Related articles
SoundCzechClothes make a man
You're listening to SoundCzech - Radio Prague's own Czech language series
in which you'll learn useful phrases through song lyrics. Today we'll hear
a song from the 1930s by the comedians and playwrights Jan Werich and
Jiri Voskovec, with music by Jaroslav Jezek. It is called "Saty
delaj cloveka" which incidentally, is the phrase we are
going to learn today.
More
Current AffairsVoskovec and Werich: a fruitful cooperation that continued across the Atlantic
In the 1920s and 30s the actors Jiri Voskovec and Jan Werich became
legendary for their bitingly satirical songs that parodied the politics of
the time in the tense years leading up to the war. Their "Osvobozene
divadlo" - or "Liberated Theatre" - is remembered and loved
to this day. During the wartime occupation the two men escaped to America,
but then their careers took very different directions. Werich returned
home, and took roles in several well-known films of the 50s and 60s, while
Voskovec decided to stay in the States. Against the odds and despite never
shaking off his Czech accent he had a successful Hollywood career.
Smuggling their letters past the censors, the two men continued to write
to one another across the Iron Curtain, and in a way this correspondence
was a continuation of their fruitful earlier literary cooperation. Now,
for the first time, some of the letters have just been published.
More
Czechs in HistoryJaroslav Jezek: 100 years since the birth of a Czech musical legend
This week marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Jaroslav Jezek, a man
whose musical compositions from the late 1920s and 1930s have stood the
test of time. Critics agree that Jaroslav Jezek belongs to the canon of
the First Czechoslovak Republic, and his short life mirrors that of many
of his artistic contemporaries: educated in Prague during the interwar
era, Jaroslav Jezek achieved fame in his homeland before being forced to
flee Czechoslovakia with the advance of the Nazis in 1938, and he spent
his last years in exile in the United States.
More
ArtsVoskovec & Werich - enduring symbols of pre-war Czechoslovakia culture
The great Czech actor and comedian Jan Werich was born 100 years ago this
past Sunday. Together with his life-long friend and long-time acting
partner Jiri Voskovec (also known as George Voskovec) - who was just a few
months younger - he made the so-called "Liberated Theatre" of
the
1920's and 1930's famous — it remains an icon of pre-war Czechoslovakia
culture. Voskovec and Werich were pioneers of avant-garde theatre, but
also gifted comedians, singers and writers. More
Czech MusicEncore: Jaroslav Jezek 1906-1942 - a great Czech composer who defies categorization
Jaroslav Jezek is one of the legends of Czech 20th century music. His jazz
composition "Dark Blue World" lent its name to a film, released
in 2001, about Czech pilots serving in Britain's Royal Air Force during
the Second World War. The film powerfully evokes the atmosphere of the
time, thanks not least to Jaroslav Jezek's music on the soundtrack.
More
Czechs in HistoryJan Werich - Czechoslovakia's "wise clown"
Welcome to Czechs in History. Today we look at the famous Czech actor Jan
Werich, who never lost his ability to laugh or his sharp social awareness,
even through two world wars. Known throughout his career as the "Wise
Clown" his body of work is said to symbolize Czech intellectual
humour. He has been crowned as a phenomenon of the first Republic amongst
such revered names as Masaryk, Capek and Bata and has also been called the
backbone of Czech modern theatre. Today we'll take you briefly through the
phases of Werich's complex life and career. You'll hear how his fusion of
music and intelligent text earned him the name of "liberator of
theatre" in Czechoslovakia.
More
ArtsArts news, New memorial of Voskovec and Werich
Welcome to this week's Arts. In today's edition: Prague pays its debt to
the unforgettable duo of Czech comedians Jan Werich and Jiri Voskovec, as
a proper gravestone has been raised at last at the Olsanske cemetery in
Prague above their graves. More on that a little later on, but first we
start with the arts news.
More
