Sala: Municipal House: Smetana Hall, Praga

Under the baton of Semyon Bychkov, the Czech Philharmonic and a sprawling supporting cast lead listeners up a stairway to heaven. 

With Jaap van Zweden on the podium, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra makes a memorable festival debut, offering a fresh take on a high-powered classic.

The festival returns to its roots, and freshens them, with Semyon Bychkov and the Czech Philharmonic offering a muscular take on Má vlast.

Lackluster Gershwin undercuts an otherwise impressive outing by Jakub Hrůša and the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. 

Kirill Petrenko and the Berliner Philharmoniker take Smetana's Má vlast to new heights.

Leonard Slatkin brings a New World burnish and expertise to a high-energy outing with the Prague Symphony Orchestra.

Conductor Christoph Eschenbach brings style and sophistication to a freewheeling finale to this year's festival, ending with Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

Tomáš Hanus and the Welsh National Opera Orchestra offer a convincing demonstration of why Czech conductors are making a splash abroad.