Czech National Symphony Orchestra

Although the Czech National Symphony Orchestra ranks among the younger of the Czech Republic’s principal symphonic groups, its Prague base has not prevented the ensemble from earning acclaim far beyond national borders. Versatility defines the orchestra’s profile, for its schedule encompasses mainstream classical programs alongside forays into pop, film scores, and music composed for video games.

Trumpeter Jan Hasenöhrl and the experienced conductor Zdeněk Košler established the orchestra in 1993. Košler remained chief conductor through 1996; thereafter the post has been held by two Americans. Paul Freeman, among the limited number of African American conductors to sustain a European career, led the group from 1996 to 2007, after which Libor Pešek assumed the role until 2019, when Steven Mercurio took the podium. The CNSO’s principal venue is Prague’s Smetana Hall, though it also appears at the older Rudolfinum. In addition to conventional symphonic fare, the orchestra recorded a full Mahler symphony cycle under Pešek. Its travels have reached Europe, North America, East Asia, Oman, and Dubai. Concert collaborations have featured opera singers Andrea Bocelli, Rolando Villazón, and Jonas Kaufmann, and the ensemble created the yearly Prague Proms festival. Pop and jazz artists who have shared its stage include Sting, Angélique Kidjo, and Wynton and Branford Marsalis.

Film work forms another substantial part of the orchestra’s activity; several projects have involved legendary composer Ennio Morricone. The CNSO appears on the soundtrack of The Hateful Eight (2015), the Quentin Tarantino Western for which Morricone received his first Academy Award. The group has also contributed to multiple major Swedish pop albums and, in 2003, presented the first orchestral concert of video-game music held outside Japan, an event that took place in Leipzig, Germany. Beyond the Pešek Mahler cycle, the orchestra maintains an active recording relationship with the Naxos label, devoting particular attention to the works of Zdeněk Fibich. In 2019 it issued the album Tony Banks: 5 on that label.