The Czech Philharmonic’s recent performance at Carnegie Hall celebrated Czech music with Dvořák’s Piano Concerto and Janáček’s ‘Glagolitic Mass’. Despite some imperfections, the concert showcased moments of brilliance from soloists and conductor Semyon Bychkov.
Celebrating Czech Music at Carnegie Hall
With Dvořák’s Piano Concerto and Janáček’s ‘Glagolitic Mass’
The Piano Concerto has been criticized for being too difficult and insufficiently virtuosic. However, the soloist in this performance, Daniil Trifonov, brought a sense of lyricism to the second movement, which released the past in favor of gentle ruffles of melody. Throughout the concerto, the soloist emerged and receded from the orchestra, leading a relay-like exchange with the ensemble.
The first movement has been described as a lively but disjointed conversation between the Classical and late Romantic periods, with Mozart references abound. The final movement was characterized by passionate exchanges between the soloist and the orchestra.
In contrast to Dvořák’s Piano Concerto, Janáček’s ‘Glagolitic Mass’ has a fervent immediacy quality that lacks in the concerto. Written by an atheist composer two years before his death, it sounds as much like a refusal of the Mass as it does an embrace of its rhythms.
The piece moves swiftly between bursts of triumph and terror, intercut with moments of mystery, flashes of acceptance, and shouts of “Amin!” One hears an artist who is railing against death, ambivalent towards the almighty but insistent on elevating folk melodies to the heights of holiness.
Semyon Bychkov conducted the Czech Philharmonic in a performance that was both energetic and precise. The ensemble took on a new level of precision after intermission, particularly with Janáček’s ‘Glagolitic Mass’.
The soloists, including Kateřina Kněžíková, Lucie Hilscherová, Aleš Briscein, and David Leigh, were also praised for their performances.
The concert was a celebration of Czech music at Carnegie Hall, featuring the works of Dvořák and Janáček. While the performance had its moments of brilliance, it also had some imperfections that detracted from the overall impact of the music.
