Digital Programmes
Czech Philharmonic/Semyon Bychkov & Yuja Wang
Start time: 7.30pm
Approximate running time: 130 minutes including a 20-minute interval
Please note all timings are approximate and subject to change
The Czech Philharmonic open their two-concert residency with music as virtuosic as the orchestra itself, writes Gordon Kalton Williams.
In 1902 conductor Oskar Nedbal wrote, ‘this is the first time that an orchestra from the Continent has settled in London for a longer period of time…’ He was writing about the Czech Philharmonic’s residency in May–June that year. More than a hundred years (and several visits) later, the Czech Philharmonic brings its repertoire again to London for these two concerts at the Barbican.
This residency begins with a work by Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninov, then newly graduated from Moscow Conservatory. The composer premiered the first movement of this work in spring 1892 but was never quite satisfied with it as it stood. A quarter-century later, after writing his Second and Third Piano Concertos, he settled himself in his flat on Strastnoy Boulevard, Moscow, and began the long-sought revisions. It was 1917 but Rachmaninov blocked out the Revolutionary turmoil around him.
Rachmaninov’s changes were quite extensive, but the concerto still balances the extraordinary virtuosity and a romantic lyricism that was characteristic from early on. These two sides can be heard, for example, in the first movement, where, after a brass statement combined with cascading piano double octaves, the orchestra launches into the broadly lyrical main theme. Shortly thereafter the piano’s scherzando passage gives rise to the second main theme, an almost-importuning rising violin theme.
The Andante has the mood of a nocturne. After an extensive solo, the other instruments comment on the soloist’s musings until the violins draw an alluring melody out of what was merely implied by bassoon. The third movement saw the greatest overhaul in the 1917 revision. If anything, the mercurial exchanges between soloist and orchestra became more extreme, and, paradoxically, more purposeful. Perhaps the biggest change is a highly accented Russian dance to close, where previously there had been a grandiose transformation of an earlier lyrical passage.
Shortly after completing this work to his satisfaction, Rachmaninov received an invitation to perform in Stockholm. The Piano Concerto No 1 was the last major work he composed before leaving Russia permanently. He would express hurt, in later years, when it was clear US promoters preferred his second and third concertos.
Smetana’s Ma vlást is a cornerstone of Czech repertoire. Though inspired by the Lisztian ideal of the symphonic poem – a composition following the logic of an extra-musical reference source – Smetana only slowly came to the idea of a cycle of ‘poems’ extolling his homeland. He had concentrated on opera upon returning from Sweden in 1861.
The first ‘poem’ – ‘Vyšehrad’ – was completed in November 1874 and premiered on 14 March 1875. Portraying the mythical birthplace of Prague, the legendary and historical fortress which stands on a rock east of the river Vltava, the piece begins with a solo harp playing the ‘Vyšehrad motif’. As Smetana said, ‘a poet sings of the events on Vyšehrad, of glory and splendour, of tournaments and battles, and of eventual decline and ruin. The poem ends on an elegiac note.’
Leoš Janáček, whose Glagolitic Mass climaxes this residency, described the reaction to Smetana’s second poem ‘Vltava’ when in 1875 he first heard it: “At the end a tumultuous roar fused into the name Smetana!” ‘Vltava’ is the most popular of Ma vlást’s movements. It depicts the course of the mighty Czech river (in German: ‘Moldau’) that flows through much of Bohemia, from its source as two rivulets, past a woodland hunt, peasants’ wedding, and mermaids in moonlight, to St. John’s Rapids. The ‘river’ theme blazes forth in major mode, setting up a victorious return to Vyšehrad, before fading away. The Vltava eventually joins the Elbe.
The third movement depicts the legend of Šárka who avenged herself on men for an earlier infidelity. We hear the approach of Ctirad and his men, the cry of anguish Šárka feigned to lure Ctirad’s men to her maidens’ trap, love music, carousal, slumber and then a horn, Šárka’s signal to start the massacre. ‘From Bohemia’s Woods and Fields’, denotes Smetana’s love of the Bohemian countryside. He basks in generous melody though making prominent use of fugue.
By 1878, Smetana had decided to expand his original concept (a tetralogy) to six movements, ending with a pair inspired by the Hussite period in Czech history. Both make use of ‘Ye who are God’s Warriors’, a hymn that supposedly struck fear in the enemy. ‘Tábor’, named after the Hussite stronghold, depicts the Hussites’ faith and resolve. ‘Blaník’ refers to the hill under which Czech warriors are thought to sleep until rallied to save the nation under St. Wenceslaus. The cycle ends with the ‘Vyšehrad motif’.
Smetana became deaf midway through writing ‘Vyšehrad’. This tragedy could dominate our perceptions of him; better to remember that Ma vlást, first performed in its entirety on 5 November 1882, is an important national artifact that has gained immense international appeal.
