Inspired by his beloved Bohemian countryside and suffused with Czech dances, Dvořák’s Czech Suite paints an evocative portrait of his homeland and people. Mozart’s Fourth Horn Concerto is a winsome gallop through the Austrian countryside. It’s most famous for its rollicking third movement, a popular party piece for French horn players, but such vivid and varied ground is covered here that you’ll feel like you’ve been on a bracing hike. Mendelssohn’s impressions of a Scottish walking holiday were the inspiration behind this stirring symphony, dedicated to Queen Victoria. Its haunting recurring theme came to the young composer as he explored the ruined chapel at Holyrood Palace.

Felix Klieser is the BSO’s Artist-in-Residence for 2021-2123.

Works and composers

Dvořák Czech Suite
Mozart Horn Concerto No.4
Mendelssohn Symphony No.3 'Scottish'