Simon Rattle becomes Principal Guest Conductor of the Czech Philharmonic

He came to worldwide attention as the chief conductor of the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, where he was employed for a full 18 years, then came 16 glorious years with the Berlin Philharmonic (2002–2018; artistic director and chief conductor) and six years with the London Symphony Orchestra. He opened the 2023/2024 season as chief conductor of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.

His long-term cooperation with the Czech Philharmonic led to his appointment together with his wife, mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená, as Artist-in-Residence for the 2022/2023 season. At several concerts with the Czech Philharmonic, he has performed a number of symphonic works and, notably, compositions for voices and orchestra from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the repertoire for which Rattle has been the most acclaimed.

He has signed a five-year contract with the orchestra, and the words “Rafael Kubelík Chair” have been added to his title at his request and with the consent of the Kubelík family.

“My relationship with the Czech Philharmonic began already when I was eight or nine years old. My parents gave me pocket money so I could buy recordings, and I dug into the Supraphon catalogue. That was really interesting, and the recordings in it were sometimes cheaper that those made by Western companies. That was when I discovered how unique the orchestra sounds, and especially the character of the woodwinds and the special quality of the strings. I felt like I had grown up with the Czech Philharmonic. Particularly crucial for me were the recordings of Karel Ančerl, which became a part of my artistic growth. But it was many years before I conducted that orchestra for the first time. And when that finally happened in 2019, it seemed terribly natural to me, as if I had had been standing before it since time immemorial. I fell in love with their cordiality and with their typically Czech dark humour. I instantly felt connected to the players, and I told myself: this is truly worthwhile. Already at the first rehearsal of Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde, it was clear to me that I would want to remain in some way. Mahler must have had that sound in his ears when he wrote his symphonies. I realised right away that I want to be on the podium with these musicians, and the subsequent years when I returned to the orchestra have just confirmed that.”

– Simon Rattle

“Simon Rattle is a huge artistic asset for the Czech Philharmonic. Besides Czech music, he will work with the orchestra on Haydn, Schumann, Elgar, and French composers. I think that will greatly expand our repertoire and grow the orchestra’s artistic potential.”  

– David Mareček, CEO of the Czech Philharmonic