| Semyon Bychkov (InArts Production) |
In 2023, the Czech Philharmonic performed in Korea under the baton of its chief conductor and music director Semyon Bychkov and with an all-Dvorak program. The ensemble was lauded for its refined musicianship and powerful, cohesive sound — setting high expectations for the orchestra's two performances in Seoul next week.
On Tuesday, which coincides with the Czech Republic’s Independence Day, Bychkov will lead a performance of Smetana’s "My Homeland," a monumental six-part symphonic poem often described as the soul of Czech music. Bychkov, 73, describes the 80-minute work as representing "so much of the Czech destiny."
Though not Czech by birth, Bychkov said he feels a deep kinship with the work’s emotional core — its yearning for identity and independence.
“When Smetana lived, the country was under the Austrian Empire. Inevitably, when you are dominated, you defend your roots, your language, your culture, your identity,” he said.
“That sentiment is heard everywhere in Smetana’s music.”
| Czech Philharmonic (InArts Production) |
Bychkov also drew a poignant parallel between Smetana and Beethoven, both of whom lost their hearing yet continued to compose. “Smetana wrote the first two poems of Ma vlast (My Homeland) and then could no longer hear. Everything else was born in his mind,” he said.
For Bychkov, Smetana’s and Dvorak’s music share the same roots: folk traditions that embody a nation’s collective memory. “Smetana’s music is connected to the old legends of the Czech nation. The same is true of Dvorak,” he said.
“Folk music is where everything begins. It’s the foundation of all art.”
That lineage continues on Wednesday at Lotte Concert Hall, when cellist Han Jae-min joins the Czech Philharmonic at Lotte Concert Hall to perform Dvorak’s Cello Concerto in B minor, one of the most beloved works in the cello repertoire. The program will also feature Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5.
Bychkov, who has led the Czech Philharmonic since 2018, is now in his seventh season at the helm. Under his direction, the orchestra has raised its global stature — most recently being named Gramophone Orchestra of the Year 2024 by the British classical music magazine Gramophone.
Bychkov and the orchestra have also released major new recordings, including Smetana’s "Ma vlast" in March 2024 and Dvorak’s Symphonies Nos. 7, 8 and 9 in September 2024 under the Pentatone label, and an ongoing Mahler Symphony Cycle, with Symphony No. 3 released in March 2025 and the complete set scheduled for release in 2026.
