ORCHESTRA DI SANTA CECILIA & HRŮŠA
The Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia from Rome returns to the Prague Spring after a period of five years. On this occasion, they will be led by the most respected Czech conductor on the contemporary scene, Jakub Hrůša, who holds the prestigious post of Principal Guest Conductor of the orchestra based in the Italian capital. “We will witness a special interlacing of various cultures,” Hrůša informs us. “During the first half of the 20th century important European composers moved to America in order to find refuge and a place where they could work peacefully and find success – something which, for one reason or another, their native continent was not able to provide. Gershwin, on the other hand, drew inspiration from Europe (in France) and, equipped with knowledge of its best traditions, he became the founder of novel and authentic American music in his own country. In this wonderful programme we are hence bringing together the Czech environment, Italy, Russia, France and the United States of America.”
Programme
- Bohuslav Martinů: The Frescoes of Piero della Francesca H 352
- George Gershwin: Concerto in F
- Sergei Rachmaninov: Symphonic Dances Op. 45
Performers
- Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Roma
- Jakub Hrůša - conductor
- Kirill Gerstein - piano
When the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia last visited the Prague Spring in 2019, their appearance was one of the major highlights of the season. Under Chief Conductor Antonio Pappano the orchestra gave a stunning performance. “Their interpretation not only conveyed an incredibly flawless virtuosity and synergy between individuals and groups, but it also revealed meticulous attention to phrasing, the unveiling of motifs and countervoices in the structure of the work, astonishing tutti from the orchestra, and even more astonishing solos,” wrote Petr Veber at the time for the KlasikaPlus website. Ever since its founding in the early 20th century, the orchestra has worked with some of the world’s greatest musical figures. They have been conducted, for example, by the likes of Gustav Mahler, Claude Debussy, Igor Stravinsky, Arturo Toscanini, Herbert von Karajan and Claudio Abbado; in the 1980s their Honorary President was Leonard Bernstein. The orchestra appointed British conductor Daniel Harding as its next Music Director, a post he will take up next season.
Jakub Hrůša has held the post of the orchestra’s Principal Guest Conductor since 2021. He is also Chief Conductor of the Bamberg Symphony, with whom he opened the Prague Spring in 2019, and Principal Guest Conductor of the Czech Philharmonic. He regularly conducts the world’s greatest orchestras, including the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics, and he has won numerous prestigious prizes, most recently in the category Conductor of the Year in the Opus Klassik awards for his recording of works by Hans Rott, Gustav Mahler and Anton Bruckner, which came out on the Deutsche Grammophon label.
“From the moment it became known that I would be coming to the Prague Spring in my role as principal guest conductor of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, I worked on the idea to present music that blends both Italian and Czech cultural traditions,” states Hrůša on the programme’s conception. “We’ll be bringing The Frescoes of Piero della Francesca by Bohuslav Martinů: it was these artworks in Arezzo which inspired the Czech composer to write the piece. The programme also features the last work written by another great Slav émigré composer, Sergei Rachmaninoff – his swan song, the Symphonic Dances. Both Martinů and Rachmaninoff were active in the United States in key periods of their lives. This was also the home of George Gershwin, whose Concerto in F for piano will be performed by my concert partner of many years, Kirill Gerstein, who often appears in the USA.”
The Berlin-based pianist is one of the most respected artists on the scene today. “Gerstein’s music-making is direct from the heart, unsentimental but rich in sentiment,” wrote critic Patrick Rucker for Gramophone magazine in a review of his recording of Gershwin’s Concerto. “It’s also a bullseye evocation of that unique era of the 1920s and 1930s, with its blend of hedonism and hope at the edge of an abyss. And if something in the Mozartian grace and elegance of the work’s finale doesn’t touch your heart, you may want to consult a cardiologist,” he adds with a touch of hyperbole.
