Written for the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra: A Century of music created for the airwaves
From its earliest days, the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra (SOČR) has been more than just a performer – it has been a source of inspiration. Dozens of works were written specifically for its musicians and for the possibilities offered by radio broadcasting.
As early as the 1930s, Prague’s radio symphony orchestra became a pioneer of music written specifically for the microphone. Rudolf Kubín, then a member of the Radiojournal Orchestra, took on the challenge of composing an opera intended exclusively for radio broadcast. His Summer Night (Letní noc), aired on September 26, 1931, became the first Czech radio opera.
This path was later continued by composer Bohuslav Martinů, who wrote two one-act “radio operas” for broadcasting: The Voice of the Forest (Hlas lesa) and Comedy on the Bridge (Veselohra na mostě). Martinů himself remarked that radio could greatly enhance a short musical work, and his compositions proved that belief well founded.
Radio as a commissioner of major works
Radio broadcasting did not limit itself to experimental operatic forms. It also became an important patron of larger-scale compositions. Among them was Martinů’s The Bouquet (Kytice), described as a “radio cantata,” which premiered in May 1938.
The 1940s and 1950s brought further world premieres, including operas by Karel Hába, a violinist in the radio orchestra who later became an editor of educational broadcasts. His works Old Story (Stará historie) and the children’s opera Little Smolíček (O Smolíčkovi) were written directly for radio and demonstrate the breadth of support that broadcasting institutions provided to Czech composers.
Symphony orchestra as a platform that lasts until today
Over time, SOČR became one of the most important platforms for the presentation of new orchestral music. It gave world premieres of numerous significant works, including Miloslav Kabeláč’s First and Fourth Symphonies, Otakar Jeremiáš’s cantata Of My Homeland, Iša Krejčí’s Twenty Variations for Orchestra.
Nevertheless, the tradition of commissioning new works continues today. SOČR regularly collaborates with contemporary composers, expanding the Czech repertoire with new musical worlds.
Czech premieres of international masterpieces
Alongside world premieres by Czech composers, the orchestra has also introduced Czech audiences to many major works of international music.
Among the pieces first performed in the Czech Republic by SOČR are the suite from Aram Khachaturian’s ballet Gayane, Dmitri Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and his Third and Eighth Symphonies, Béla Bartók’s Violin Concerto No. 1, Arthur Honegger’s Joan of Arc at the Stake, Igor Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex or Sergei Prokofiev’s Fourth Symphony and Fourth Piano Concerto.
In recent years, the orchestra has also presented Czech premieres of works by Miroslav Srnka and Ondřej Adámek, demonstrating its continued commitment to bringing international musical developments to Czech audiences.
New horizons: Where classical music meets jazz
The orchestra’s New Horizons projects have generated a unique series of world premieres that systematically connect classical music with jazz and other genres.
These projects have produced works by Karel Růžička (Lovebird), Tomáš Sýkora (Hidden Songs Suite), Štěpánka Balcarová (Life and Happiness of Julian Tuwim) or Jiří and Chaza Levíček (Morana).
Together, these projects demonstrate that SOČR is not only a guardian of tradition but also a laboratory for new musical worlds – one in which classical music naturally meets contemporary artistic currents.
