Tours and Festivals

In spring 2023 the Czech Philharmonic is going on tour to Graz, Vienna, Budapest, Zagreb, Aix-en-Provence, and Milan, where the orchestra last played at the Teatro alla Scala in 1962 under the baton of Karel Ančerl. This time, Semyon Bychkov will conduct, and the soloist for selected concerts is the pianist Seong-Jin Cho.

Mahler’s symphonies appear not only in the recording schedule of the Czech Philharmonic or in its Prague season, but also on tour. At the Leipzig Gewandhaus Mahler Festival, the orchestra will play the Sixth Symphony, in which the composer attempted to depict his wife Alma. Leading the top Czech orchestra will be its chief conductor Semyon Bychkov.

Stabat mater by Antonín Dvořák, cantata for solos, mixed choir, and orchestra, is one of the most beautiful and powerful works among world musical compositions. The ambience of the Cathedral of the Divine Saviour in Ostrava and the rendering of conductor Tomáš Netopil will intensify the experience for sure.

The Smetana's Litomyšl National Festival is the second oldest music festival in the Czech Republic and one of the largest regular classical music festivals in the country. The Czech Philharmonic will open the 65th anniversary year with a gala concert under the baton of conductor Tomáš Netopil.

In recent years, Bad Kissingen has been a regular tour destination of the Czech Philharmonic. With its chief conductor Semyon Bychkov, the orchestra returns in July 2023 to give two concerts.

At Romania’s biggest classical music festival, where the orchestra last appeared with the Romanian conductor Cristian Măcelaru in 2017, the Czech Philharmonic will now appear for a residency of two concerts. The conductor Manfred Honeck has prepared varied programmes for the concert hall known as the Athenaeum.

Czech Philharmonic concerts at the Dvořák Prague International Music Festival have become a tradition. On this occasion, the leading Czech orchestra attempts to bring original programming to its home venue the Rudolfinum and to attract special guest artists. Its three appearances this year will offer a major work for voices and orchestra.

After a longish break caused by the Covid–19 pandemic, the Czech Philharmonic and Semyon Bychkov are heading back to Asia. Some of the concerts on this year’s tour have been rescheduled from their planned dates in 2021. The orchestra begins its tour with two concerts in South Korea, then it will appear in Japan seven times.

In past seasons, the participation of the Czech Philharmonic in a joint project with the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has taken several forms. This year they are coming to the spa city with a programme from the Classical period that they will play twice under the baton of principal guest conductor Tomáš Netopil.

After a 25-year absence, the Czech Philharmonic returns to the German spa town Baden–Baden, where it last appeared at the local Festspielhaus under the baton of Vladimir Ashkenazy in 1999. This time, they are bringing Gustav Mahler’s monumental Third Symphony. Looking forward to working with Semyon Bychkov is the outstanding Fleur Barron.

In the spring, the orchestra will go on a tour of Spain, Austria, Germany, Belgium, and France. The 14 concerts include a pair of residencies, and there will be appearances in the most famous concert halls: the Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, Vienna’s Konzerthaus, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, the Isarphilharmonie in Munich, and Paris’s Philharmonie.

The national festival Smetana’s Litomyšl is a partner festival of the Czech Philharmonic, and the leading Czech orchestra brings major concert programmes here each year. This time, the four evening concerts will be divided equally between the orchestra’s principal guest conductors Jakub Hrůša and Tomáš Netopil.