Bedřich Smetana
The Two Widows – Overture, T 109

Fryderyk Chopin
Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11

Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36

Lukáš Vondráček – piano
Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava
Valentin Uryupin – conductor

The concert will open with the purely romantic first half featuring Czech music – Smetana’s overture to the opera The Two Widows. After The Bartered Bride, this opera was Smetana’s only work to be performed abroad during his lifetime and the first to enter German stages, being considered his most “worldly” work. Therefore, it is clear that the concert will commence with the overture to this opera.

The work of the great Polish “poet of the piano” Fryderyk Chopin needs no introduction to anyone familiar with European art music. His Piano Concerto No. 1 is a timeless and masterful piece. Rich ornamentation, inventive harmonic progressions, perfect piano stylization, but above all, rich and fresh melody combined with pervasive poignant lyricism make it a gem in the piano concerto repertoire. This will undoubtedly be heightened and crowned by Lukáš Vondráček’s brilliant and emotionally profound interpretation, promising an extraordinary musical experience.

The second half of the concert will feature the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava performing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2, which belongs to the early period of the composer’s work. Despite Beethoven composing it during his therapeutic stay in Vienna’s Heiligenstadt district, where he learned of his gradual hearing loss, the symphony exudes exceptional positive energy and joy.

This project is funded by the budget of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and the City of Ostrava.