Sheffield International Concert Season 2026/27 - Czech Orchestra

The Czech National Symphony Orchestra returns with its Music Director, the internationally acclaimed conductor Steven Mercurio, bringing a programme that celebrates the spirit of Bohemia. Smetana opens each half of the concert: first, the sparkling overture to his opera The Bartered Bride and then his vivid musical picture immortalizing the Vltava river that flows through Prague. Symphony evokes birdsong, rustic folk dances and the open landscapes and natural surroundings of Vysoka, a village in central Bohemia where the composer wrote the work. To complete the programme is Rachmaninov's mighty Second Piano Concerto, treasured for its sweeping lyricism, rich harmonies, and heartfelt emotion. To take the solo role is Mark Bebbington, fast emerging as one of Britain's most distinctive and innovative pianists.