Prague Symphony Orchestra

Prague Symphony Orchestra
Tomáš Brauner conductor
Alexander Sitkovetsky violin 
 
Dvořák The Noonday Witch
Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto
Dvořák Symphony No. 9, ‘From the New World’

The wonderful Prague Symphony Orchestra and Chief Conductor Tomáš Brauner pay tribute to their Bohemian heritage with two sides of Dvořák.

The Ninth Symphony is a nostalgic, homesick anthem, a tuneful meeting of two cultures as American spirituals blend with Czech folk songs. The Noonday Witch is a tragic tale of an errant son, a scolding mother, and a demanding demon.

Alexander Sitkovetsky is the soloist for Tchaikovsky’s hi-octane, melody-packed Violin Concerto. 

Did you know?

Dvořák’s The Noonday Witch is based on the Slavic myth of the noon demon ‘Lady Midday’ who would afflict workers in fields with heatstroke and even madness.

Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto was composed in the wake of his disastrous two-month marriage and inspired by his devotion to his pupil, Joseph Kotek.

Despite its borrowed American tunes and rhythms, Dvořák’s Ninth Symphony is best known for its homesick evocation of his Czech birthplace. 

Neil Armstrong took a recording of the symphony on the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon in 1969.

Listen out for…

The innocently affecting eight bars that open Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto; they’re never heard again.

The answer and response between violin and orchestra in the opening movement leading to a brilliant virtuosic cadenza.

The middle movement’s striking simplicity and sincerity, and the three tunes of the finale that provoke a grandstanding display from the violin.

The nostalgic theme in the Largo of Dvořák’s symphony. Much used in adverts and film, it was set to lyrics by one of his pupils as the spiritual-like song Goin’ Home. 

Presented by NCH