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SpecialMusic of the First Republic
The independence of Czechoslovakia, which we celebrate each October 28, was
the result of a movement of many decades, and when at least it came, in
1918, after four hard years of war, the joy must have been very palpable.
There are so few alive today who can remember that period, but it is
certainly not lost to us, and one of the ways we can relive it is through
the music of the day.
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SpotlightPolička – high times and hard times in the heart of the Czech Republic
It is often noted that the Czech Republic lies in the heart of Europe; what
then lies at the heart of the Czech Republic? Well, there are pastures,
woods and hills, a history of war and conquest, a strong musical heritage,
excellent lager and a small town called Polička, where all of the above
can be experienced. More
Czechs in HistoryThe brief but monumental life of composer Vítězslava Kaprálová
The story of Vítězslava Kaprálová’s is one of a 25-year-old girl who
had a career in music of five years. However, even today, 70 years after
her death, there are societies and ensembles dedicated to her, her music is
still performed and rerecorded and she remains an inspiration to many as a
tragic but heroic figure, particularly for many female composers and
conductors. Among them is the composer Sylvie Bodorová who studied at the
same conservatory as Kaprálová, in Brno. More
SpotlightPolička – high times and hard times in the heart of the Czech Republic
It is often noted that the Czech Republic lies in the heart of Europe; what
then lies at the heart of the Czech Republic? Well, there are pastures,
woods and hills, a history of war and conquest, a strong musical heritage,
excellent lager and a small town called Polička, where all of the above
can be experienced.
More
ArtsTwo-year international project “revisits” great Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů
Marking five decades since the death of the great Czech composer Bohuslav
Martinů in 1959, a major international project entitled Martinů Revisited
was officially launched on Thursday night with a concert at Prague’s
Rudolfinum. It features scores of events, both in the Czech Republic and
further afield, and will run for exactly two years, until December 12,
2010.
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Czech MusicEncore: A sad loss for the Czech musical scene
In this edition of Encore we mourn the loss of two major figures on the
Czech classical musical scene, and we enjoy a Smetana Trio recording of
Martinu, that reminds us that not everything that came out of the 1950s was
atonal and dissonant.
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One on OneAles Brezina - from Martinu to Menzel to Milada Horakova
Today's guest for One on One is Ales Brezina, the head of the Bohuslav
Martinu Institute in Prague. Mr. Brezina has spent the last twelve years
compiling, annotating and publicizing the work of Martinu - perhaps the
greatest Czech composer of the 20th century. But that's not all he's been
up to. Mr. Brezina is a composer in his own right, providing the
soundtrack
for films such as 'Musime si pomahat' (or 'Divided We Fall') by Jan
Hrebejk, and Jiri Menzel's 'Obsluhoval jsem anglickeho krale' ('I served
the King of England'). As if that wasn't enough, Ales Brezina is just
putting the finishing touches to his first opera, called 'Zitra se
bude...'
and based upon the show trial of Milada Horakova, sentenced to death by
the
Czechoslovak Communist government in 1950. When I caught up with Ales
Brezina last week, I started by asking him whether his close work with
Martinu's music had had any effect upon his own composition: More
Czech MusicEncore: A taste of spring and a cage for two nightingales
Today we bring you no less than two father-and-daughter musical teams, with
music by Czech composers Jan Novak, Lubos Sluka and Jaroslav Ridky, as well
as an excellent recent Martinu recording, featuring the composer's two
piano quintets and his Sonata for two violins.
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Czech MusicEncore: The appeal of the bell tower
In Encore we look at two recordings said to be inspired by church towers.
It is well known that Bohuslav Martinu grew up in a room at the top of the
bell tower in the little town of Policka, but we will also be looking at a
living composer, who has found an "oasis of peace" at the top of
a Baroque spire in Prague.
More
Czech MusicEncore: From Silesian yodels to Martinu in a bathtub
In this edition of Encore we look at a new and fascinating CD of yodeling
songs from Silesia, we hear a new release of Martinu concertos recorded
back in the 1970s, and we enjoy an engaging new recording of music by the
lesser known 18th century Czech composer, Pavel Vranicky.
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