This September we hopped the channel to make a brief trip to Prague and Linz for two sold-out concerts with our Music Director Vasily Petrenko.
The Vltava from The Charles Bridge
We started off at the beautiful Rudolfinum on the banks of the Vltava – made famous by Smetena – in Prague’s beautiful old town.
The interior of Rudolfinum
An impressive neo-renaissance building, Dvořák himself conducted the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra’s first concert there in 1896 and the building was even used as the seat of the Czechoslovak parliament between 1919 and 1939.
The Rudolfinum at night
This concert with pianist Lukáš Vondráček was part of the Prague Dvořák Festival and we were thrilled to have such a warm welcome from the capacity crowd. The programme of Benjamin Britten’s Four Sea Interludes, Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor and Prokofiev’s Symphony No.5 was received with a standing ovation and after the performance we even had a moment to pop and see Prague’s famous Astrological Clock.
Pianist Lukáš Vondráček receives applause
The following morning we set off for a 3-hour coach drive directly due south to the Austrian town of Linz.
A view from the Brucknerhaus in Linz overlooking the Danube.
We were lucky enough to be on the banks of another of classical music’s most famous: the Danube. The Brucknerhaus commands an enviable position on the banks of this great European waterway. Built in 1974, this curving auditorium was set and ready for Vasily Petrenko’s all-Sibelius programme as part of the Brucknerhaus International Festival Linz 2022.
After a rousing performance of Finalandia, Sergey Khachatryan performed Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in D minor. One today’s outstanding violinists he was the youngest ever prizewinner in the International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition in 2000 at the age of just 15.
Another whirlwind tour but the Orchestra and Petrenko were so happy to perform in such fabulous venues and festivals and we hope to be back for more soon!
Double bassists Cathy Colwell and David Johnson.
Vasily Petrenko conducts our Journeys of Discovery series in 2022-23 at the Royal Albert Hall and Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall.