Czech Phil: Velvet Revolution Concert 2022

Celebrating democracy, freedom and non-violence, the Czech Philharmonic’s concert to mark the Velvet Revolution was presented for the first time in 2020. Taking place every year on 17 November – both the day the then Czechoslovak riot police brutally supressed a peaceful student demonstration in Prague and International Students’ Day - the initiative also pays tribute to the Czech Philharmonic’s support of the general strike of 1989.

In 2022 Simon Rattle and Magdalena Kozena perform with the Czech Philharmonic. The concerts are intended to remind us of our civilisation’s democratic values and to present a programme that supports those ideals. For the occasion, the season’s artists-in-residence have chosen songs by Bela Bartok and the final symphony of Gustav Mahler—a hymn celebrating life and humanity.