The Prague Spring International Music Festival LIVE – Opening Concert

Join us for a live stream of the Opening Concert of the Prague Spring International Music Festival, marking two major anniversaries: 100 years since the founding of the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra and 80 years of the festival itself. This special evening celebrates not only musical heritage, but also the living continuity of Czech orchestral tradition.

The festival traditionally opens with Bedřich Smetana’s monumental cycle Má vlast (My Country), a poetic evocation of Czech landscapes, legends and history. This year it will be performed by the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra - one of the country’s leading ensembles, closely linked with the history of Prague Spring and known for its bold artistic profile. The orchestra will be led by its Chief Conductor and Artistic Director Petr Popelka, one of today’s most internationally sought-after conductors, joining a distinguished line of maestros including Karel Ančerl, Václav Neumann, Claudio Abbado, Neeme Järvi,Vladimír Válek and Krzysztof Penderecki.

The Prague Spring International Music Festival is one of Europe’s most prestigious classical music events, founded in 1946. Each year it brings together leading orchestras, soloists and conductors from around the world, combining major symphonic repertoire with contemporary works and bold artistic collaborations.

Smetana’s Má vlast remains one of the cornerstones of Czech music. Composed as six symphonic poems, it blends myth, history and landscape into a sweeping musical portrait of Bohemia - opening with the evocative tones of Vyšehrad and culminating in the famous Vltava (The Moldau), one of the most recognisable melodies in classical music.

Programme:
Bedřich Smetana: Má vlast (My Country)

Performed by:
Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Petr Popelka

Doors open at 6.15pm

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Host or Publisher Czech Centre London