Czech Philharmonic opens Year of Czech Music at Rudolfinum

The Czech Philharmonic performed its first New Year’s concert in Prague's Rudolfinum on Monday evening, under the baton of conductor Jakub Hrůša. The leading Czech orchestra performed selected works by Czech composers, namely Bedřich Smetana, Antonín Dvořák, Leoš Janáček and Oskar Nedbal. The head of the Czech Philharmonic David Mareček said that Monday’s concert opened the Year of Czech Music. This celebration of Czech music greats is held once a decade, on every year that ends on the number four since many anniversaries linked to Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904), Leoš Janáček (1854-1928), Bohuslav Martinů (1890-1959) or Josef Suk (1874-1935) end on that number. This year marks 200 years since Smetana's birth and 140 years since his death.