Czech Philharmonic Semyon Bychkov, Chief Conductor & Music Director David Mareček, CEO of the Czech Philharmonic First BBC Prom since Bychkov's appointment as Chief Conductor & Music Director Prom 69: Tuesday 10 September, 7pm, Royal Albert Hall Live on BBC Radio 3 Returning to the BBC Proms for the first time since 2014, the Czech Philharmonic under Chief Conductor and Music Director, Semyon Bychkov, will open its programme with the Overture and Three Dances from Smetana's The Bartered Bride before playing The Letter Scene from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin with soprano Elena Stikhina. The performance concludes with Shostakovich's rarely performed Symphony No. 8. The BBC Prom follows hot on the heels of the opening of the Czech Philharmonic's 124th season at Prague's Rudolfinum and Decca Classics’ release of The Tchaikovsky Project boxset which began in 2012, and culminates with residencies in Prague, Tokyo, Vienna and Paris in the autumn. Bychkov's first year with the Czech Philharmonic marked the 100th anniversary of Czechoslovak Independence with concerts in London, New York, Washington and Vienna, and extensive tours of the US and Germany. The London concert presented in collaboration with the Embassy of the Czech Republic in London was the catalyst for an on-going education project with the Royal Academy of Music starting in spring 2020. This season, in addition to the Tchaikovsky residencies, Bychkov and the Orchestra will give concerts in Taiwan, Moscow and Nanking, where they will initiate the first of an ongoing season of cultural and educational exchanges. In Prague, the subscription series opens with Smetana's Má vlast and, during the season, alongside works by Beethoven, Mahler and Brahms, Bychkov will introduce works by Berio, Glanert and Dutilleux. The Czech Philharmonic launch their year of Beethoven anniversary concerts on 1 January 2020 with Co-Principal Guest Conductor Jakub Hrůša conducting Symphony No. 7. The series continues with symphonies conducted by Bychkov, David Robertson, Giovanni Antonini, Manfred Honeck and Co-Principal Guest Conductor Tomáš Netopil. Rudolf Buchbinder will join the Orchestra for the five piano concertos. Jakub Hrůša – with whom the Orchestra launches a Josef Suk recording cycle in the New Year - also initiates a series of operas in concert, opening with Janáček's Kát'a Kabanová in Prague and Hamburg. Elsewhere in the season, Peter Eötvös will conduct Miroslav Srnka's Moves 1 & 3 alongside his own Jet Stream; David Robertson introduces Steve Reich's Music for Ensemble and Orchestra; and James Gaffigan conducts Jiří Teml's The Labyrinth of Memory, the second of the Czech Philharmonic's nine commissions from Czech composers. For further information: Ginny Macbeth/Moë Faulkner: +44 207 251 9448 [email protected] The Tchaikovsky Project Residencies Czech Philharmonic; Semyon Bychkov, Chief Conductor & Music Director September 10 UK, London, Royal Albert Hall, BBC Proms Smetana The Bartered Bride Overture and Three Dances Tchaikovsky Letter Scene from Eugene Onegin, Op. 24 Shostakovich Symphony No. 8 in C minor, Op. 65 soloist(s): Elena Stikhina, soprano 13 Czech Republic, Prague, Rudolfinum Dvořák Prague International Music Festival Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23 Tchaikovsky Manfred Symphony in B minor, Op. 58 soloist(s): Kirill Gerstein, piano 17 Czech Republic, Prague, Rudolfinum Dvořák Prague International Music Festival Tchaikovsky Serenade for Strings, Op. 48 Tchaikovsky Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33 Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 soloist(s): Gautier Capuçon, cello 21 Czech Republic, Prague, Rudolfinum Dvořák Prague International Music Festival Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74 Pathétique soloist(s): Renaud Capuçon, violin October 22 Japan, Tokyo, Suntory Hall Smetana Vltava from Má vlast Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74 Pathétique soloist(s): Daishin Kashimoto, violin 24 Japan, Tokyo, Bunkyo Civic Hall Smetana Vyšehrad from Má vlast Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 Dvořák Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 From the New World soloist(s): Daishin Kashimoto, violin 25 Japan, Tokyo, NHK Hall Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 Tchaikovsky Manfred Symphony in B minor, Op. 58 soloist(s): Daishin Kashimoto, violin November 18 Austria, Vienna, Wiener Musikverein Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23 Tchaikovsky Manfred Symphony in B minor, Op. 58 soloist(s): Kirill Gerstein, piano 19 Austria, Vienna, Wiener Musikverein Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74 Pathétique soloist(s): Renaud Capuçon, violin Bychkov & Czech Philharmonic/BBC Proms & 2019-20 Season Announcement: 2 20 Austria, Vienna, Wiener Musikverein Tchaikovsky Serenade for Strings, Op. 48 Tchaikovsky Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33 Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 soloist(s): Gautier Capuçon, cello 22 France, Paris, Philharmonie de Paris Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23 Tchaikovsky Manfred Symphony in B minor, Op. 58 soloist(s): Kirill Gerstein, piano 23 France, Paris, Philharmonie de Paris Tchaikovsky Serenade for Strings, Op. 48 Tchaikovsky Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33 Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 soloist(s): Gautier Capuçon, cello 24 France, Paris, Philharmonie de Paris Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74 Pathétique soloist(s): Renaud Capuçon, violin Decca Classics: The Tchaikovsky Project boxset Release date: Friday 30 August 2019 Disc 1: Symphony Nos. 1-2 Disc 2: Symphony No. 3, Romeo and Juliet Fantasy-Overture Disc 3: Symphony No. 4, Francesca da Rimini Disc 4: Manfred Symphony Disc 5: Symphony No. 5, Serenade for Strings Disc 6: Symphony No. 6, Piano Concerto No. 1 with Kirill Gerstein Disc 7: Piano Concerto Nos. 2-3 with Kirill Gerstein Bychkov & Czech Philharmonic/BBC Proms & 2019-20 Season Announcement: 3 .