Topic Archive Culture
Moravian folk fusion band Hradišťan and Jiří Pavlica
Hradišťan is one of the country’s most respected interprets of folk
music. The band started as a folk music ensemble in the south Moravian town
of Uherské Hradiště – hence the name – in the 1950s but its rise to
popularity and critical acclaim began when Jiří Pavlica became the
band’s leader, or primáš, in the 1970s. More
Paul Robeson in Prague: paying homage to Dvořák and socialism
In last week’s From the Archives we featured Martin Luther King,
interviewed by Czechoslovak Radio in 1963. But Dr King was not the first
civil rights campaigner to address Czech and Slovak radio listeners. Four
years earlier, in June 1959, Paul Robeson came to Prague, to take part in
an international left-wing cultural congress. Robeson was a man of many
talents – singer, actor, athlete, writer and civil rights activist. He
never concealed his sympathies with the communist regimes of the Eastern
Bloc, and his political views – combined with the colour of his skin –
earned him virtual pariah status in many sections of the US political
establishment. This culminated in 1950 when he was refused a passport. More
Dance music diva Jitka Charvátová (aka. Ji)
Anyone familiar with the Czech electronic and dance music scene will have
come across the work of Jitka Charvátová, also known as Ji, the
charismatic and talented former singer for cutting edge groups like Skyline
and the late Milan Hlavsa’s 1990s band Fiction. Now Jitka has reset her
career with a recently released but already highly-lauded new solo album
called Feed My Lion, featuring 8-bit, electro pop and elements of hip hop. More
Jaroslav Foglar and his “Rapid Arrows”
Writer and youth movement activist Jaroslav Foglar left a deep trace in
Czech popular culture. Besides more than 25 novels for children, Jaroslav
Foglar is also the father of Rychlé šípy, or “Rapid Arrows”, a
legendary comics that has earned a following with generations of Czech
readers. Persecuted by the Nazis and the communists, the writer also
single-handedly founded his own youth organization which, in its heyday,
had tens of thousands of members across the country. More
Documentary filmmaker Martin Dušek on why his native region continues to inspire him
Martin Dušek, who often works with co-director Ondřej Provazník, is a
two-time winner of the main prize at the Jihlava International Documentary
Film Festival, the Czech Republic’s most prestigious documentary award.
His films “A Town Called Hermitage” and “Coal in the Soul” were
both shot in the former Sudetenland in North Bohemia, a border region whose
Sudeten German inhabitants were expelled from Czechoslovakia after the war.
Martin Dušek ’s latest film deals with his own Sudeten German heritage
– in a humorous and provocative way. I caught up the director to speak
about why this part of country continues to inspire him and how he
discovered his love for making documentaries. More
Hard rock headliners Kabát
In today’s programme we feature music by the hard rock and thrashmetal
group Kabát, who have left a Godzilla-sized footprint on the Czech music
scene. To date, the band headed by charismatic frontman Pepa Vojtek, has
sold hundreds of thousands of albums and remains a major draw for fans of
heavier music. More
Hana Andronikova: mourning a powerful Czech literary voice
It seems very strange to be talking about the Czech writer Hana Andronikova
in the past tense. When she died of cancer on December 20th last year, she
was only 44, and until the last months of her life had been at the height
of her creative powers. Author of two successful novels, several plays and
numerous short stories, she was one of the most versatile younger Czech
writers, and will be hugely missed. David Vaughan looks at her life and
work. More
‘Adolf Loos – A Private Portrait’ offers readers a unique glimpse into the life of the modernist architect
In today’s Arts I talk to artist and editor Carrie Paterson about the
first English-language edition of a rare and fascinating book originally
published in 1936. Written by the third wife of modernist architect Adolf
Loos, Claire Beck Loos (Klára Becková-Loosová of Plzeň) it was
previously available only in German; the new edition, published by
Doppelhouse Press, is called Adolf Loos – A Private Portrait. More
The House of the Black Madonna – home of the only surviving Cubist café in the world
Nestled between busy Wenceslas Square and Prague’s number one tourist
destination, Old Town Square, the House of the Black Madonna houses a small
museum of Cubism as well as the only surviving Cubist café in the world
– the Grand Café Orient, which was renovated between 2002 and 2005. More
A heart from melted candles: an unusual memorial for late Czech president Václav Havel
After the death of the late Czech president Václav Havel, thousands of
people laid down wreaths and lit candles at impromptu memorial sites across
the country. Now, two artists have decided to recycle those candles for an
unusual memorial – a wax heart. Dozens of volunteers are currently
working on the “A heart for Havel” initiative at a Prague cultural
center. More
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