The concert by La Scala’s Philharmonic Orchestra in Prague was a great hit. The orchestra, conducted by Myung-Whun Chung, was received with great acclaim and a ten-minute standing ovation for its performance of Mozart’s Symphony in G Minor KV 5450 and Mahler’s Fifth Symphony. The concert, organised by the Italian Embassy and the Italian Institute of Culture in Prague, was held at the art-deco theatre “Obecni Dum” of Prague. It was attended by Italian Ambassador Aldo Amati, Unicredit CEO Federico Ghizzoni and the owner of Brembo Alebrto Bombassei, who sponsored La Scala’s tour. Czech dignitaries attending the concert included the Minister of Industry and Trade, Jan Mladek, the Vice-Minister of Defense Tomas Kuchta, the Archbishop of Prague, Cardinal Dominik Duka, the Mayor of Prague 1 Oldrich Lomecki and a large number of representatives of the world of culture.
The orchestra was founded by Claudio Abbado in 1982 with the aim of developing a symphonic repertoire in line with the opera tradition of Milan’s Teatro La Scala and became an independent association the following year. The orchestra, which last year was the musical institution most in demand across the world, has collaborated with the world’s most prestigious conductors including Georges Pretre, Lorin Maazel, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Daniel Barenboim, Leonard Bernstein, Zubin Mehta, Antonio Pappano and Giuseppe Sinopoli. The orchestra also vaunts a sizable record production for Decca, Sony and EMI.
