Birthday Gala Concert at Radio Palace
Prague, Radiopalac — Main
About the Event
Every time in the history of the Prague Symphony Orchestra a round anniversary was approaching, we were naturally very excited. But at the same time we had to circle around the exact date of the first concert. It just wasn't known. But in the summer of 2023, the circling ended. Former orchestra office manager Jiri Hannsmann found the holy grail in the midst of the newspaper blackout — an announcement and review of the very first symphony concert on October 24, 1934. Thanks to Jiri we also know the programme of the concert, its conductor and the stage: the Radiopalac. And the contemporary reviewer was not wrong: 'The new FOK orchestra, which is already outwardly recognizable as a representative and numerically adequate instrumental ensemble, is already heading for great artistic performances now, immediately after its foundation.'
Program
- Ludwig van Beethoven – Leonore III, overture
- Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony No.5 C minor "Fatal" (1st movement)
- Bedrich Smetana – The Moldau
- Bedrich Smetana – Surprise
Artists
Orchestra: | Prague Symphony Orchestra Today's Prague Symphony Orchestra was founded in the autumn of 1934 by the conductor and musical organizer Rudolf Pekárek. He defined the new ensemble's fields of activity with the words Film‐Opera‐Koncert, which as the abbreviation FOK became part of the orchestra's title. By recording music for the majority of Czech films in the 1930s and performing regularly in live broadcasts of Czechoslovak Radio the FOK Orchestra made a name for itself and its economic existence was assured.
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Violin: | Ivan Zenaty |
Conductor: | Tomáš Brauner |
Narrator: | Ondřej Havelka |
Cello: | Jiří Bárta |
Address
Radiopalac, 40, Vinohradská 1789, Prague, Czech Republic — Google Maps