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SpotlightVysoka - the inspiration for Antonin Dvorak's Rusalka
This week's edition of Spotlight comes from Vysoka, some sixty kilometres
south of Prague. Vysoka is now home to a memorial for the famous Czech
composer Antonin Dvorak. A five minute walk away, lays the magical Rusalka
Lake, where Dvorak drew inspiration for his famous opera of the same name
and for over thirty more works for some two decades of his life. On the
opposite end of the village sits Rusalka Villa, Dvorak's country house. At
first sight, Vysoka may appear to be just a tiny little village in the
Czech countryside but after taking a closer look you soon come to
understand why the nineteenth century composer had a special bond with it.
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Current AffairsSeries of concerts marks Dvorak centenary
Throughout the weekend special concerts and events were held to mark the
centenary on Saturday of the death of the great Czech composer Antonin
Dvorak. Over the weekend all the major Czech orchestras played Dvorak's
music in concert halls around the country.
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Czech MusicAntonin Dvorak 1841-1904: from the trains of Nelahozeves to the rhythms of Africa
The Largo from Dvorak's New World Symphony is one of the most famous themes
in the history of music. It's a piece of music that you will probably
recognize even if you've never listened to classical music in your life.
The New World has been adapted a thousand times - the Largo has
reincarnations as a gospel song, a bagpiper's dream, a jazz band tune,
even as the theme in the very quirky Ken Russell film "Crimes of
Passion" with Kathleen Turner as a prostitute. Meanwhile in Japan the
New World is so popular that it is almost considered part of the country's
national heritage. And in Britain millions of people will forever
associate the New World with a TV commercial - a little boy somewhere in
the north of England walking up a hill with a loaf of Hovis under his arm.
Around the world Dvorak has become part of our musical furniture.
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Current AffairsAntonin Dvorak centenary commemorated at Vysehrad cemetery
Aptly enough, the 1st May is not only E-day but also the day that we
remember a great Czech European. Antonin Dvorak - probably the most famous
Czech in history - died exactly a hundred years ago. Special concerts and
other events are being held around the country to honour the centenary.
Radio Prague's Pavla Horakova went to the event to mark the beginning of
celebrations.
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Current AffairsFestival at Antonin Dvorak's birthplace part of 100th anniversary celebrations
Regular listeners will know this is the Year of Czech Music. One of the
highlights of the year will be celebrations to mark the 100th anniversary
of the death of perhaps the most famous Czech composer of all, Antonin
Dvorak. The anniversary falls on May 1, though events are already taking
place, among them the Dvorak Nelahozeves Festival, which got underway
recently. David Vaughan spoke to Jakub Puchalsky from Unilever, one of the
sponsors of the festival, and asked him why it was being held in the small
town of Nelahozeves, just north of Prague.
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Current AffairsAntonin Dvorak: A Composer´s Life in Pictures
The Czech Republic is not the only place in the world where you can get a
sense of Czech culture. Czech Centers exist all around the world, and the
one in New York has recently opened an exhibit dedicated to the famous
Czech composer Antonin Dvorak. Born in modest circumstances in the central
Bohemian town of Nelahozeves in 1841, the composer remains an iconic
figure in classical music today. His influence in North America began in
1892 when he accepted the post of director of the newly established
National Conservatory of Music in New York City. Last Friday saw the
opening of the exhibition, which is entitled "A Composer's Life in
Pictures". The event was accompanied by the screening of a film about
the composer. Kay Grigar spoke with Irena Kovarova, the acting director of
the Czech Center New York, who comments on the concept behind this
exhibit.
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ArtsArts news, Exhibition on Czech Musicians
In this week's Arts, Dita Asiedu looks at some of the developments on the
Czech cultural scene and talks to a Foreign Ministry representative about
a travelling exhibition that presents four of the country's finest
musicians to the world.
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