Czech Philharmonic to Perform Outdoors

Semyon Bychkov conducting the Czech Philharmonic (photograph by Marco Borggreve, courtesy of Shuman Associates)

Over the past week the Czech Republic has begun to open its galleries, museums, cinemas, and theaters. This gradual emergence from shelter-in-place will be marked next week by an Open Air Concert given by the Czech Philharmonic led by its Chief Conductor and Music Director Semyon Bychkov. This will be the culmination of a series of concerts that the ensemble has presented since the beginning of lockdown, starting with a recital by two players wearing masks. Next week’s event will involve an ensemble of 62 players.

The venue will be the grounds of Sychrov Castle, located just outside Prague; and an audience of more that 500 will be allowed to attend. This will be consistent with current regulations, which will require a distance of twenty centimeters between seats. Face coverings will not be required. All performers will be tested for coronavirus prior to the beginning of the performance, including Marek Eben, who will serve as presenter.

The program will follow the usual overture-concerto-symphony structure. Most likely all of the selections will be familiar to the audience. The concerto soloist will be trumpeter Stanislav Masaryk, perform Joseph Haydn’s Hoboken VIIe/1 concerto in E-flat major. The overture will be Felix Mendelssohn’s Opus 21, the concert overture he wrote inspired by William Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This will be coupled with the Scherzo from his Opus 61 collection of incidental music subsequently composed for a performance of the play itself. The symphony will be Ludwig van Beethoven’s Opus 67 (fifth) in C minor.

Those in the Czech Republic will be able to join the audience at Sychrov Castle by watching this concert broadcast on television. Fortunately for the rest of us, the television signal will also be broadcast through the Czech Philharmonic’s Facebook page. The performance will take place at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, June 24, Central European Time, which will be 11 a.m. here in San Francisco.