© Gordon Kalton Williams
Start time: 7.30pm
Approximate running time: 130 minutes including a 20-minute interval
Please note all timings are approximate and subject to change
Programme and performers
Sergei Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 1
1. Vivace – Moderato
2. Andante
3. Allegro vivace
Bedřich Smetana Má vlast
1. Vyšehrad (The High Castle)
2. Vltava (The Moldau)
3. Šárka
4. Z českých luhů a hájů (From Bohemia's Woods and Fields)
5. Tábor
6. Blaník
Performers
Czech Philharmonic
Semyon Bychkov conductor
Yuja Wang piano
Artist biographies
The 126 year-old Czech Philharmonic gave its first concert – an all Dvořák programme conducted by the composer himself – in the famed Rudolfinum Hall on 4 January 1896. Acknowledged for its definitive interpretations of Czech composers, the Orchestra is recognised for its special relationship to the music of Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Mahler, who conducted the world première of his Symphony No 7 with the Orchestra in 1908.
Throughout the Czech Philharmonic’s history, two features have remained at its core: its championing of Czech composers and its belief in music’s power to change lives. As early as the 1920s, Václav Talich (Chief Conductor 1919–1941) pioneered concerts for workers, young people and voluntary organisations.
The philosophy continues today and is equally vibrant. A comprehensive education strategy engages with more than 400 schools bringing all ages to the Rudolfinum. An inspirational music and song programme led by singer Ida Kelarová for the extensive Romany communities within the Czech Republic and Slovakia has helped many socially excluded families to find a voice. In addition to an international education exchange with the Royal Academy of Music in London, over lockdown the Orchestra gave seven benefit concerts which were live streamed internationally in 4K by Czech Philharmonic’s producing house Czech Phil Media, raising funds for hospitals, charities, and healthcare professionals.
An early champion of the music of Martinů and Janáček, the works of Czech composers – both established and new – remain the lifeblood of the Orchestra. Initiated by Semyon Bychkov, nine Czech composers have been commissioned to write works for the Orchestra alongside five international composers – Detlev Glanert, Julian Anderson, Thomas Larcher, Bryce Dessner and Thierry Escaich. The Orchestra additionally holds an annual young composers’ competition launched in 2014 by Jiří Bělohlávek (Chief Conductor 2012–2017).
Semyon Bychkov's tenure as Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Czech Philharmonic was initiated in 2018 with concerts in Prague, London, New York and Washington, marking the 100th anniversary of Czechoslovak independence. With the culmination of The Tchaikovsky Project the following year, Bychkov and the Czech Philharmonic turned their focus to Mahler, and the first release in a new cycle of the symphonies – Mahler’s Fourth Symphony – will be released by PENTATONE next month.
With a repertoire that spans four centuries, Bychkov’s highly anticipated performances are a unique combination of innate musicality and rigorous Russian pedagogy. He holds honorary titles with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Academy of Music and is a frequent guest with all the major international orchestras. International Opera Awards named him ‘Conductor of the Year’ in 2015 and this year he will receive an Honorary Doctorate from the Royal Academy of Music.
Bychkov began his recording career with the Berlin Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio, Royal Concertgebouw, Philharmonia Orchestra, London Philharmonic and Orchestre de Paris. A series of benchmark recordings with WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne followed, including the four Brahms Symphonies as well as works by Strauss, Mahler, Shostakovich, Rachmaninov, Verdi, Glanert and Höller. Bychkov’s 1992 recording of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin was recommended by BBC Radio 3’s Building a Library in 2020, and his 2009 recording of Wagner’s Lohengrin was awarded BBC Music Magazine’s Record of the Year (2010).
Pianist Yuja Wang is celebrated for her charismatic artistry, emotional honesty and captivating stage presence. She has performed with the world’s most venerated conductors, musicians and ensembles, and is renowned not only for her virtuosity, but her spontaneous and lively performances, famously telling the New York Times 'I firmly believe every program should have its own life, and be a representation of how I feel at the moment'. This skill and charisma was recently demonstrated in her performance of Shostakovich Piano Concerto No 2 at Carnegie Hall’s Opening Night Gala in October 2021, following its historic 572 days of closure.
Yuja was born into a musical family in Beijing. After childhood piano studies in China, she received advanced training in Canada and at the Curtis Institute of Music under Gary Graffman. Her international breakthrough came in 2007, when she replaced Martha Argerich as soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Two years later, she signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon, and has since established her place among the world’s leading artists, with a succession of critically acclaimed performances and recordings. She was named Musical America’s Artist of the Year in 2017, and in 2021 received an Opus Klassik Award for her world-premiere recording of John Adams’ Must the Devil Have all the Good Tunes? with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel.
As a chamber musician, Yuja has developed long lasting partnerships with several leading artists, notably violinist Leonidas Kavakos, with whom she has recorded the complete Brahms violin sonatas and will be performing duo recitals in America in the Autumn. In 2022, Yuja embarks on a highly-anticipated international recital tour, which sees her perform in world-class venues across North America, Europe and Asia, astounding audiences once more with her flair, technical ability and exceptional artistry in a wide-ranging programme to include Ligeti, Beethoven and Kapustin.
