NEWS
SMETANA’S MA VLAST ON PENTATONE
Today, Semyon Bychkov and the Czech Philharmonic mark Bedřich Smetana’s bicentenary (2nd March 1824) with the release of Má vlast, released by PENTATONE. The recording of Má vlast is the Czech Philharmonic’s first release in 2024’s Year of Czech Music, a major...
MAHLER’S FIRST SYMPHONY ON PENTATONE
Today, Semyon Bychkov with the Czech Philharmonic continue their acclaimed Mahler cycle with the composer’s First Symphony, one of the most evocative and colourful symphonic debuts in the history of the genre. Released internationally by PENTATONE this will be the...
Semyon Bychkov: “Russia has been kidnapped by an army of ‘zombies’ whom I call ‘Putinoids'”
From El Pais, by Javier Salas The Jewish-born conductor who performs 'Tristan and Isolde' at the Teatro Real, recalls how he fled the USSR in the 1970s and the reprisals experienced by his family. As a great Jew, Semyon Bychkov (St. Petersburg, 70) considers himself...
2023/24 – 128TH CZECH PHILHARMONIC SEASON ANNOUNCEMENT
The innate musicality of the Czech people could not fail but to give birth to a vast legacy of musical creations that, in turn, need interpreters to bring them to life. Whatever the complexities of the world, there will always be a place for music that speaks...
SEMYON BYCHKOV INTERVIEWED IN ‘THE CRITIC’ ON UKRAINE AND NATIONHOOD
Excerpt from David Conway's interview with Semyon Bychkov in The Critic. Semyon Bychkov, a Russian-born and internationally famed conductor, and familiar figure in London opera houses and concert halls, recently made a forceful...
MAHLER’S SECOND SYMPHONY ON PENTATONE
Today PENTATONE announced that Mahler’s Resurrection, the third disc in the Czech Philharmonic’s Mahler Cycle will be released on Good Friday, Friday 7 April. Conducted by Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Czech...
CZECH TV INTERVIEW ON UKRAINE
Reflecting back on almost a year now since Russia first invaded Ukraine, Czech TV’s London correspondent caught up with Semyon Bychkov to hear his thoughts: https://www.ceskatelevize.cz/porady/1097206490-udalosti-v-kulture/223411000120214/cast/962522/
NEW YEAR IN LONDON
Semyon Bychkov returns to the UK in the New Year to conduct Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7 with the Royal Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra, culminating in a lunch-time concert on 27 January live streamed via RAM’s YouTube channel here. On 21 February, he gives the first...
CLASSICAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR
“My record of the year is the Czech Philharmonic and its Music Director Semyon Bychkov’s Mahler Symphony No. 5, for an orchestral sound so sumptuous that you could eat it for Christmas dinner. Continuing their cycle of Mahler symphonies, they achieve a fine balance in...
GLANERT WORLD PREMIERE
At the start of his tenure with the Czech Philharmonic in 2018, Semyon Bychkov initiated the commissioning of 14 composers – 5 international and 9 Czech – to write pieces to be performed by him and the Orchestra over a number of seasons. On 8 December, they give the...
MUSICAL AMERICA AWARDS
The Musical America Worldwide Awards take place this Sunday 4 December. The ceremony will include an interview with Semyon Bychkov who won the Conductor of the Year Award. Tune in via Facebook here at 4pm CET, 9pm GMT or 10pm CET.
70TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS IN PRAGUE
Semyon Bychkov celebrates his 70th birthday this year with three concerts in Prague. He will be reunited with the Czech Philharmonic Youth Orchestra for Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, followed by Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony with the Czech Philharmonic. This season...
MUSICAL AMERICA CONDUCTOR OF THE YEAR
Semyon Bychkov has today (11 October) been announced Musical America’s Conductor of the Year: “A tireless advocate for his art, his fresh and spontaneous-sounding interpretations are meticulous in their attention to detail. But don’t be deceived, it will have taken...
MAHLER ON EUROPEAN TOUR
This month, Semyon Bychkov and the Czech Philharmonic embark on their second European tour of the year visiting France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. Highlights of the tour include two performances of Mahler’s Symphony No. 7 in Paris (18 October) and Luxembourg (19...
CZECH PHILHARMONIC CONTRACT EXTENSION TO 2028
Last night prior to the opening of the Czech Philharmonic’s 127th season, Chief Executive David Mareček announced that Semyon Bychkov, Chief Conductor and Music Director since 2018 had signed a new contract with the Orchestra, extending his contract until 2028. Watch...
FIRST RUSALKA AT DVORAK PRAGUE INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL
On Monday 19 September, Semyon Bychkov and the Czech Philharmonic present the first of three performances of the opera at the 2022 Dvořák Prague International Music Festival. Rusalka is the first opera that Semyon Bychkov will conduct with the Czech Philharmonic and,...
CONCERT FOR EUROPE
On 2 September, Semyon Bychkov will conduct the Czech Philharmonic in a programme of Czech music on a floating stage on the Vltava River in celebration of the Czech Republic’s EU Presidency. International audiences can watch the concert live via the Facebook pages of...
CZECH PHIL SUMMER TOUR
Semyon Bychkov and the Czech Philharmonic appear together for the first time this weekend at the Edinburgh International Music Festival. Presenting two programmes on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 August, a highlight is their performance of Mahler’s Seventh Symphony which...
Recent Posts