Concert-masters: Jiří Pospíchal and Pavel Šafařík

The Prague Chamber Orchestra, originally and still generally performing without a conductor, boasts a unique position among Czech ensembles. It was initially formed in 1951 on the initiative of principal players of the Czechoslovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, but has worked independently since 1965. With a wide repertoire, a significant element remains the work of older Bohemian composers, in addition to modern and contemporary music. The orchestra, now managed by the players, has made a large number of recordings and won international awards, on occasion working with distinguished conductors, as well as with leading soloists. Foreign tours have taken the orchestra to Latin America, the United States and Canada, and Japan, as well as to the Republic of Korea, Malaysia and Singapore.

A son of Philidor l’aîné, François-André Danican Philidor followed parallel careers as a chess virtuoso and as the successful composer of over 21 operas. It was chess that secured him an early livelihood and took him to London. It was there that he died in 1795, having taken temporary refuge from the revolutionaries in France because he was listed among the condemned in spite of his republican sympathies.

Choral Music

Philidor’s choral compositions in England include a setting of Latin texts drawn from Horace’s Carmen saeculare, which was first heard in London in 1779 and generally admired.