Travel guide - Czech Philharmonic Orchestra - accommodation in hotels and apartments

The name of Czech Philharmonic Orchestra was first featured on a Prague concert program on January 4, 1896. Two auspicious circumstances accompanied the event: Antonin Dvorak conducted after having returned from America where he was hailed as the greatest living composer, and the concert was held in the beautiful auditorium of the Rudolfinum Hall where the orchestra is headquartered up to now. Ever since its inception, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra has pursued superior artistic excellence. This was provided by notable local conductors Vilem Zemanek, Ludvik Celansky, Oskar Nedbal and by guest conductors such as Nikolai Malko, Gustav Mahler, Edvard Grieg. Names of the first magnitude are found among its soloists at this time as well (Karel Burian, Ema Destinnova, Frantisek Ondricek, Jaroslav Kocian; Segei Rakhmaninoff, Eugen Ysaye, Bronislaw Huberman, Pablo de Sarasate, Erno Dohnanyi, etc.) The end of First World War a new chapter was writtenwith the arrival of Vaclav Talich. Uncompromising in his pursuit of supreme artistic excellence, he soon made the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra into one of the premium symphonic orchestras in Europe and the world. Unfortunately, a new World War soon interrupted Talich's efforts. Propitiously enough, a skilled successor to take up Talich's work had already been groomed.
Rafael Kubelik first conducted the orchestra on January 24, 1934 and under his baton the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra performed on tours of England, Belgium and Italy. In the Spring of 1946 Rafael Kubelik was instrumental in the establishment of the Prague Spring international music festival commemorating the Orchestra's fifty years. Astounding artistic zeal permeated the three post-war years when he headed the orchestra. The young conductor had written a chapter in the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra's history in indelible script. Karel Ancerl was appointed to lead the orchestra in 1950. When the gates of wider exchange of cultural values opened for the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra after post-war consolidation, he triumphantly toured with it in Japan, China, India, the Soviet Union, New Zealand and Australia.
The orchestra first visited the USA in the 1960's and a number of artistic tours of European countries were undertaken on an annual basis. Gramophone records and international record awards, notably the prestigious Grand Prix du disque de Charles Cros, helped the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra to expand its fame. This fruitful and inspiring collaboration with Karel Ancerl lasted until 1968.
After Ancerl, Vaclav Neumann led the orchestra to its top form and managed to keep it on top throughout his appointment until 1990. As an interpreter of personality, he imprinted the orchestra with even more expressive ardor and animation of rendition. Under the tutelage of Neumann, the orchestra received numerous invitations to leading music festivals (Salzburg. Montreux, Edinburgh, Paris, etc.). Its world-wide renown led to an increased demand for its gramophone recordings. Awarded several distinguished international prizes, Neumann's recordings of the complete symphonies by Antonin Dvorak , Gustav Mahler and Bohuslav Martinu ought to be emphasized in his voluminous discography (especially for Supraphon).
Jiri Belohlavek was appointed chief conductor in October 1990. Under his baton, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra went on numerous tours and made valuable recordings, such as the complete symphonies by Johannes Brahms. On a US tour, he conducted the orchestra in a prestigious concert at the UN's New York headquarters (October 24, 1990). Gerd Albrecht of Germany assumed the position of chief conductor in the beginning of the 1993/94 concert season. He recorded several symphonies by Anton Bruckner for Pony Canyon of Japan and several Czech operas for a German company Orfeo. Gerd Albrecht terminated his work in Prague in late January 1996. Since the 1996/7 season, Vladimir Valek has been the main conductor with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and led it in its centennial year on tours of Japan and the USA. His closest collaborators are principal guest conductor Sir Charles Mackerras and permanent conductor Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi. In May 1997, Kobayashi and the orchestra performed at the Prague Spring festival concerts and went on a successful tour of Austria and Slovenia. In early July 1997, the orchestra conducted by Valek appeared at a festival in Bad Kissingen, Germany.
Effective on January 1, 1998, Vladimir Ashkenazy of world-wide reputation will become the orchestra's chief conductor, and already in April he will conduct the orchestra in concerts in Vienna and Baden Baden. The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra has enjoyed its ties to Prague, one of the world's most beautiful and popular cities of culture and history that has long been perceived by the international public as one of the centres of great music. The orchestra's mastery has been refined under the baton of the most significant conductors of world-wide acclaim who make guest appearances locally or who collaborate with the orchestra at festivals abroad. Nearly all conductors of world- wide renown, including such stars as Herbert von Karajan, Karl Behm, Georg Szell, Leopold Stokowski, Charles Munch, Claudio Abbado, Sergiu Celibidache, Paul Klecki, Lovro von Matacic, Erich Leinsdorf, Igor Markewitsch, Zubin Mehta, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Giuseppe Sinopoli, to name just a few, had stood behind the conductor's desk. And of the hundreds of soloists who were accompanied by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, let's just drop some of the most famous names: Pablo Casals, Yo-Yo Ma, Arturo Benedetti-Michelangeli, Pamela Frank, Rudolf Firkusny, Sviatoslav Rikhter, Angelica May, Gidon Kremer, David Oistrakh, Pinchas Zukerman, Itzhak Perlman.