Opening Concert II
Bedřich Smetana’s Má vlast in the Smetana Hall in Municipal House performed by the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Jaap van Zweden
Festival partner
Programme
- Bedřich Smetana: My Country
Performers
- Jaap van Zweden – conductor
- Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra
Dress code: Black Tie
Pre-Concert Talk with Jaap van Zweden at 6.45 pm
The opening concert of 2027 will enter the festival’s history books as the very first opening of the Prague Spring performed by an orchestra from outside Europe. The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) will appear in the Smetana Hall at Municipal House on 12 and 13 May with its own interpretation of My Country (Má vlast), the six symphonic poems by Bedřich Smetana (1824–1884) depicting the beauty of the Czech landscape, significant moments in Czech history, and Ctirad’s love for the devious Šárka; the orchestra will be conducted by its Music Director Jaap van Zweden. “We feel both tremendous excitement and a deep sense of responsibility as we prepare for this historic occasion. Smetana’s Má vlast lies at the very heart of Czech culture. It speaks of landscape, history, identity and a people’s connection to their homeland, yet its message reaches far beyond national borders. We approach this deeply cherished work with the utmost respect, while bringing to it the Seoul Philharmonic’s own collective voice and artistic perspective,” says Jaap van Zweden.
Riding a wave of historic firsts
The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra is the first Korean orchestra to appear at the BBC Proms and New York’s Carnegie Hall, and also the first Asian ensemble to sign a long-term recording contract with the prestigious label Deutsche Grammophon. This leading Asian symphony orchestra, which is only a year older than the Prague Spring, is likewise associated with the festival through the composer Unsuk Chin, whose music delighted festival audiences at Prague Offspring concerts in 2026. For its recordings of her works the SPO won the BBC Music Magazine Award and the International Classical Music Award as the very first Korean orchestra to receive these accolades.
Music Director Jaap van Zweden
The era of the SPO’s first major international successes is associated primarily with conductor Myung-Whun Chung, who led the ensemble in the years 2006–2015. Jaap van Zweden, who headed the New York and Hong Kong Philharmonics (under his direction the latter was named Orchestra of the Year by Gramophone magazine), has been Music Director of the SPO since 2024. In 2018 he was given the title Conductor of the Year by Musical America magazine and he has also been nominated twice for a Grammy award. Alongside his engagement in Seoul he took up the post of Music Director of Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France in the autumn of 2026. This orchestra will appear at the Prague Spring on 23 May performing works by Johannes Brahms and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky under conductor Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla.
