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Borns in Prague, Josef Bohuslav Foerster (1859–1951) studied at the Prague Organ School, subsequently following his singer wife to Hamburg (where he associated with Mahler). After teaching piano at the Hamburg Conservatory, he again moved with his wife to Vienna, where she had been engaged at the Court Opera; Foerster himself taught the piano privately and continued his contribution to musical journalism before assuming teaching duties at the Vienna New Conservatory. In 1918 he returned to the new republic of Czechoslovakia, where he held various positions of importance in the musical life of Prague, greatly respected in his extreme old age.
Josef Bohuslav FOERSTER (1859–1951)
Symphony No. 2
Cyrano de Bergerac
Hradec Králové Philharmonic OrchestraMarek Štilec
Josef Bohuslav Foerster was a pivotal figure in Czech musical history and a lifelong friend of fellow German-speaking Bohemian, Gustav Mahler. Foerster’s Symphony No. 2, dedicated to the memory of his sister, Marie, achieves a satisfying unity, with its sombre qualities eloquently transformed into a fervent apotheosis. Cyrano de Bergerac was Foerster’s most successful orchestral piece and is a perfect example of his late-Romantic finesse. Conceived as an autonomous work not intended as incidental music, its ‘five symphonic images’ each relates to a specific place in the drama.
I. Allegro moderato
Czech conductor Marek Štilec is recognised for his interpretations of Classical orchestral repertoire and is a specialist in Czech Romantic and contemporary music. He has made over 30 albums for labels including Naxos, ArcoDiva, cpo and Supraphon. In the field of historically informed performance, Štilec has collaborated with ensembles such as the Czech Ensemble Baroque and Ensemble 18+. He is the founder of the Wranitzky Kapelle and artistic director of Academy Prague Mannheim with Das Kurpfälzische Kammerorchester Mannheim. He has been the permanent principal choirmaster of the Czech Boys’ Choir, Boni Pueri, since 2020
The Hradec Králové Philharmonic Orchestra was so named at the establishment of the Czech Republic in 1993. Kaspar Zehnder has served as principal conductor since the 2018–19 season. The orchestra has performed in major European concert halls, including the Grosser Musikvereinssaal in Vienna, Gewandhaus Leipzig and KKL Luzern. It has also appeared at leading festivals such as Prague Spring and Smetana Litomyšl, and toured Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Austria, Spain and Switzerland.
– Fanfare
Festive Overture • Meine Jugend
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
Friedel
– Penguin Guide ★★★