Composers depict landscapes not with paint and brush, but with instruments and notes. Today, you will hear three of them bring the nature, traditions, and myths of their homeland to life. Smetana's famous Má vlast (My Homeland) is an ode to his native Czech Republic. The colorful sounds of The Moldau are the best-known part, but the other symphonic poems also offer impressive sketches of the Bohemian landscape.

Our chief conductor Jun Märkl brings these vistas and traditions to life. We open the evening with two dazzling dances by Czech composer Antonín Dvořák. This is followed by Erwin Schulhoff's 1912 vocal symphony Landschaften, a recently rediscovered masterpiece in which the composer sets images of nature to warm, expressive sounds. Barbara Kozelj's compelling mezzo-soprano voice makes this musical journey even more intense. We will enter the intermission with Schulhoff's sparkling orchestral arrangement of Beethoven's famous Rage Over a Lost Penny, a work in which energy, virtuosity, and playful rhythms set the tone. Finally, we will immerse ourselves in the majestic world of Smetana's Má vlast: cinematic, imposing, and with impressive orchestration. An evening full of virtuosity, refinement, and extraordinary soundscapes, ideal for anyone longing for spring in the middle of winter.