Bamberger Symphoniker / Jakub Hrůša

Friendship through art

Heart and mind! It is these two words that Jakub Hrůša throws into the ring when talking about his love for Brahms. It is »this balance between the intellectual and emotional worlds,« says Hrůša, that he is drawn to most in the artistry of the Hamburg-born composer. And Dvořák? »This music is like mother’s milk for me, quite simply.« It has been six years since the affable Czech took over the helm as principal conductor in Bamberg. One of his long-term projects with the orchestra: a bringing together of Brahms and Dvořák. It is not only the close friendship between artists and across national borders that gives this union special significance. They also symbolise the history of Bamberg’s exceptional orchestra – having been founded in 1946 by German and Czech musicians who had fled, it is a timely reminder of a particular chapter in European history.