Viktor Nováček performed the world premiere of the first version of Sibelius's Violin Concerto in Helsinki in 1904. A year later, this time in Berlin, another Czech violinist, Karel Halíř, premiered the revised version of the concerto, which is the one performed today.

The commemorative ceremony took place during the Czech Philharmonic’s tour in Helsinki. The orchestra performed works by Jean Sibelius, among others, during its first visit to Finland in 1962.

During the commemorative ceremony, the Czech and Finnish national anthems were performed by a Czech Philharmonic quartet accompanied by soprano Marta Vávrová. Jan Mráček, concertmaster of the Czech Philharmonic, presented the opening movement of Sibelius's Violin Concerto.

This commemorative event was initiated by Petr Vašíček, who has long researched the life and work of Viktor Nováček, and Eduardo García Salas, who focuses on the legacy of Karel Halíř. Representatives of the Czech Philharmonic and the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Helsinki, who also supported the event, took part in the ceremony. Also Teemu Kirjonen, Director of the Sibelius Museum, attended the ceremony.

The grave of the Czech music teacher and violinist Viktor Nováček who lived more than a hundred years ago in Helsinki, is located in Hietaniemi Cemetery. Hietaniemi Cemetery was established in 1829 and is culturally and historically the most important cemetery, not only in Helsinki, but also in the whole of Finland. 

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"Sibelius’s Violin Concerto is a work very close to us Finns; in my view, its musical language embodies something deeply Finnish, yet simultaneously universal. Two Czech violinists are closely linked to its origins. Throughout history, music has united nations, and this role is particularly important today. I am therefore all the more delighted that we can also celebrate the cultural ties between the Czech Republic and Finland here," said Teemu Kirjonen, Director of the Sibelius Museum.

Viktor Nováček (1872–1914) came from a musical family of the Czech origin. His father, Martin Nováček, was born in Horažďovice, and Viktor’s brothers also pursued music careers. Viktor studied in Berlin, among other places, under the renowned violinist and pedagogue Joseph Joachim. He built his professional career in Helsinki, where he worked as a violinist and teacher at the Music Institute, now the Sibelius Academy.

It was Nováček who played an extrarordinary role in the history of Sibelius’s only Violin Concerto. On February 8, 1904, in Helsinki, he was the soloist at the world premiere of the composition's first version, conducted by Jean Sibelius himself. This exceptionally demanding piece had been composed in haste, leaving Nováček with a limited time to prepare a solo part. Following the premiere, Sibelius withdrew the concerto and subsequently revised it extensively.

The premiere of the new version of the concerto was also entrusted to a Czech violinist. Karel Halíř (1859–1909) a native of Vrchlabí and a student of Antonín Bennewitz in Prague and of Joseph Joachim in Berlin, was one of the prominent European violinists at the turn of the 19the and 20th century. He served as concertmaster in several German orchestras, engaged in chamber music and teaching, and collaborated with a number of significant composers of his era throughout his career. A highlight of his career came on October 19, 1905, when he premiered the revised and definitive version of Sibelius’s Violin Concerto in D minor in Berlin, under the baton of Richard Strauss.

(Press release of the Czech Philharmonic)