Czech Philharmonic, Semyon Bychkov & Yunchan Lim
Helsinki Music Centre, Concert Hall
Sat 29.8.2026 19:00
Duration: approx. 2h 10min, interval
Czech Philharmonic
Semyon Bychkov, Chief Conductor and Music Director
Yunchan Lim, piano
Programme:
Maurice Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major
Bedřich Smetana: Má vlast
Composed between 1929 and 1931, Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major is a brilliant synthesis of classical elegance and jazz-inspired vitality. Written after the composer’s tour of America—where he encountered the music of Gershwin—it sparkles with rhythmic energy, dazzling color, and effortless charm.
The concerto opens with an exuberant Allegramente, a kaleidoscope of Spanish flair, Parisian wit, and jazz syncopations. The central Adagio assai offers a moment of serenity: a long, flowing melody unfolds with touching simplicity, as if suspended in time. The finale bursts in with playful energy and breathtaking virtuosity, bringing the work to a radiant close.
Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G is music of light and motion—refined, witty, and irresistibly alive, capturing the composer’s mastery of color and his joy in the sheer art of sound.
If any work holds a place in the history of the Czech Philharmonic equal to that of Antonín Dvořák, it is Má vlast (My Homeland) by Bedřich Smetana. This cycle of six symphonic poems celebrates the myths, history, and landscapes of the Czech lands. The orchestra has performed it more than seven hundred times, and as a symbol of Czech identity it has accompanied the nation through its defining moments of the twentieth century—uniting people against Nazi oppression in 1938 and resounding in celebration after the Velvet Revolution in 1989. One of the most iconic performances took place in 1990 on Prague’s Old Town Square, conducted by the seventy-six-year-old Rafael Kubelík. Each year, Má vlast opens the Prague Spring Festival; in 2025, marking its 80th edition, it was performed by the Czech Philharmonic under Semyon Bychkov.
Though Má vlast is beloved in the Czech Republic, it remains less familiar abroad. In 2024, the Czech Philharmonic brought the first three symphonic poems to Carnegie Hall, earning glowing acclaim.
For Semyon Bychkov, the piece is not only a jewel of Czech music but also a universal reflection on the meaning of home.
“Má vlast, My Homeland, Mein Vaterland, Patria mia, Ma Patrie, Rodina… We all have one. It may be called by a different name, but the feeling is the same—the sense of belonging, of pride in our heritage, and the pain of facing its darker pages. Smetana speaks for his country—its longing for independence, its character, its dreams of the future,” he says.
Bios:
In co-operation with:
Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation