R5 / Rachmaninoff – Prokofiev – Deutsch ⬩ Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra

The Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra will be conducted this time by Elias Grandy. The concert will open with the Overture by Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz, which she composed in 1943. With its clear form and contrasting segments, this piece—culminating triumphantly in fanfares—displays, despite its brevity, the hallmarks of a grand symphonic work. It was not premiered until 1945. The next part of the concert program features two opulent scores by Russian composers from the first half of the 20th century. Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini is a virtuoso work conceived in the spirit of his piano concertos. The Fifth of Sergei Prokofiev’s seven symphonies—his most famous, most accessible, and most beloved—dates back to the wartime year of 1944. The composer described it as "a hymn to a free and happy man, to his mighty strength, his pure and noble spirit." This contrast highlights the fundamental difference between the two composers, both of whom responded to the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 by emigrating to the West. Rachmaninoff never returned to his homeland, while Prokofiev was lured back by the Soviet regime in the 1930s.

The evening concert is broadcast live by Czech Radio station Vltava.