Angelic and tragic: Czech Philharmonic shines in Dvořák and Suk at the BBC Proms

The highlight of all the Czech events at this year's BBC Proms will surely be the arrival of the Czech Philharmonic under Principal Guest Conductor Jakub Hrůša. As audiences around the world know, while Hrůša is unashamedly passionate about the music of his homeland, he is certainly no flash in the pan. But when the stars align and the opportunity arises to bring this partnership to the Royal Albert Hall with Dvořák and Suk in this 'Year of Czech Music', it is like sunbathing on the banks of the Vltava. The two composers' personal connections also created a storyteller's dream, for the stories come not just from the music but from their backgrounds – more than telling a story.

It was a short hop for Hrůša, the Czech Philharmonic and cellist Anastasia Kobekina, who hurried from the Rheingau Music Festival in Wiesbaden to open the programme with Dvořák's Cello Concerto. Kobekina arrived refreshed and with a clearly recognisable musical intensity. Her feather-light articulation came to the fore in many moments, saving the power for key passages and offering a compelling, searching quality throughout. There was a natural sense of movement of the piece between Kobekina and Hrůša, but the extreme care with which each phrase was nurtured, although beautifully played, created a sense of over-formulation and a slight lack of continuity. Nonetheless, Hrůša's support provided drama and verve beneath Kobekina's delicate weaving and relentless carving, with standout moments including a wonderfully nostalgic horn passage and a rhapsodic duet between cello and solo violin. Her encore was a glorious, stirring spectacle, a dance composed by her father for cello and tambourine that brought smiles to many.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of Josef Suk’s birth and the 120th anniversary of Antonín Dvořák’s death. Therefore, it was a good idea to Symphony No. 2, “Asrael”named after the mythological angel of death and to commemorate the death of his father-in-law and mentor Dvořák, as well as the early death of his wife just a year later. Hrůša called Suk “a Czech Mahler” and visibly reveled in the large orchestral space and instrumental colors of Suk's score. The Czech Philharmonic responded wholeheartedly with screaming, rich strings, bright woodwinds and full-bodied brass; the overall sound was refined, yet with a welcome earthiness.

The turbulence and heightened expression of the outer movements, with a strikingly cataclysmic climax in the first movement, contrasted with Hrůša’s crystalline brilliance of the second movement, with a slightly stilted but effective series of sighs and the elegiac adagioSuk's loving and cathartic tribute to his late wife. There was so much going on in the central third movement, which Hrůša masterfully weaved together, with overlapping phrases and handoffs between orchestral sections carefully handled and revealing much of the inner detail. The serenity of the woodwinds and brass over rippling strings on the final pages made for a satisfying conclusion.

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