Czech National Symphony Orchestra

Special attention has to go to the longstanding collaboration with the legendary, and recently deceased, Ennio Morricone including studio recordings as well as a series of concerts as part of a great many European tours.

When it comes to studio work, the orchestra has recorded a wealth of fantastic music including a Christmas album with the acclaimed tenors Plácido Domingo and Vittorio Grigolo as well as music for Tarantino’s western “The Hateful Eight”. Based on the aforementioned concert collaboration, the composer Ennio Morricone also booked the Czech National Symphony Orchestra for a recording, and they subsequently created a truly exceptional soundtrack together at London’s famous Abbey Road studio. Morricone‘s music went on to scoop up a number of awards from a Golden Globe, BAFTA, not to mention an Oscar.

In recent years, artists to have performed repeatedly with the orchestra include Andrea Bocelli, Rolando Villazón, José Carreras, Plácido Domingo, Jonas Kaufmann as well as Piotr Beczala, while in the field of pop collaborations include top names such as Sting, George Michael, Natalie Cole, Dianne Reeves, Angélique Kidjo, Denise Donatelli, Ute Lemper, as well as the instrumentalists James Morrison, Branford & Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Shew, Joe Lovano, John Abercrombie, John Patitucci, Dave Weckl, Chick Corea and many more.

Since 2005 Prague Proms, o. p. s. has been organizing the International Music Festival Prague Proms and the CNSO is its residential orchestra. In addition to its subscription series concerts the orchestra also travels abroad for international tours. Alongside almost all countries in Europe, the CNSO has performed in places as far flung as the United States, Japan, Australia, South Korea, China, Dubai, Oman, Canada and Mexico.
In the spring of 2016, the orchestra completed a concert tour of the United States of America, where (after a successful concert at the Prague Proms 2015 festival) it performed a spectacular Disney Fantasia show.

2017 saw the orchestra head on a month-long European tour with film composers Ennio Morricone and James Newton Howard.

This was followed in 2018 by an interesting opportunity for the orchestra to tour Europe with the acclaimed musical La La Land, but above all as part of the Symphonic Cinema project, a nearly two-month tour of the UK featuring a programme of box office Hollywood evergreens, under the baton of conductor Ben Palmer.

In 2019, the orchestra went on a promising extended tour of the United States, but at the beginning of 2020 it was forced to scale back its concert activities due to the global pandemic. However, the orchestra responded quickly to the changing landscape by arranging its live performances online. NetConcert: the new internet platform is being launched in these days.

The orchestra‘s artistic pursuits are now back running at the standard pace. After accompanying Plácido Domingo at his performance in the Czech Republic during the summer of 2021, it accepted a collaboration with the world-famous writer and composer Dan Brown performing his Wild Symphony in Prague.

The orchestra is currently based at the aforementioned recording Studio No. 1, otherwise known as the “Gallery“ where it boasts several gold CDs for the sale of more than 30,000 media, the Gustav Mahler Prize for the interpretation of his works and, in particular, a prestigious contract with IMG Artists London and Columbia Artists New York.

A long-term recording project in cooperation with the Japanese publishing house JVC Victor Entertainment stands out as yet another significant achievement, so far resulting in fifty CDs and 8 DVDs.

The imaginary peak for the CNSO is winning the Grammy Music Award in the category of best arrangement, instruments and singing in April 2022. The award was given for the composition “To The Edge of Longing” from Vince Mendoza‘s record “Freedom Over Everything”. Vince Mendoza was nominated twice for two different tracks from this album which was recorded together with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra in the CNSO recording Studio No. 1. Moreover, director of orchestra Jan Hasenöhrl was also the initiator of the project and the producer of the record.

Trumpet player Jan Hasenöhrl set up The Czech National Symphony Orchestra in 1993 along with the legendary conductor Zdeněk Košler, and led to a fantastic ten years of success under the direction of the American conductor Paul Freeman (1996–2006).

From 2007 the orchestra was led by chief conductor Libor Pešek, marking an exceptional period of collaboration, both as part of the subscription series as well as huge successes on five tours around Great Britain. These concerts have earned the CNSO an enviable reputation with British audiences, and it regularly returns there.

One particularly noteworthy historic achievement is the recording marathon, which took place between 2007 and 2017, when, together with Libor Pešek, the CNSO managed the feat of recording a set of Gustav Mahler‘s symphonies.

In the spring of 2019, following the departure of Libor Pešek it was announced that he would be replaced by the American conductor Steven Mercurio. This outstanding musician, a pupil of Leonard Bernstein, has been working with the orchestra for several years, and this collaboration promises to deliver a number of exceptional projects.

