Czech National Symphony Orchestra

With St Andrews Hall currently out of action, this year's Norfolk & Norwich Festival was not able to bring a full symphony orchestra to Norwich, and whilst the fine concert inside Norwich Cathedral by the innovative Aurora Orchestra will have ticked some of the boxes, there is still really no substitute for the spectacle and sound of some 60+ classical musicians in full flow inside a large concert venue.

With that in mind, therefore, it turned out be a serendipitous piece of booking by Norwich Theatre in bringing the Czech National Symphony Orchestra to Norwich Theatre Royal, just as the Norfolk and Norwich Festival was in full swing. Whilst not in any way connected to the Festival, it provided a chance for those music lovers feeling short-changed by the closure of The Halls to get their full symphonic fix.

Formed in 1993, the CNSO are not to be confused with the, arguably, more famous and prestigious Prague Symphony Orchestra, who pre-date them by some sixty years. However, during their 30 years of performing and touring, the Czech National Symphony Orchestra have gained a reputation for their stirring performances of pieces by the Czech national composers Dvořák and Smetana. For this visit in 2024, we get to hear a full symphony by Dvorak as well as two short pieces by Smetana. And, for good measure, there is also a Beethoven Piano Concerto included in this Sunday evening performance.

Whilst I really do love Norwich Theatre Royal, its stage is really rather tight for an entire symphony orchestra, meaning that, unless your seats are right in the centre, you are not going to be able to see the whole orchestra. My seats, well to the left in the front stalls, meant that I could hear, but not see, the percussion section, and being so far forward meant that I could not really see any of the brass or woodwind sections hidden at the back. However the sound was excellent, probably far richer than for those sitting further back, or in the circle, looking down on the whole orchestra.

The Smetana came in the form of two opening pieces, one in each half, and settling us in for the large-scale works from Beethoven and Dvořák. The overture to 1863 comic opera The Bartered Bride gave us our first chance to see CNSO's chief conductor, Steve Mercurio, in action on the podium. Tall, and almost bouncy in style, the American has been in charge of the orchestra since 2019. His attention to his musicians is attentive, yet relaxed and almost comradely. The second half opened with the 2nd movement of Smetana's evocative six part suite, The Moldau.

However, it is the Beethoven and the Dvořák that we are really here for, and in the first half there is a short delay whilst the podium is pushed forward to make way for a magnificent Steinway concert grand, upon which British pianist Mark Bebbington proceeds to deliver a bright and lively performance of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No 5. It was composed a mere five years after the Eroica Symphony No 3 which I heard performed by the Aurora Orchestra in Norwich Cathedral just last week. The sublime second movement will sound familiar to those familiar with the soundtracks to both 'The King's Speech' and 'Dead Poets Society', but it is the rhythmic energy of the Rondo finale in which Bebbington’s conducting really excels.

After the interval, and the second Smetana piece, we get an all-too-rare chance to enjoy Dvořák's Symphony No 7, arguably his finest symphony, but often over-shadowed by the better known 'New World' No 9. The Seventh, instead, is a tragedy drama which mimics the spirit and style of Brahms and Wagner, and becoming a heartfelt tribute to the 'Old World', inspired by 'Love, God and the Fatherland'. It is also pleasing to see that pianist Mark Bebbington has now joined us in the front stalls to enjoy the rest of the performance.

The audience's heartfelt applause is rewarded with a short encore, a peculiarly 'lounge' piece entitled 'Bossa Nova Nadaline', but it brought to an end a wonderful full-orchestra evening in the company of Steve Mercurio and the Czech National Symphony Orchestra.