Event Type : USA

Programme
Antonín Dvořák: Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104
Bedřich Smetana: Vyšehrad, Vltava, Šárka from the cycle of symphonic poems Má vlast

Performing with
Yo-Yo Ma, cello
Czech Philharmonic

Yo-Yo Ma joins the illustrious Czech Philharmonic as part of the worldwide Year of Czech Music celebration. Together they perform Dvořák’s towering final concerto—a masterpiece for which these artists are individually renowned. From its virtuosic cello passages and exquisite orchestration to its energetic, yet elegiac tone, it’s a thoroughly captivating piece to hear in concert. Semyon Bychkov also leads the orchestra in selections from Má Vlast (My Country), a singular symphonic cycle by Smetana, the 19th-century composer widely known as the “father of Czech music.”

Programme
Antonín Dvořák: Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 53
Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor

Performing with
Gil Shaham, violin
Czech Philharmonic

In each of its three concerts this week, the inimitable Czech Philharmonic pairs an orchestral masterwork with one of Dvořák’s concertos, each featuring a superstar soloist. Tonight, the soloist is violin icon Gil Shaham, who performs the vibrant, Czech folk–infused Violin Concerto. Mahler’s Fifth Symphony follows, giving audiences a chance to experience the orchestra’s acclaimed interpretation under conductor Semyon Bychkov. Their 2022 recording of the Fifth was named Best Classical Record of 2022 by London’s The Times, which praised their “fine balance in this visionary work, a musical universe of dreams and prophecies in which Bychkov matches intelligent pacing with great-hearted warmth and sonic opulence with textural clarity.”

Programme
Antonín Dvořák: Piano Concerto in G minor, Op. 33
Leoš Janáček: Glagolitic Mass, cantata for vocal soloists, choir, orchestra and organ to an Old Church Slavonic text

Performing with
Daniil Trifonov piano

Lyubov Petrova soprano
Lucie Hilscherová mezzo-soprano
Aleš Briscein tenor
David Leigh bass
Daniela Valtová Kosinová organ

Prague Philharmonic Choir
Lukáš Vasilek choirmaster

Czech Philharmonic

Once per decade, music lovers worldwide are treated to a major musical event: the Year of Czech Music. Carnegie Hall celebrates the festival’s 100th anniversary with an extraordinary series of concerts—including three performances by the Czech Philharmonic with superstar guests. Tonight, for its final performance, the orchestra welcomes beloved pianist Daniil Trifonov to perform Dvořák’s imaginative, sole Piano Concerto. The great Prague Philharmonic Choir and soloists then fill the Hall with Janáček’s monumental Glagolitic Mass, a “festive, life-affirming, pantheistic” work that the composer wrote to celebrate the spirit of the Czech nation.