Beethovenen’s Symphony No.7
Bethlehem Chapel, Thursday 15 April 2027 at 7.30 p.m.
Jan Sedláček – conductor
Zoja Syguda – violin (winner of Concertino Praga 2024)
Ernst Chausson: Poème, Op. 25 (16′)
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 7, Op. 92 A major (36′)
Jaroslav Pelikán: Concert for violin and orchestra “Prayer for Barbora” (14′) – world premiere of a work commissioned by the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra
Music should penetrate the soul and convince us of truths that words cannot express.
Ludwig van Beethoven
The programme opens with Poème, Op. 25 by the French composer Ernest Chausson. This lyrical work for solo violin and orchestra lets the violin’s melody unfold above delicately coloured orchestral writing. The late-Romantic score carries a typically French sensitivity to colour and harmony and at times already anticipates Impressionist thinking.
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A major was famously described by Richard Wagner as the “apotheosis of the dance”. The symphony is distinguished by pulsating rhythms, recurring motifs, and striking dynamic contrasts. Beethoven creates a powerful musical current whose energy and momentum continue to captivate audiences around the world.
The culmination of the programme is the world premiere of Jaroslav Pelikán’s Concert for violin and orchestra “Prayer for Barbora”. The composer dedicated the work to his daughter. The piece combines lyrical expressiveness with rich orchestral colour, with the violin becoming the narrator of a delicate yet powerful story. The soloist of the evening is the winner of Concertino Praga 2024, Zoja Syguda.
Jan Sedláček is a promising talent among the younger generation of Czech conductors. He studied cello and conducting at the Prague Conservatoire and at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague in the class of Leoš Svárovský. In 2024, he won the Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra Conducting Competition, and in 2025 he made his debut at the Prague Spring Festival.
Join us for a concert that leads from the intimate tones of Chausson through Beethoven’s music to Pelikán’s violin concerto – a personal confession performed by the young and talented Polish violinist Zoja Syguda.
Ticket prices range from 400 to 600 CZK.
