We bestow this year’s Orchestra of the Year on an ensemble midway through a chapter in its life – and what a particularly rich chapter it’s proving to be. Semyon Bychkov this year announced that he’ll step down as the Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Czech Philharmonic at the end of the 2027-28 season, by which time he’ll have been at the helm for 10 years. And, on current track, by which time the partnership will have further enriched their catalogue for the Pentatone label (following a fine Tchaikovsky series for Decca) with more works that tap into the orchestra’s soul, and the impressive bond conductor and players clearly have with each other and the repertoire they play.

April saw a powerfully resonant recording of Smetana’s Má vlast steeped in an understanding of the work’s roots and its imaginative scoring; this in turn followed a revelatory and sonically superb Mahler Symphony No 1 (11/23). Under other conductors too, the orchestra’s qualities are wonderfully brought out: this year also saw them bring rich sensitivity to Magdalena Kožená’s recital of Czech songs (7/24) – ‘the rich, poetic glow of the Czech Philharmonic’s sound’ as reviewer Richard Bratby put it – conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. To quote another Gramophone review, this time of that Editor’s Choice-winning Má vlast, Edward Seckerson wrote: ‘There are precious few orchestras in the world with a sound and an identity as distinctly their own as the Czech Philharmonic. The passage of time has not changed that. And, of course, that identity, that DNA, is irrevocably tied into their place in history and the world.’

It’s a point ES elaborated on his review of Dvořák’s Symphonies Nos 7, 8 and 9 (plus three overtures), more recently still, in our October issue. ‘There is, of course, a very real sense of ownership when the Czech Philharmonic play these pieces. Everything evolves so naturally, so fluently, as if the music were being created in the playing of it.’ And perhaps the last sentence gets to the heart of the matter – tradition only gets you so far. It offers naturalness, familiarity and insight, but it’s how that tradition lives, breathes and evolves for, and within, our world today that really makes the difference. Added to which is the role played by the orchestra’s Prague home, the acoustically glorious Rudolfinum.

Whatever the Czech Philharmonic turn their attention to next, and wherever their programmes take them, and us, chronologically and geographically, what makes them so special – and attracted the most votes from you our readers, this being our only public vote – is corporate musicianship of the finest quality. Tie that together with a record label as committed to the highest sound quality and production values as Pentatone, and we can only applaud your choice, enjoy this year’s wonderful recordings, and look forward to all those that lie ahead. Martin Cullingford

The Recording

Smetana Má vlast

Czech Philharmonic / Semyon Bychkov

Pentatone (4/24)

Read the review | Buy or stream on Presto Music

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