Czech Philharmonic will present Dvorak’s “Othello Overture,” “Symphony No. 6,” Smetana’s “River Vltava” and “Sarka” from his “My Homeland” at the Shenzhen Concert Hall. The orchestra’s chief conductor Jiri Belohlavek will wield the baton.

    Dvorak’s “Symphony No. 6” was one of the first of his large symphonic works to draw international attention. In it, he manages to capture some of the Czech national style within a standard Germanic classical-romantic form.

    “My Homeland” is a set of six symphonic poems. In these works Smetana combined the symphonic poem form pioneered by Liszt with the ideals of nationalistic music which were current in the late 19th century. Each poem depicts some aspect of the countryside, history or legends of Bohemia.

    Czech Philharmonic played its first concert under its current name in 1896 when Dvorak conducted his own compositions, but it did not become fully independent from the opera until 1901. In 1908, Mahler led the orchestra in the world premiere of his “Symphony No. 7.”

    The orchestra first became internationally known during the principal conductorship of Vaclav Talich, who held the post from 1919 to 1931, and again from 1933 to 1941. In 1941, Talich and the orchestra made a controversial journey to Germany, where they performed Smetana’s “My Homeland.”

    Belohlavek studied cello in his youth and was later a graduate of the Prague Conservatory and the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. As well, he won the Czech National Conducting Competition in 1970. He later served for two years as an assistant conductor at Czech Philharmonic. From 1977 to 1989, he was chief conductor of the Prague Symphony Orchestra.

    He became chief conductor of Czech Philharmonic in 1990 and resigned in 1992. He subsequently founded the Prague Philharmonia in 1993, after the Czech Ministry of Defence had offered funding for training 40 young musicians. Since the orchestra’s public debut in 1994, he has recorded and performed in concerts worldwide with the orchestra. He conducted the Prague Philharmonia at its first BBC Proms appearance in 2004, in a televised performance.

    Time: 8 p.m., Oct. 30

    Tickets: 280-1,380 yuan

    Booking: 400-610-3721

    Venue: Shenzhen Concert Hall, intersection of Hongli Road and Yitian Road, Futian District (福田区红荔路和益田路交汇处深圳音乐厅)

    Metro: Longhua or Longgang Line, Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit D

    (SD News)