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Current AffairsA lost work by Martinu turns up after 80 years
It is the dream of every musicologist to rediscover a lost work by a great
composer. This is just what happened to Eva Velicka from Prague. Four
months ago while researching in the Danish Royal Library in Copenhagen,
she came across the lost original manuscript of the String trio no. 1 by
one of the great 20th century Czech composers, Bohuslav Martinu. On Sunday
the work was performed in Prague by the Zemlinsky Quartet - for the first
time in eighty years. Eva Velicka, who works at the Bohuslav Martinu
Institute in Prague, came into our studio to talk to David Vaughan about
her fascinating discovery.
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Czech MusicEncore: Reviving the forgotten Gottfried Finger
In this edition of Encore we find out what led the little known 17th
century Moravian composer Gottfried Finger to leave London in disgust; we
look at a recording of choral works by Pavel Krizkovsky, one of the key
figures in the Czech musical revival of the 19th century, and we enjoy a
beautiful and rare recording of Janacek's 'Otcenas'. More
Czech MusicEncore: From 17th century hymns to Martinu - some interesting new Czech recordings
Today we look at some very diverse recordings - from a 17th century hymnal,
to a marvelous - but hard to find - CD of Martinu and Brahms by one of the
Czech Republic's best cellists, Jiri Barta. And we also look at a
re-released recording of Dvorak's Fifth Symphony, still sounding fresh
after over fifty years.
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Current AffairsOut of the archives and onto the stage: Martinu's 'Greek Passion' revived
In Brno's National Theatre last week 'the halls were alive' with the sound
of Britain's Royal Opera. Under the direction of David Pountney, and the
baton of Christian von Gehren, members of the Royal Opera were in the
Czech Republic's second city to perform the lesser-known first version of
Bohuslav Martinu's 'Greek Passion'. Some 48 years after its completion,
this was its Czech premiere. Rosie Johnston explains exactly what took so
long...
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Current AffairsMartinu Festival celebrates legendary Czech composer
Beginning Monday, Prague will host the 10th annual Martinu Festival, a
series of classical music dedicated to one of the best-known 20th Century
Czech composers, Bohuslav Martinu.
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MailboxMailbox
In this week's edition: an interview with Radio Prague listener Jonathan
Murphy from Ireland; the new competition question for August and the
winner of July's competition!
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Current Affairs Bohuslav Martinu festival underway in Prague
Since December 7th Prague has been hosting the Bohuslav Martinu Music
Festival, named after the famous 20th century Czech composer. For the next
two weeks, several concert halls will resound with the music of Martinu.
As we hear from professor Ivan Straus of the Bohuslav Martinu Foundation,
the festival also aims to help young Czech talents:
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Current AffairsJulietta pleads on Lake Constance for better Czech-Austrian relations
The international Bregenz Festival on Austria's Lake Constance opened on Wednesday, with calls for understanding following a series of political disputes. The Czech Republic and its culture is a major theme at this year's festival, which opened with Czech composer Bohuslav Martinu's opera Julietta. And as Radio Austria International's Kerry Skyring reports now, the performance on Lake Constance was an attempt to smooth the troubled waters between the two countries. More
SpotlightPolicka - home of Bohuslav Martinu
This week, Spotlight comes to you from the little town of Policka, which nestles on the border between Bohemia and Moravia. Policka's an interesting destination for a day trip, boasting a perfectly preserved medieval wall which forms a ring around the picturesque old town. Policka's also the birthplace of one of the Czech Republic's most famous composers, Bohuslav Martinu, who was born and grew up at the top of a church tower in the town square. For more on this fascinating town, tune into Spotlight with Rob Cameron.
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