Following the national premières of new works by Thomas Larcher and Bryce Dessner last month, on 19 and 20 January, Semyon Bychkov will conduct the world première of two movements from Julian Anderson’s new Symphony No. 2 Prague Panoramas – dedicated to him – inspired by the city of Prague and the magnificent landscape photography of Josef Sudek.
Like Larcher and Dessner, Anderson’s new work is one of fourteen commissions that Bychkov initiated at the start of his tenure as the Czech Philharmonic’s Chief Conductor and Music Director in 2018. The conductor and composer’s relationship dates back to 2010 when Bychkov conducted Anderson’s Fantasias at the BBC Proms. Later this April, Bychkov and the Czech Philharmonic will give the Czech première of Prague Panoramas in Prague.