Kirill Petrenko in conversation with Stefan Dohr (19 min.)

The little-known music of Josef Suk has been particularly close to Kirill Petrenko’s heart for many years. He plans to perform his orchestral works over several seasons. The monumental Asrael Symphony was previously on the programme in January 2020, followed just over a year later by the equally highly demanding symphonic poem Pohádka léta (A Summer’s Tale). In an interview with the Philharmoniker’s principal horn Stefan Dohr, Kirill Petrenko talks about the genesis of the work, and explains how Suk incorporated elements from the Bohemian tradition, the music of Richard Wagner, and French Impressionism into his own distinctive tonal language. Other topics of the conversation are the works of Anna Thorvaldsdóttir and Sergei Prokofiev performed in the same concert.