Description
The Czech Philharmonic celebrates the Czech EU presidency with a concert on the Vltava river in Prague's historic centre. Led by chief conductor Semyon Bychkov, the orchestra accompanied by a choir performed the Czech anthem and then Ludwig van Beethoven's Ode to Joy, the EU anthem. They then played works by Czech composers Bedrich Smetana, Antonin Dvorak and Leos Janacek. The Czech Philharmonic performed on a stage built on a pontoon for an audience of 1,200 people. Other listeners gathered on the river banks or arrived on pedal boats. The Czech Republic took over the EU presidency from France on July 1. IMAGES