Programme
Ludwig van Beethoven: Consecration of the House, overture Op. 124
Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor Op. 37
Josef Strauss: Geheime Anziehungskräfte (The Mysterious Powers of Magnetism), waltz Op. 173 “Dynamiden”
Richard Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier, suite from the opera
Pre-concert talk with Petr Popelka at 6.45 pm
When the management of the Wiener Symphoniker announced that, from the 2024–2025 season, the position of the orchestra’s Chief Conductor would be assumed by Petr Popelka, the news caused a true sensation in music circles. The first Czech conductor in the Vienna Symphony’s history would take his place alongside such greats as Wilhelm Furtwängler, Herbert von Karajan, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Carlo Maria Giulini, Fabio Luisi and Philippe Jordan, who headed the Austrian capital’s orchestra before him. Popelka commented on his engagement with the following words: “To be appointed Chief Conductor of the Wiener Symphoniker is a dream come true. When I was still a teenager I would travel with my parents from Prague to Vienna to hear some of the world’s finest orchestras perform here. For me, the Wiener Symphoniker is the musical embodiment of Vienna, an orchestra that captures and evokes the atmosphere of the city, an ensemble with a rich tradition, yet, above all, an orchestra which has always cultivated a modern and pioneering spirit – both in its repertoire and within its role in society.” This will be the Wiener Symphoniker’s first Prague Spring appearance under its new Chief Conductor. The evening’s soloist will be Czech pianist of international standing Jan Bartoš.
Artists
Wiener Symphoniker
Petr Popelka – conductor
Jan Bartoš – piano