http://radio.cz/en/section/music/three-generations-of-a-prague-musical-family-talk-to-radio-prague Encore: introducing Czech composers, performers and ensembles, and news from the world of Czech classical music. en Mon, 31 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0100 Mon, 31 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0100 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Radio Prague CMS 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Radio Broadcasting cr@radio.cz (Cesky Rozhlas) webmaster@radio.cz (CRo Webmaster) http://radio.cz/en/section/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. Mon, 31 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0100 urn:uuid:c6ecffef-18d4-5292-82d0-9dab9c94ad4f http://radio.cz/en/section/music/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. Mon, 24 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0100 urn:uuid:921b7ba0-43e3-53c1-a0dc-22d581e7c6e6 http://radio.cz/en/section/music/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. Sun, 02 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0100 urn:uuid:c1236c9e-d8b0-56a2-a35f-c2a85adaab47 http://radio.cz/en/section/music/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. Sun, 04 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +0100 urn:uuid:e3654a8a-d14a-5269-bb2d-650ad875a359 http://radio.cz/en/section/music/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. Sun, 14 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +0200 urn:uuid:59be03e1-5c5e-582a-a5c7-cba73708339a http://radio.cz/en/section/music/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. Sun, 16 Sep 2007 00:00:00 +0200 urn:uuid:0f8873cb-8bfa-5b4b-9234-483489238c77 http://radio.cz/en/section/music/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. Sun, 12 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +0200 urn:uuid:4ff2c673-d987-5a05-b13f-4376f79bd227 http://radio.cz/en/section/music/encore-the-terezin-ghetto-childrens-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. Sun, 15 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +0200 urn:uuid:78b6a268-6290-5d90-99d5-5404512baac6 http://radio.cz/en/section/music/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. Sun, 17 Jun 2007 00:00:00 +0200 urn:uuid:ee43bd56-3dce-5801-a2eb-042db477e8cb http://radio.cz/en/section/music/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. Sun, 20 May 2007 00:00:00 +0200 urn:uuid:0657b5fc-5ead-533e-be0a-511562fcc233 http://radio.cz/en/section/music/encore-the-stamic-quartet-plays-music-by-composers-who-perished-in-the-holocaust Today we devote the whole of Encore to one disk. It is entitled 'Czech String Quartet Discoveries' and was issued privately by the celebrated Stamic Quartet - making it rather difficult to get hold of, but well worth the trouble. It features music by Pavel Haas - whose 'From the Monkey Mountains' quartet we discussed last month - and Erwin Schulhoff, Hans Krasa and Leos Janacek. All of these, with of course the exception of Janacek, are composers who perished in Nazi concentration camps. Sun, 22 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0200 urn:uuid:6ae29c9f-ff04-56a1-bc4c-c16c033fd2c6 http://radio.cz/en/section/music/encore-music-from-the-monkey-mountains-and-a-violinist-who-dreamed-of-the-organ In this edition of Encore - with a strong Moravian flavour - we discuss an impressive first recording by the young Pavel Haas String Quartet, and we also look at a violinist who composed for the organ in his spare time. Sun, 18 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +0100 urn:uuid:286aad0a-0059-5faa-90be-fa1d62f8f1f3 http://radio.cz/en/section/music/encore-turning-music-into-gold-alchemy-in-the-court-of-rudolph-ii You wouldn't usually associate music with mysterious arts of the alchemist, but in Prague, at the beginning of the 17th century, just about anything was possible. In Encore today, we look at "alchemical" music - or to be more precise, music composed by an alchemist. Sun, 18 Feb 2007 00:00:00 +0100 urn:uuid:2b3871a8-bd4c-5cda-b618-a6884e03f54f http://radio.cz/en/section/music/encore-oldrich-korte-and-one-of-the-great-piano-sonatas-of-the-20th-century Even if he had never written another work in his life, the Czech composer Oldrich Korte would deserve immortality for his Sonata for