Blab Music
Dvorak Prague Festival 2026 Opens with Chailly, Hagen, and a Concert of The Jacobin
On the opening night of the 19th Dvořák Prague International Music Festival, the Rudolfinum will echo with a blend of reverence and fresh energy. Scheduled for 5 September, the concert will feature the Filarmonica della Scala conducted by Riccardo Chailly, with cellist Julia Hagen as soloist. The program will carry Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B‑minor, Op. 104, followed by the composer’s Ninth Symphony, the New World Symphony.
The festival’s director said the opening concert follows a “standard programme” for the event. He explained that the Filarmonica della Scala will provide the orchestral foundation and that Julia Hagen, the daughter of a former Hagen Quartet member, will perform the concerto. The director added that the choice of Chailly, a conductor with a long history of leading major orchestras, underscores the festival’s commitment to high‑level interpretation.
A key highlight of the season is a concert performance of Dvořák’s opera The Jacobin (Op. 84). The festival’s director said that the production will focus on the music and singers rather than a full theatrical staging. He cited Tomáš Netopil, the conductor of the project, who described The Jacobin as the work that marks the transition from Dvořák’s early search for a musical language to his mature operatic style. Netopil emphasized that a concert version allows audiences to concentrate on the score without visual distractions.
The festival will also present the world premiere of Jan Kučera’s Double Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra, a work commissioned for the event. The director explained that the commission is part of the festival’s strategy to add new repertoire that could enter the standard concert catalogue over the next decade. The premiere will be performed by the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The program will include pieces by Debussy and Ravel, Schulhoff’s Second Symphony, and a commissioned work featuring young performers. Daniel Matejča, the first‑prize winner of the Concertino Praga competition, and Sakura Toba, a Japanese cellist studying in Berlin, will be the soloists. The director said that Kučera was asked to dedicate the concerto to the two performers.
Additional highlights announced by the festival include a series of piano concerts. The director mentioned that Yun‑Chan Lim will appear with the Czech Philharmonic under Semyon Bychkov in a Ravel concerto. Rafał Blechacz, the 2010 Chopin Competition winner, will also perform. Alexander Malofeev will be the soloist for the second concert of the Filarmonica della Scala with Chailly. The director also noted a collaboration between Kirill Gerstein and Grammy‑winning jazz pianist Brad Mehldau, which will explore the dialogue between composed music and improvisation.
Ticket sales are reported to be over 90 percent sold, according to the festival’s director. He said that some concerts may be sold out, but the opening concert will be transmitted live by Czech Television. A live radio broadcast of the concert with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra will also be available on Czech Radio. The director added that the final evenings of the 60th‑anniversary Concertino Praga competition will be streamed on the competition’s YouTube channel. He encouraged interested listeners to check the festival website for any remaining tickets.
In summary, the 2026 Dvořák Prague Festival will combine classic works by the composer with new commissions and cross‑genre collaborations. The opening concert on 5 September will feature Chailly, Hagen, and the Filarmonica della Scala, while the concert version of The Jacobin and the premiere of Kučera’s Double Concerto will highlight the festival’s blend of tradition and innovation. With most tickets sold and several broadcasts scheduled, the festival remains a major event for classical music audiences in Prague and beyond.
The festival’s director said the opening concert follows a “standard programme” for the event. He explained that the Filarmonica della Scala will provide the orchestral foundation and that Julia Hagen, the daughter of a former Hagen Quartet member, will perform the concerto. The director added that the choice of Chailly, a conductor with a long history of leading major orchestras, underscores the festival’s commitment to high‑level interpretation.
A key highlight of the season is a concert performance of Dvořák’s opera The Jacobin (Op. 84). The festival’s director said that the production will focus on the music and singers rather than a full theatrical staging. He cited Tomáš Netopil, the conductor of the project, who described The Jacobin as the work that marks the transition from Dvořák’s early search for a musical language to his mature operatic style. Netopil emphasized that a concert version allows audiences to concentrate on the score without visual distractions.
The festival will also present the world premiere of Jan Kučera’s Double Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra, a work commissioned for the event. The director explained that the commission is part of the festival’s strategy to add new repertoire that could enter the standard concert catalogue over the next decade. The premiere will be performed by the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The program will include pieces by Debussy and Ravel, Schulhoff’s Second Symphony, and a commissioned work featuring young performers. Daniel Matejča, the first‑prize winner of the Concertino Praga competition, and Sakura Toba, a Japanese cellist studying in Berlin, will be the soloists. The director said that Kučera was asked to dedicate the concerto to the two performers.
Additional highlights announced by the festival include a series of piano concerts. The director mentioned that Yun‑Chan Lim will appear with the Czech Philharmonic under Semyon Bychkov in a Ravel concerto. Rafał Blechacz, the 2010 Chopin Competition winner, will also perform. Alexander Malofeev will be the soloist for the second concert of the Filarmonica della Scala with Chailly. The director also noted a collaboration between Kirill Gerstein and Grammy‑winning jazz pianist Brad Mehldau, which will explore the dialogue between composed music and improvisation.
Ticket sales are reported to be over 90 percent sold, according to the festival’s director. He said that some concerts may be sold out, but the opening concert will be transmitted live by Czech Television. A live radio broadcast of the concert with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra will also be available on Czech Radio. The director added that the final evenings of the 60th‑anniversary Concertino Praga competition will be streamed on the competition’s YouTube channel. He encouraged interested listeners to check the festival website for any remaining tickets.
In summary, the 2026 Dvořák Prague Festival will combine classic works by the composer with new commissions and cross‑genre collaborations. The opening concert on 5 September will feature Chailly, Hagen, and the Filarmonica della Scala, while the concert version of The Jacobin and the premiere of Kučera’s Double Concerto will highlight the festival’s blend of tradition and innovation. With most tickets sold and several broadcasts scheduled, the festival remains a major event for classical music audiences in Prague and beyond.
