO. 9 "FROM THE NEW WORLD"

(Antonín Dvořák: 1841 – 1904)

Grand soundscapes that speak of longing, future, and freedom: composed in New York in 1893, the work was clearly inspired by the composer’s multi-year stay in America. Dvořák combined his impressions of the New World with motifs from his Bohemian homeland to create a gripping, all-encompassing masterpiece. The premiere at Carnegie Hall was celebrated with ovations, and to this day, the Ninth Symphony ranks among the world’s most frequently performed orchestral works.