Tonight’s concert features two pieces steeped in the natural world. Dvořák was staying at his summer resort when he wrote his Eighth Symphony, and you can hear the bird song and thunderstorms of a summer’s day in Bohemia in the beautiful sunny music. Many listeners will know Vltava from Smetana’s Má Vlast. It is an evocative orchestral picture of the river that flows through Prague, filled with ebbing and flowing woodwind and strings.

To complete the evening Chloé van Soeterstède will conduct Jennifer Pike performing Bruch’s Violin Concerto, a piece that is suffused with folk melodies. It is easy to see why it is one of the most popular of all violin concertos with its passionate, soaring melodies and lush orchestral writing.

Tonight’s concert is presented in association with the Embassy of the Czech Republic in London and the Czech Centre London.