Topic Archive Culture
Sunday Music Show
In this edition of Sunday Music Show, Peter Smith plays hits from chart
topping Czech artists including 4Life and Kristof. There is also a chance
to hear the vocal talents of Helena Vondrackova's less famous niece, Lucie. More
Barrandov Studios
In this month’s show we will be talking a look behind the hallowed grey
facade of one of the Czech Republic’s most famous institutions –
Barrandov Studios, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary. More
Robert Fulghum’s tango for one in Prague
The best-selling American writer Robert Fulghum has such an enthusiastic
following in the Czech Republic that he has published several of his books
here in Czech translation before they have even appeared at home. That
includes his latest book, “If You Love Me Still, Will You Love Me
Moving?” Its subtitle “Tales from the Century Ballroom” hints at its
theme – that most passionate of ballroom dances, tango. Last week Robert
Fulghum was in Prague to promote the book, and found time to pay a visit to
the radio. David Vaughan met him. More
Music of the First Republic
The independence of Czechoslovakia, which we celebrate each October 28, was
the result of a movement of many decades, and when at least it came, in
1918, after four hard years of war, the joy must have been very palpable.
There are so few alive today who can remember that period, but it is
certainly not lost to us, and one of the ways we can relive it is through
the music of the day.
More
Author Daniela Hodrová and translator Martin Hilský to receive top Czech literary awards
In a tradition going back to 1920, on the eve of October 28, marking the
birth of Czechoslovak independence, the Czech Culture Ministry grants
annual State Awards to outstanding Czech authors and translators. This
year’s recipients are author and literary scholar Daniela Hodrová and
translator and university professor Martin Hilský who recently completed
his translation of the entire work by William Shakespeare. More
Two voices
This week’s Sunday music show is devoted to a refreshing female duo
called Two Voices. At first glance they have little in common - Jana
Rychterova is a classic chanson singer, who writes her own lyrics and
accompanies herself on the guitar while mezzo-soprano Edita Adlerova
studied opera. What brought them together is a sense of humour and a
natural talent to entertain the crowd. More
Kolín - more than just a railway junction
Surrounded by railway sidings and industrial estates, it's easy to get the
impression that Kolín is simply a town travellers pass through on the way
from the Czech capital to the nearby tourist-friendly Kutná Hora.
Nevertheless, anyone who gets off the train in Kolín and takes the trouble
to walk the short distance past the factories and business parks to the
city centre will find that it is a place worth visiting. More
Czech Catholic literature 1918-1945: from utopia to despair
Opposed, later persecuted – and finally forgotten. That was the fate of
many Czech Catholic writers, who stood outside the literary mainstream. In
one of Europe’s most atheist nations, the impact of these authors
gradually diminished throughout the 20th century although in their heyday,
in the interwar period, they managed to convey many original ideas and
intriguing artistic expressions. More
Hana Hegerová, the Czech Edith Piaf, turns 80
“The Great Lady of Chanson”, “Edith Piaf from Prague” or a
“Chanteuse with a Slavic Soul” – that’s how critics have described
Hana Hegerová, the Czechoslovak singer who turns eighty on Wednesday.
After a career spanning almost half a century, Hana Hegerová saddened her
fans a couple of months ago by announcing her retirement from the stage and
cancelling all her scheduled concerts. More
Rabindranath Tagore: an Indian poet who inspired a Czech generation
This year is the 150th anniversary of the birth of the great Bengali poet,
Rabindranath Tagore, the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize for
Literature in 1913. Tagore has a special significance for Czechs, as we
find out in this week’s Czech Books. More
+1
+10
+100
