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One on OnePianist Jan Simon on Dvořák, Tchaikovsky and what he was doing when he was ‘sweet sixteen’
My guest today in One on One is concert pianist and director of the Prague
Radio Symphony Orchestra Jan Simon. Simon has studied with some of the
great pianists including compatriot Ivan Moravec in Prague and the
Uruguayan-born Homero Francesch in Zurich. He also trained in Berlin before
becoming the youngest ever soloist in residence of the Prague Radio
Symphony Orchestra in 1994. When I met him to bask in the sun on his
balcony, Jan Simon started by telling me about his musical family
background:
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Current AffairsSymphony orchestras face off in football friendly
Many fans of classical music in the Czech capital have been closely
following the Prague Spring Festival drawing to a close this week. But how
many knew that some of these classical musicians also play football? On
Sunday members of the BBC Symphony Orchestra faced the Czech Radio Symphony
in a 5-aside football friendly in Prague’s Hanspaulka district.
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Current AffairsPrague Radio Symphony Orchestra kicks off 80th concert season
Less than two weeks ago, Radio Prague celebrated its 70th birthday and
soon, another section of Czech Radio will be marking an important
anniversary. The Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, or Symfonicky orchestr
Ceskeho rozhlasu, is 80 years old. On Monday night it's launching its 80th
concert season at Prague's Rudolfinum concert hall, featuring works by
Beethoven and Prokofiev, under the baton of chief-conductor Vladimir Valek
who has been at the helm since 1985.
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Czech MusicEncore: From a cartoon fox to a cellist admired by Mozart's father
Today we look at Janacek's Cunning Little Vixen, recently featured at the
Proms in London, and we feature a brand new recording - the first ever CD
featuring both the piano concertos of one of the leading Czech composers
of the early 19th century. We also discuss a Supraphon re-release of cello
concertos by a composer whose playing was admired by Mozarts father.
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Current AffairsPrague Radio Symphony Orchestra enters 79th concert season
The Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra here at Czech Radio, is one of the
leading ensembles in the country and will be entering its 79th concert
season this Friday. Radio Prague spoke to Jan Simon, executive director
and soloist in residence, to see how the orchestra has been faring and
what it has in store for us.
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ArtsPrague Music Festival opened by Czech-Canadian pianist
While for most of the year Prague concert halls offer dozens of concerts
every week, in the summer months, when people leave for their holidays
most concerts are aimed at foreign tourists - almost every day you can
hear several rather ropy renderings of Vivaldi's Four Seasons or Mozart's
Requiem in churches around the city.
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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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WitnessJan Simon - Tchaikovsky plays second fiddle
The classic image of the piano virtuoso is of a dishevelled eccentric, devoted only to his music and detached from the concerns of everyday life. But the 36-year-old Czech pianist, Jan Simon, is different. He is one of the Czech Republic's best-known contemporary performers, and is both pianist in residence and artistic director of the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra. He is also a devoted family man. Here he looks back to the birth of his daughter nine years ago, a time when he realized that not even Tchaikovsky has quite the appeal of a newborn daughter.
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