21. 2. 2024 • Philharmonious
In the complex world of orchestral conducting, Maestro Jakub Hrůša stands as a central figure in harmonizing tradition and innovation. In the Philharmonious podcast, he shares a deeply nuanced perspective of the classical music scene, encompassing his reflections on the Czech conducting tradition and his insights into the intricate dynamics among conductors, orchestras, and repertoire.
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30. 11. 2022 • Adéla Dražanová
Let me begin with a brief comment. It is very, very difficult to do an interview with Semyon Bychkov. Semyon is a truly fantastic storyteller. Whether you have an hour, two hours, or (just theoretically) a whole day, it is never enough. You want more. By the second or third question, you find that the world around you has vanished, and all that exists is Semyon’s world. And it does not matter whether the maestro is telling you about his childhood in Leningrad or about conducting in Vienna.
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21. 1. 2021 • Michaela Vostřelová
Semyon Bychkov is half way through his five-year term as the Artistic Director of the Czech Philharmonic. He says that he has never experienced such hard times with any of his previous orchestras. Besides cancelled concerts, postponed recording plans and cautious outlook for the future, there are still composers who write new music for the Czech Philharmonic. And this was the main focus of our interview.
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10. 1. 2020 • Boris Klepal
Since the fantastic success of his opera South Pole in Munich, Miroslav Srnka has undoubtedly become the most familiar face of the Czech contemporary music scene. Our interview, however, deals not so much with media fame as with the consequences it has had for the rest of his life. This is related to Srnka’s collaboration with the Czech Philharmonic, his shift from the privacy of composing into public life, and how the specifics of his situation influence solutions to compositional problems and creative questions in general.
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18. 10. 2019 • Alena Sojková
The chief conductor and artistic director of the Czech Philharmonic Semyon Bychkov has thrown himself energetically into his second season in Prague. After the opening programme including Shostakovich’s Eighth Symphony, in October there will be three performances of Smetana’s Má vlast (My Homeland) as part of Subscription Series B. Performing this iconic work in the course of a season is unusual, but Semyon Bychkov has reasons for doing so. The interview that follows will cover this and other questions.
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2. 3. 2018 • Jana Orlová
They play music all day, and when they want to relax in their spare time, they... play music. This is a common feature of chamber ensembles of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, which since the summer of 2017 have been presented to the general public in Suk Hall of the Rudolfinum.
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24. 5. 2017 • Dina Šnejdarová
When the conductor Semyon Bychkov was asked to record the complete symphonic works of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky with the Czech Philharmonic for the Decca label, he did not take too long to think it over. The orchestra’s unique sound and the modesty of its players sparked a desire for collaboration in this great expert on Tchaikovsky’s music.
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27. 3. 2017 • Dina Šnejdarová
Manfred Honeck brings light to the Lenten season with the optimism of Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 and of W. A. Mozart’s Symphony No. 33, complementing the colorful lyricism of Richard Strauss’s Four Last Songs sung by the great German soprano Christiane Karg. The concerts have become, among other things, an opportunity for Maestro Honeck’s personal retrospection on his tenure so far as Principal Guest Conductor, which reached its apex last season.
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1. 2. 2017 • Dina Šnejdarová
The Czech Philharmonic never tires in its search for new talent. It offers its audiences a glimpse into the world of international competitions and the budding careers of their winners whose performances energize and freshen up its own playing and help keep the Philharmonic in top musical shape. For its concert on February 18, part of the series called “Discoveries”, the orchestra has chosen the best of the best, inviting one of the brightest stars of the contemporary cello scene, Andrei Ioniţă from Romania.
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