Netopil and Špaček in a Czech program

Two Czechs star in this all-Czech concert. Josef Špaček plays Suk's Fantasy, Tomáš Netopil leads the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra in works by Dvořák and Smetana.

Josef Špaček plays Josef Suk
Violinist Josef Špaček was concertmaster of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra for many years and proved his great class as a finalist of the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2012. He plays the Fantasy for violin and orchestra by Josef Suk, son-in-law of Dvořák and himself a renowned violinist. It is a beautiful kaleidoscope of Slavic tinged melodies, with the common thread being the virtuoso solo part. 'There is no second like him in this repertoire,' wrote the Sunday Times about the violinist's five-star recording of this work, awarded by music magazine Diapason. Dvořák's overture In Nature will be heard as the concert's opening.

Tomáš Netopil conducts Dvořák and Smetana
Tomáš Netopil, for some time the first guest conductor of the same Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, is more intertwined with Czech music than anyone else. He conducts several movements from Smetana's cycle of symphonic poems My Homeland, in which the composer paints diverse images and scenes of the Czech Republic in notes. You will hear four of them tonight: a view of Prague's famous Vyšehrad Castle, the legendary Amazon Queen Šárka and a panoramic view of Bohemian forests and fields. And, of course, the Moldau, the most famous part of the cycle. Smetana turns it into a veritable boat ride, taking the listener along the most beautiful spots of this national river of the Czech Republic.