The season opened in September 2025 with Vahan Mardirossian’s inaugural concerts as Chief Conductor of the Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice, with Yibai Chen as soloist in Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations. The audience rose to its feet for Chen, and the review in KlasikaPlus.cz praised the finely chiselled orchestral sound under Mardirossian. In Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony, the critic Roman Marčák heard the orchestra truly sing; in his words, “the Minuet and above all the finale became an exhibition of perfection.”
Throughout the season, Mardirossian drew consistent praise. In January, with Leoš Čepický and Michal Kaňka in Brahms’s Double Concerto, Marčák described a Beethoven Second of thrilling impact, adding that Mardirossian “excels in the precision of his gestures and his attention to every detail.” Writing on a Mozart evening in March, he concluded: “In Pardubice, Mozart is cherished at the highest conceivable level.”
The season’s high point came in May with Beethoven’s Fifth: “Vahan Mardirossian’s ‘Fate’ Symphony … ranks among the very best I have ever encountered.” The critic portrays a demanding musician who accepts no compromise. Twice in the season, Marčák noted the same gesture at the final bow: Mardirossian leaves the podium to stand among his players.
More about Vahan Mardirossian here. More about Yibai Chen here.
Photos: © Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice (September 2025, May 2026); © František Renza (January and March 2026)
