Proms 2012 Prom 15: Smetana, Prokofiev & Dvořák by Smetana, Prokofiev, Dvořák, Ysaÿe, Eugène-Auguste, De (2012/2012), Director musical Jiří Bělohlávek, Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom

Jirˇí Beˇlohlávek conducts works by two Czech compatriots; Vadim Gluzman is the soloist in Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. After last year’s sensational complete *Má vlas*t comes Smetana’s autobiographical E minor quartet, in George Szell’s orchestration, another first for the Proms. Its finale is suddenly interrupted by a graphic illustration of the onset of deafness, a sustained high E, here on piccolo as well as violin, imitating the tinnitus that afflicted the composer. By contrast Prokofiev’s concerto is one of his magical fairy-tale pieces, championed tonight by Proms debut artist, Vadim Gluzman. Dvořák’s dark, passionate Seventh Symphony was commissioned by the Philharmonic Society of London, the composer himself crossing the Channel to direct the premiere.