Antonin Dvořák Concert for Cello and Orchestra in B minor, op. 104
Antonin Dvořák Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, op. 95, New World Symphony
The premiere of the New World Symphony at New York's Carnegie Hall in December 1893 was a huge success. Henry T. Finck, critic for the New York Evening Post, called the work “the greatest symphonic work ever written in this country”. Dvořák added the title after he had finished the work and remarked that he had wanted to capture “impressions and memories of the New World”. However, the influence of the Central European tradition and the spirit of his native Bohemia can also be felt.
Under the baton of Semyón Bychkov for five seasons now, it will be the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra that offers us this “Dvořák Festival”, by way of a tribute to its first conductor.
Semyón Bychkov is remarkable for his mastery of a repertoire covering four centuries. Principal guest conductor of many major orchestras, he holds honorary positions with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Academy of Music. He started studying conducting at the age of 17 and won the prestigious Rachmaninoff Conducting Competition just three years later.
