Greetings from Prague

Upper Austria Philharmonic Orchestra

Opening concert of the festival summer

At this gala concert, the Upper Austria Philharmonic Orchestra under Matthias Achleitner devotes itself entirely to Czech composers and their typical oeuvre.

The first part features Smetana, Fučík and Dvořák - the highlight is probably the best-known and rightly most popular work of Czech music: Smetana's ‘Moldau’ has the same national significance for the Czech Republic as the Danube Waltz has for Austria. After it emerges from the two sources, Smetana takes us on a musical journey along the river, past a peasant wedding to a nymph round dance, over the St. Johann rapids, until the Vltava can finally be seen and heard in its full width.

A firework display of emotions awaits in the second part with Dvořák's 8th Symphony, one of his greatest and most frequently performed works, inspired by the natural surroundings of his summer residence in Wyssoka. Contrast plays a major role, with pure joy, stormy moments and melancholy juxtaposed in all movements. A symphony that inspires.