Section Archive Czech Music
Three generations of a Prague musical family talk to Radio Prague
The years of German occupation and decades of communist rule that followed
have given music a very special role in Czech society. Amid censorship and
political manipulation, music became an important and often subversive tool
of free expression. The Doruzka family in many ways embodies this unusual
history. The broadcaster and writer Lubomir Doruzka was born in 1924, and
has been writing about jazz for well over sixty years. He still broadcasts
regularly on the subject. His son Petr, born in 1949, has continued the
tradition. He grew up listening to the underground bands of the sixties,
and today he is the Czech Republic’s foremost expert on “world
music”, well known to Radio Prague listeners through his regular feature
“Magic Carpet”. Petr’s son David, born in 1980, has returned to jazz
and has been lauded as one of the Czech Republic’s top jazz guitarists. A
few days ago I went to visit the three Doruzkas at the family’s house on
the southern outskirts of Prague, and we talked about their lives and
music.
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When the Angel broke his sled: Czech Christmas with a musical flavour
In this special programme, we offer a taste of Czech Christmas music
through the centuries. We’ll be hearing from the 17th century
“Christmas Songbook” of Adam Michna z Otradovic, one of the founding
fathers of this country’s rich tradition of carols, with recordings by
the Moravian Madrigalists, and a new CD by the Zvonecek (Little Bell)
children’s choir. There’ll be a stirring Christmas Mass from the 1770s
by Frantisek Xaver Brixi, and we’ll even be finding out what happened
when the Angel of the Lord broke his sled, in a traditional Moravian
Christmas rhyme.
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Encore: 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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Encore: Music for the movies - from the Emperor of Abyssinia to the Count of Monte Cristo
For this edition of Encore we go to the movies, looking at two contemporary
composers who have approached the art of composing for film from very
different angles. More
Encore: Tally-ho from an 18th century Bohemian
In this edition of Encore we find out how today's French horn differs from
the horns of 18th century Bohemia, we have more from the composer who wrote
a Requiem for Mozart, and we have some delightful choral music from a
distinguished contemporary Czech composer.
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Encore: Inventions and fairy tales: Bach, Novak and Janacek
In this edition of Encore we look at a rarely used musical form, shared by
Bach and the 20th century Czech composer, Jan Novak. We also feature two
highly promising young Czech musicians, cellist Tomas Jamnik and pianist
Ivo Kahanek.
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Encore: Carl Stamic and the rich tones of the viola
Carl Stamic was probably the very first virtuoso violist. He lived from
1745 until 1801. The viola is sometimes described as the alto voice of the
violin family - if you think of violins as sopranos, violas as altos,
cellos as tenors, and the contrabass as bass.
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Encore: The Terezin Ghetto children's opera Brundibar in a new English recording
It is quite possible that you will have heard Hans Krasa's famous
children's opera Brundibar, but it is less likely that you will have heard
it performed in English. Naxos has now come out with a first English
language recording.
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Czech Radio revives the Proud Princess
Today we look at two very different recordings. The first is by a 20th
century Czech composer whose name is almost forgotten, but whose music is
familiar to every Czech child. The second offers intriguing insights into
changes in the way music was played in the course of the 18th century.
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Encore: 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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