Czech Philharmonic/Semyon Bychkov: Mahler 5

The second concert in the Czech Philharmonic’s residency boasts Mozart's vivacious concerto written for (and tonight performed by) two siblings alongside Mahler's Symphony No 5.

Semyon Bychkov and his Prague forces have attracted lavish praise for their ongoing Mahler symphony cycle. The recording of the Symphony No 5 was the Sunday Times’ 2022 Classical Album of the Year, conjuring ‘a musical universe of dreams and prophecies’ full of 'sonic opulence with textural clarity’. (The Sunday Times). With its achingly poignant Adagietto made famous by Visconti in his film Death in Venice, the Fifth is paired with the irrepressible concerto for two pianos that Mozart wrote for himself and his sister.

Mozart’s ebullient supersized concerto sparkled when the orchestra shared its 125th anniversary celebrations here in 2022. And last summer the sisters returned, underlining their trademark versatility with an evening of Philip Glass. ‘Katia and Marielle Labèque begin where most two-piano teams leave off’ (Classics Today).