An evening of powerful stories and the joy of making music. The program features Bohuslav Martinů’s symphonic prelude The Rock, inspired by American settlers, Witold Lutosławski’s Cello Concerto performed by JFO’s artist-in-residence Johannes Moser, and Antonín Dvořák’s Sixth Symphony — a celebration of Czech musicality, warmth, and vitality. The orchestra will be led by Ingo Metzmacher.

Bohuslav Martinů
The Rock, symphonic prelude for large orchestra H 363

Witold Lutosławski
Concerto for Cello and Orchestra

Antonín Dvořák
Symphony No. 6 in D major, Op. 60, B 112

Johannes Moser – cello
Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava
Ingo Metzmacher – conductor

Bohuslav Martinů was inspired to write his symphonic prelude The Rock by the story of the English settlers who landed in America in December 1620 at Plymouth Rock, near the Cape Cod peninsula. The tales of these first settlers, recorded by one of their number, William Bradford, later the first governor of New England, reminded Martinů of his own arrival on American shores in 1941.

The Concerto for Cello and Orchestra by Polish composer Witold Lutosławski was written between 1969 and 1970 at the request of the world-famous Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich and ranks among the composer’s most celebrated works. Lutosławski’s inventive use of New Music compositional techniques produced a dramatic, sonically powerful, and multi-layered work shaped by the conflict between the soloist and the orchestra, symbolizing the struggle of the individual against a harsh and unyielding world. The solo part will be performed by the JPO’s artist-in-residence, the phenomenal German cellist Johannes Moser.

The evening will conclude with Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 6, a work radiating the composer’s happiness and inner contentment. Composed in 1880, the symphony draws clear inspiration from Czech folk music. Whether in its lyrical opening, its enchanting adagio, the wild scherzo in the style of a furiant, or its jubilant finale, the music of Dvořák’s Sixth overflows with a pure joy of music-making that touches both musicians and listeners alike. The concert will be conducted by one of Germany’s most celebrated conductors, Ingo Metzmacher.