The first ovations are over. More great evenings are coming up.

The first week of the Festival is over, but there is more to come. We experienced days full of unforgettable notes, virtuoso performances and standing ovations in Prague’s concert halls. We thank everyone who shared these irreplaceable moments with us.

A look back

• Opening concerts (5 and 6 September): The Filarmonica della Scala, with conductor Riccardo Chailly and soloist Julia Hagen, opened the Festival with Dvořák’s Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in B Minor and the Symphony No. 9 “From the New World”. The next evening Alexander Malofeev joined the orchestra in concert.
• ‍Gems in song (7 September): A song recital by artist-in-residence of this year’s Dvořák Prague Festival Magdalena Kožená and pianist Kirill Gerstein offered a profound experience in the Dvořák Hall. The same day, the Bořislavka Centre came alive with a performance by the Pěruška Family and cellist Kristina Vocetková.‍
• Riveting performance by orchestra and solists (8 September): The Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, led by conductor Paavo Järvi, with soloist Josef Špaček. The programme included e.g. Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in A Minor.‍
• A dialogue between classical music and jazz (9 September): Virtuoso pianists Brad Mehldau and Kirill Gerstein brought together the world of classical music with jazz standards in an evening infused with improvisation. After the concert, the two musicians returned to the concert hall for a friendly and relaxed aftertalk hosted by Jiří Vejvoda.‍
• Audience’s favourite and young laureates (10 and 11 September): The Czech Philharmonic’s appearance under the baton of Semyon Bychkov with the phenomenal South Korean pianist Yunchan Lim aspired to be the week’s highlight. The young Václav Hudeček Academy Laureates performed at the Bořislavka Centre. Later in the evening, Magdalena Kožená was joined by the Czech Philharmonic String Quartet in a concert at the St. Agnes Convent.‍
• Vienna Philharmonic (12 September): The first Festival week closed with the Vienna Philharmonic accompanying one of the greatest violinists of our time, Hilary Hahn, conducted by Tugan Sokhiev.

Here’s what is coming up next week

• Monday, 14 September: Magdalena Kožená Presents
• Tuesday, 15 September: Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra Centenary Concert in the Rudolfinum. Artium will host the Concert of Chamber Music Masterclasses of the Vienna Philharmonic.
• Wednesday, 16 September: A Baroque Celebration
• Thursday, 17 September: Finals concert of the Concertino Praga - Antonín Dvořák International Radio Competition  open to the public, and a relaxed Brassissimo evening with the Ensemble Classique brass sextet at the Divadlo X10 Theatre.
• Friday, 18 September: Afternoon Talent Stage in the Suk Hall, and the Finals concert in the Rudolfinum of the Keyboard and String Instruments category of the Concertino Praga competition accompanied by the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra.
• Saturday, 19 September: A concert performance of Dvořák’s opera The Jacobin.
• Sunday, 20 September: An evening with The 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic filled with tango, chansons, and Dvořák’s tunes.