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Maestro Mercurio has conducted countless operatic and symphonic television broadcasts including the internationally acclaimed, ”Christmas in Vienna” series highlighted by the best-selling “Three Tenors” (Carreras – Domingo – Pavarotti). In addition to several now classic PBS broadcast specials (“American Dream – Andrea Bocelli’s Statue of Liberty concert”) Maestro Mercurio also led the 20th Anniversary Richard Tucker Opera Gala with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Maestro Mercurio also played a lead role in creating the stage show for the worldwide tour and DVD recording of Sting’s “Symphonicities” (“Live from Berlin” Deutsche Grammophon). Other distinguished telecasts have included Maestro Mercurio conducting the RAI’s production of “Christmas from the Church of San Francesco in Assisi,” and “La Boheme” from Cagliari, the Spoleto Festival performances of Berlioz’s “Requiem,” Scriabin’s “Prometheus,” Mahler’s “Second Symphony,” an evening featuring the music of Chick Corea and Mozart with the Youth Orchestra of Santa Cecilia and in June 2020, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 with his own Czech National Symphony Orchestra for ARTE in commemoration of the global orchestral Beethoven 250th Anniversary celebration.

Maestro Mercurio recently released Strauss’ “Death and Transfiguration and Metamorphosen,” on Audiophile Recordings with the Czech National Symphony.  His recording of “A Grateful Tail,” the only symphonic tribute to dogs and people who love them, which he scored and produced for large orchestra, chorus and a singing actor was released in 2013 and featured Academy Award winning actor F. Murray Abraham.  Operatic recordings by Maestro Mercurio include “Il Trovatore,” “Pagliacci,” and “Cavalleria Rusticana” for Decca Records and “Manon Lescaut” with the Teatro de la Maestranza, Seville.  He has conducted and produced many acclaimed vocal collections including “Verdi Arias” with soprano Daniela Dessi, “Romanze e Canzoni” an homage to Gigli with tenor Fabio Armiliato and, three albums with tenor Marcello Giordani.  Mercurio’s own original recording of vocal songs, “Many Voices,” was recorded with the Prague Philharmonia  for SONY Classics.  Maestro Mercurio’s relationship with SONY Classical has also led him to collaborate on a great number of recordings including“Storyteller,” featuring compositions by Wynton Marsalis, Patrick Doyle and Edgar Meyer, three violin concertos with the composer-violinist Mark O’Connor and a Grammy Award winning CD with Chick Corea.

Maestro Mercurio has conducted a wide range of premieres including the U.S. premiere of Zemlinsky’s “Der Zwerg,” for the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, performed and recorded Puccini’s “Manon Lescaut” at the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville and with the Teatro Verdi in Trieste, gave the world premiere and recording of Zandonai’s “I Cavalieri di Ekebu.”  For the Spoleto Festival in Italy, he performed Menotti’s opera, “Goya” (recorded for Nuova Era), Puccini’s “Il Trittico,” Berg’s “Wozzeck,” Korngold’s “Die Tote Stadt,” Shostakovich’s “The Nose” and John Corigliano’s “Symphony No.1.” Among his accomplishments was the highly acclaimed Italian premiere of the complete version of Zemlinsky’s “Der Zwerg,” for the Teatro dell’Opera in Rome, the Italian premiere of Andre Previn’s, “Streetcar Named Desire,” in Torino and the Italian premiere of Kurt Weill’s “Lady in the Dark” in Palermo and Rome. He conducted a new production of Verdi’s “La Traviata” for the Staatsoper Bonn, and London’s English National Opera, Puccini’s “La Boheme” and Offenbach’s “Les Contes d’Hoffman” for the San Francisco Opera.

As a composer, Maestro Mercurio’s compositions include songs, chamber works, and pieces for large orchestra. His large scale orchestral work, ”For Lost Loved Ones,” was given its world premiere by Zubin Mehta and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. “Mercurial Overture,” was given its world premiere by the Oslo Philharmonic in a live concert telecast honoring the Nobel Peace Prize winners, Médicins sans Frontières. Maestro Mercurio’s symphony, “A Grateful Tail,” is based on American playwright Eugene O’Neill’s “Last Will and Testament of Silverdene Emblem O’Neill” and premiered in Prague in 2013.

Maestro Mercurio is an acclaimed and sought after arranger and collaborator and has created arrangements for a wide array of performers across multiple genres including Sting and Chick Corea. Most recently, he served as arranger, conductor and producer for Andrea Bocelli’s best-selling recording “Believe.” In 2022, he produced, arranged and conducted superstar crossover cellist HAUSER’s new recording for Sony Masterworks, “The Player.”

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Whilst still in his twenties, he was appointed Music Director of the Kyrgyzstan Symphonic Orchestra. During this time, he was a frequent guest conductor of the Frunze Opera and made numerous tours throughout the Soviet Union. In 1987, he founded the Philharmony of Kyrgyzstan Chamber Orchestra.

