Hamburg Mission Accomplished!

“I know it’s an attraction; many people come for the building, its unique architecture, and its excellent reputation. I hope they consciously chose our program as well.” After Wednesday’s concert featuring works by Martinů, Dvořák, and Suk, any hint of modesty was no longer necessary. The audience’s ovations on this November 6th evening conveyed to the artists a clear message of their extraordinary experience of the unconventional program and the performers’ skillful interpretation.

Listeners showed interest in the Czech program even during the introductory talk, known as the Einführung, moderated an hour before the concert by pianist and classical music advocate Daniel Bucurescu. He first briefly interviewed Petr Popelka, who captivated the audience with his spontaneity and ever-present smile. Bucurescu then took the audience through each composition, discussing, for example, Martinů's homesickness (comparing it to the similar feelings of Chopin), reminding listeners of Suk’s theme of death, which can also be traced in his Fairy Tale, and recounting the story of The Noon Witch – sparking even more curiosity.

Meanwhile, other guests were arriving in the foyer (it must be noted that if they didn’t take the elevator and their tickets directed them to the higher floors, they faced a notable physical feat, as the structure towers to a height of 108 meters). The ushers, dressed in tuxedos and sailor stripes, offered smiles, handed out informative programs, and showed remarkable generosity by not checking tickets at all.

When the clock struck eight, the orchestra and the chief conductor received a warm welcome, and their performance in the opening piece, “La Bagarre” by Bohuslav Martinů, was determined and energetic. Just as this piece, “ La Bagarre,” demands—one could vividly imagine crowds of aviation enthusiasts, the 150,000 people who gathered at the airfield northeast of Paris to welcome Charles Lindbergh after his 33.5-hour transatlantic flight from New York

Violinist Josef Špaček performed the solo part in Martinů’s Second Concerto so captivatingly that the hall listened, without exaggeration, in rapt silence. The audience then responded with awe when he played an encore—a somewhat devilish, jazz-inspired piece called Funk the String by Alexey Igudesman. When asked about his experience performing, Špaček shared, “The Elbphilharmonie has earned its place among the top venues in Europe, and although opinions vary on its acoustics, I find them excellent. I could hear every musician wonderfully and felt great on stage.”

After the intermission, The Noon Witch began to resonate. In this hall, where the rows of seats rise steeply and the walls are covered in “white skin” (plaster fiber panels reminiscent of Antonio Gaudí’s moving facades), Dvořák’s symphonic poem sounded especially powerful, stirring, and, at times, dizzying. The final piece, A Fairy Tale by Josef Suk, for which the introductory talk had advised attendees to prepare handkerchiefs, visibly moved and impressed many in the audience. The orchestra received such intense applause and enthusiastic calls that an outsider might have thought they were “playing on home turf.” The warmth of the audience’s reception was indeed genuine. To ensure the guests didn’t leave in a sentimental mood, the chief conductor included Dvořák’s Slavonic Dance No. 15 as an encore.

How will he remember this November 6th evening? “I was reminded of what I discovered at the beginning of my conducting career when I worked as an assistant to Alan Gilbert with the NDR Orchestra here at the Elphi. Everything can be heard here, and it’s quite challenging to balance the sound so it reaches all listeners evenly. A beautiful hall, but it doesn’t forgive anything! I think it worked today. I’m always thrilled when audiences respond well to Czech music. It gives me an almost missionary sense of satisfaction.”

And what thoughts did PRSO director Jakub Čížek have as he concluded over four years of effort to bring the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra to the Elbphilharmonie?

“For me personally, it was my first experience with this now-renowned concert hall. And what more could one wish for than to hear one’s own orchestra playing enthusiastically in a program composed entirely of Czech music—and not just any music—and to see a sold-out audience listening attentively, only to reward us all with a genuinely enthusiastic applause at the end. I will remember this evening with a sense of work well done and with joy that music lives on and carries a message that gives deep meaning.”