The Czech Philharmonic performs at Berwaldhallen as part of the Baltic Sea Festival under Chief Conductor Semyon Bychkov. The concert will also be broadcast live on Sveriges Radio P2.
The evening opens with Maurice Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major, where the composer's Basque roots meet the jazz and spirituals that inspired him during his 1928 American tour. Ravel described his only ambition as writing "a true solo concerto — a brilliant work that highlights the soloist's virtuosity without any pretended profundity." The soloist is South Korean pianist Yunchan Lim, the youngest winner in the history of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (2022).
The concert closes with Bedřich Smetana's Má vlast, a monumental cycle of six symphonic poems drawing on legends, landscapes and historical scenes from Bohemia and Moravia — from the fortress of Vyšehrad and the river Vltava, through the warrior woman Šárka, to the Hussite stronghold of Tábor and Mount Blaník. For Semyon Bychkov, Má vlast is not merely a Czech work but a universal expression of belonging: "We all have our homeland. Smetana gives voice to his country's longings, character and dreams for the future — emotions we all share."
From 18:00 in Radiohörnan: a live P2 podcast about Smetana's Má vlast with Johan Korssell and Lollo Collmar (included in the concert ticket).
More information: Berwaldhallen · Czech Philharmonic
