Semyon Bychkov, conductor
Alisa Weilerstein, cello

DVORÁK: Cello Concerto
TCHAIKOVSKY: Serenade for Strings
TCHAIKOVSKY: Francesca da Rimini

On its first tour of the United States under new music director Semyon Bychkov, the Czech Philharmonic is part of the Philharmonic Society's first-ever orchestral residency. The two evenings of performances combine the orchestra's Dvorák legacy and Bychkov's passion for his fellow Russian, Tchaikovsky. The program for night one features cellist Alisa Weilerstein for Dvorák's Cello Concerto, along with Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings and Francesca da Rimini.

For more than a century, the Czech Philharmonic has represented the pinnacle of Czech cultural achievement. On January 4, 1896, Antonín Dvorák conducted the Czech Philharmonic's debut performance at the Rudolfinum in Prague, which is still home to the Czech Philharmonic's Prague concerts. In 1908, Gustav Mahler led the orchestra in the world premiere of his Symphony No. 7. Other composers who have collaborated with the orchestra include Edward Grieg, Stravinsky, Honegger, Milhaud and Penderecki. Over the years, the Czech Philharmonic has grown its international reputation, leading to its well-deserved position on Gramophone magazine's ranking of the world's 20 greatest orchestras.

In performances marked by intensity, sensitivity, and a wholehearted immersion in each of the works she interprets, American cellist Alisa Weilerstein has proven herself to be in possession of a distinctive musical voice. She was awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2000 and a MacArthur “genius” grant in 2011, and her 2014 recording of Dvorák’s Cello Concerto with the Czech Philharmonic topped the U.S. classical chart.