In 1990, Mr Mashkevich emigrated to the west, first to Israel and then Belgium, where he currently lives. In 1994, he enjoyed a triumphant return to Moscow conducting the State Symphony Cappella of Russia (Svetlanov orchestra) with several world premieres of the renowned composer Ianis Xenakis whom he was closely associated with.

His guest conducting engagements include concerts with the Japan Philharmonic, the Rostov on Don Philharmonic, the Kazakhstan Philharmonic and the Alma-Ata Orchestra, as well as continuing his long relationship with Kyrgyzstan Symphonic Orchestra.

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Chloë has an extensive discography and her latest releases include the complete Beethoven Violin Sonatas in three volumes on Rubicon Classics with regular duo partner, Danny Driver: “instantly engaging, thanks to the warmth and clarity of Hanslip’s playing and the obvious rapport between the musicians.” (Strad).   Her other recordings include concertos by John Adams with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Slatkin and Bruch Concertos with the London Symphony Orchestra on Warner Classics for which she won a Classical BRIT ‘Young British Classical Performer’ (2003).  Recital discs followed on Hyperion (York Bowen, Medtner) and concertos by Vieuxtemps, Schoeck and Glazunov.

Hanslip’s wide-ranging repertoire spans concertos by Britten, Prokofiev, Beethoven, Brahms, Korngold, Shostakovich, Barber, Bernstein, Delius, Mendelssohn, Bruch, Elgar, Tchaikovsky, Walton and Sibelius. With a particular passion for contemporary repertoire, she has championed works by Adams, Glass, Corigliano, Nyman, Huw Watkins, Michael Berkeley, Peter Maxwell Davies and Brett Dean. A committed chamber musician, she is a regular participant at festivals across Europe including Båstad, West Cork, Prussia Cove and Kutna Hora with recital partners including Angela Hewitt, Danny Driver, Igor Tchetuev and Charles Owen.  Alongside her performing career, Chloë is a Visiting Professor at The Royal Academy of Music, in London and an Ambassador for the charity Future Talent.  

Recent and forthcoming highlights include concerto performances with the London Philharmonic, Philharmonia and Hallé Orchestras, Singapore and Aalborg Symphony Orchestras, Orquestra National de Bogota, Oulu Sinfonia and an extensive UK tour with the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra. She also returns to the Wigmore Hall alongside regular duo partner Danny Driver.

Chloë studied for ten years with the Russian pedagogue Zakhar Bron and has also worked with Christian Tetzlaff, Robert Masters, Ida Haendel, Salvatore Accardo, and Gerhard Schulz.  She plays a Nicolo Amati violin kindly loaned to her through the Beare’s International Violin Society by a generous sponsor.

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Mark’s premiere recordings include an Arnold Bax’s Piano Concertino coupled with John Ireland’s Piano Concerto and Legend, and premieres of Vaughan Williams’s Fantasia and William Mathias’s first two Piano Concertos (Ulster Orchestra). In addition to concerto recordings, Mark completed his John Ireland and Frank Bridge solo piano series and released a CD of piano works by William Alwyn in 2017. As well as his BBC Music Magazine success, he has won Gramophone Magazine’s ‘Editor’s Choice’ International Record Review’s ‘Outstanding’ accolade and many others. International Piano Magazine wrote of him, “Bebbington’s revivals of British piano music are second to none; he could well be dubbed the concert pianists’ Richard Hickox. Bebbington has almost single-handedly demonstrated that 20th-century British piano scores have an exciting role to play in the concert hall and recording studio”.

Over recent seasons Mark has toured throughout Central and Northern Europe and in the United States (both as recitalist and as soloist with some of the world’s leading orchestras), as well as the Far East and North Africa. In 2017 he made his Carnegie Hall debut with Leon Botstein and the American Symphony Orchestra and also appeared with the Buffalo Symphony Orchestra and on tour with the Israel Camerata and Czech National Orchestra. Within the UK, he has appeared in concertos with theLondon Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic and Philharmonia Orchestras, Flanders Symphony Orchestra, the London Mozart Players, Orchestra of the Swan and BBC Concert Orchestra. He has featured both as soloist and recitalist on BBC Television and Radio and also on major European Television and Radio networks.

Mark studied at the Royal College of Music where he was a recipient of numerous international awards and prizes, including a Leverhulme Scholarship, a Winston Churchill Fellowship and the Ivan Sutton Recording Prize – the latter awarded to the one outstanding graduate of the combined London Music Colleges. He later studied in Italy with the legendary Aldo Ciccolini. Mark’s programming demonstrates a commitment to the music of our time and he regularly includes contemporary composers as diverse as Takemitsu, Julian Anderson, John McCabe, David Matthews, Pierre Boulez and Elliot Carter in his recital series.

Download the full biography on the link above.