Symphony Concert N° 4
Bohemian Fables and Fanfares
gespielte Werke
Antonín Dvořák
- Piano Concerto in G minor, Op. 33
- »Holoubek« (“The Wood Pigeon”) op. 110
Leoš Janáček
- Sinfonietta
Mitwirkende
- Petr Popelka Conductor
- Mao Fujita Piano
A programme entirely dedicated to Czech music: Antonín Dvořák’s rarely performed Piano Concerto combines symphonic breadth with technical brilliance. It is complemented by the symphonic poem »The Wild Dove«, a sombre ballad from the composer’s later years, which can be described as a musical tale of guilt and retribution. The concert concludes with Leoš Janáček’s »Sinfonietta«, a work of radiant energy and festive splendour. Petr Popelka, one of the most distinguished maestros of his generation, will conduct the Staatskapelle. He has longstanding ties to Dresden: before launching his celebrated conducting career, Popelka was a double bassist and member of the Staatskapelle for several years.
Leoš Janáček:
Sinfonietta»Ich erlebe Janáčeks Sinfonietta jedes Mal als ein Werk voller körperlicher Spannung und unmittelbarer Energie. Besonders hervorzuheben ist die riesige Blechbläserbesetzung, die mit festlichen Fanfaren den Rahmen bildet. Es ist eine emotionale Reise zwischen Verletzlichkeit und Überwältigung; nach dem Finale jedoch sprüht sie vor Optimismus und Zuversicht.«
Simon Etzold
Solo-Schlagzeuger
- Sunday13.12.2611:00 UhrSemperoperTicket price:
13 – 67 € - Monday14.12.2619:00 UhrSemperoperTicket price:
23 – 67 € - Tuesday15.12.2619:00 UhrSemperoperTicket price:
23 – 82 €
A concert introduction will be offered 45 minutes before the beginning of each performance in the opera cellar of the Semperoper.
Petr Popelka
Celebrated for his captivating, authentic and inclusive approach to conducting, Petr Popelka has been appointed as the new Chief Conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra from the 2024/25 season. The Czech is also Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra and was previously Chief Conductor of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra in Oslo. In the 2023/2024 season, Popelka will lead the Vienna Symphony Orchestra as Chief Conductor Designate in a new production of Weinberger's "Schwanda der Dudelsackpfeiffer" at the MusikTheater an der Wien and accompany the orchestra at several concerts in Vienna and on two European tours. He will also make his debut with Mozart's "Don Giovanni" at the Zurich Opera House and will work with the Gewandhausorchester, Munich Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre national de France and Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse for the first time. He also returns to the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Danish National Symphony Orchestra and Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. Previous debuts have taken him to the Czech Philharmonic, Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, Bamberger Symphoniker, SWR Symphonieorchester, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, hr-Sinfonieorchester, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, Mozarteumorchester Salzburg, Orchestra sinfonica nazionale della RAI and Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. He also conducted the traditional ORF TV concerts "Springtime in Vienna" and the ZDF Advent concert in Dresden. His new productions of Shostakovich's "Nose" at the Semperoper and Strauss' "Elektra" at the Oslo Opera were acclaimed by the press and public. Petr Popelka received his musical training in his home town of Prague and in Freiburg. From 2010 to 2019, he was deputy principal double bass of the Staatskapelle Dresden. In addition to conducting, Petr Popelka is also active as a composer.
Mao Fujita
With an innate musical sensitivity and naturalness to his artistry, pianist Mao Fujita has already impressed many leading musicians as one of those special talents which come along only rarely, equally at home in Mozart as the major romantic repertoire, with the New York Times writing, "As soon as his fingers touched the keys, waves of airy filigree, beautifully shaped and accomplished, emerged in almost continuous
streams” on the occasion of his US debut at Carnegie Hall in January 2023.
Born in Tokyo, Fujita was still studying at the Tokyo College of Music in 2017 when he took First Prize at the prestigious Concours International de Piano Clara Haskil in Switzerland, along with the Audience Award, Prix Modern Times, and the Prix Coup de Coeur, which first brought him to the attention of the international music community. He was also the Silver Medalist at the 2019 Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, where his special musical qualities received exceptional attention from a jury of leading musicians.
In the 2025/26 season, Fujita continues his run of impressive appearances at major festivals and venues across Europe, America, and Asia, including Salzburg Festival, Vienna, Paris, Rome, Luxembourg, Hamburg, Dortmund, Gstaad, Warsaw, Tenerife, Lisbon, Copenhagen, Lyon, and Aix-en-Provence, as well as a recital tour across North America with performances in New York, Cleveland, Boston, Minnesota, San Francisco, Vancouver, and San Diego. Season highlights also include tours in Asia and Europe with Filarmonica della Scala (Chung), Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen (Järvi), Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France (van Zweden), and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (V. Petrenko). In addition, he debuts with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, KBS Symphony Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, as well as Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne and returns with the Czech Philharmonic, Gewandhausorchester, Wiener Symphoniker, Deutsches-Symphonieorchester Berlin, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, and Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI.
