Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

Jiří Bělohlávek  conductor
Freddy Kempf  piano

Smetana  Vltava Listen
Beethoven  Piano Concerto No. 5 'Emperor' Listen
Smetana  From Bohemia's Woods and Fields Listen
Dvořák  Symphony No. 5 Listen

In this anniversary season we are thrilled to welcome back the world-renowned Czech Philharmonic Orchestra with its inspirational chief conductor for this gala performance. The centrepiece of the concert is Beethoven's majestic 'Emperor' Concerto, played here by the acclaimed British pianist Freddy Kempf.

The rest of the programme is built on the twin musical pillars of Czech Nationalism. Smetana's Vltava and From Bohemia's Woods and Fields are two of the most evocative scenes from his symphonic sequence Ma Vlast, 'My Homeland'. Dvořák's 5^th Symphony also has a pastoral quality and its youthful vigour reflects the composer's buoyant spirits at a time when he had really found his voice.