The Brno Philharmonic traces its roots to the 1870s when a young Leoš Janáček endeavoured to establish an orchestra in the city. Janáček remains close to the players’ hearts – his stirring and characterful regional folk dances open the concert – as does another of their compatriots, Antonín Dvořák. The huge success of his Slavonic Dances led to international fame, and triumphant visits to London and Birmingham saw him dubbed ‘The Bohemian Brahms’. With Brahms’s Third as his inspiration, his Seventh Symphony is his most intense and compelling, yet Slavic melodies and dance rhythms are never far away.

The internationally-acclaimed pianist, Freddy Kempf, absolutely thrives on the spontaneity of live performance, so you can expect plenty of pizzazz in two works that blur the line between jazz and classical. Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm Variations spins technical brilliance and intimate jazz club vibes into an exciting showpiece. Dave Brubeck’s Brandenburg Gate is a Bach-like set of variations. According to Darius Brubeck, “exchanges with improvisers evoke feelings from sombre recollection of what the Gate symbolises, to infectious Baroque jolliness, as the spotlight moves from orchestra to soloist and back again.”

See the full B:Classical Season here