Piano. The piece was composed between 1951 and 1953 when Korte was still in his mid-twenties and virtually unknown. Today it is recognised as one of the great piano sonatas of the 20th century and is a particular favourite of Korte's long-standing friend, the American pianist, Garrick Ohlsson, who has helped to carry its fame abroad. Sun, 21 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0100 urn:uuid:db3c7a65-dd80-5ae9-83e8-478d1de97b11 http://radio.cz/en/section/music/carp-and-carols-on-christmas-eve One Christmas carol that doesn't hail from the Czech Republic is the one about Good King Wenceslas, although he is this country's patron Saint and ruled here in the 10th century, until he was disposed of by the fratricidal Boleslav. The snow hasn't exactly been "deep and crisp and even" either so far this winter, but there is plenty of Christmas spirit about. Christmas Eve is the big day for Czech children, when "Jezisek" - the Infant Jesus - brings the presents, after the family has enjoyed a meal of fried carp and potato salad. And there is also a long tradition of sitting round the tree singing carols. In this programme, we'll be enjoying some traditional music from the Czech countryside - finding out what the Virgin Mary had for breakfast in the old Czech legend, and what words of warning Saint Elizabeth has for her sister in a Moravian carol. We'll also be exploring different ways of performing one of the best loved pieces of Czech Christmas music - the 18th century Christmas Mass by Jakub Jan Ryba, and finding out just how different it sounds when played on original Baroque instruments, as I talk to musician and carp-lover, Jana Semeradova. Sun, 24 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +0100 urn:uuid:93f03a8a-ff21-5a37-a26a-eba654f4cdaf http://radio.cz/en/section/music/encore-vivaldi-in-prague-and-the-rich-sound-of-the-cathedral-organ-of-kromeriz In Encore this week we look at an excellent CD of music from Prague during the Baroque period, and we also enjoy the rich sound of the cathedral organ in the beautiful Moravian town of Kromeriz. Sun, 26 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0100 urn:uuid:8d096eb9-f6b3-52e2-b04c-1e5fcd317a30 http://radio.cz/en/section/music/viktor-kalabis-1923-2006-a-well-tempered-composer-with-a-dramatic-musical-voice Few people over the last half century have made an impact on Czech classical music that comes anywhere close to that of the composer Viktor Kalabis, who died on 28th September at the age of 83. His work emerges from a great musical tradition that includes Stravinsky and Martinu, and his compositions are typically characterized by a sense of drama combined with a strong feel for inner musical logic. Viktor Kalabis was also a brilliant organizer. The legacy of his twenty years as Music Director at Czechoslovak Radio that ended in 1972 is felt to this day. He did not have an easy time with the communist regime, and had to wait over forty years before finally being awarded the title of PhD, that he had earned at Prague's Charles University back in 1952. In the years after the Velvet Revolution he played a central role in setting up the Bohuslav Martinu Institute in Prague, devoted to the legacy of the composer. The institute's current director, Ales Brezina, was a close friend and colleague, and a few days ago we met to talk about the life and work of a man who will be hugely missed. Sun, 29 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0200 urn:uuid:4cfef752-2c46-5906-a832-0e7b129a7084 http://radio.cz/en/section/music/encore-thirty-six-czech-fugues-and-janacek-in-search-of-his-musical-identity In this edition of Encore we hear from a Czech master of the fugue and we feature a recording of a fascinating early orchestral piece by Janacek, sounding very different from the composer as most people know him. Sun, 01 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0200 urn:uuid:76a32c0c-cb01-5584-8158-cff328f605e5 http://radio.cz/en/section/music/encore-from-a-cartoon-fox-to-a-cellist-admired-by-mozarts-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. Sun, 03 Sep 2006 00:00:00 +0200 urn:uuid:2ea56d00-13a3-5946-a19b-1e4def1a1fab http://radio.cz/en/section/music/encore-from-the-blue-room-to-the-meaning-of-life-two-very-different-modern-czech-composers Today we enjoy a CD of works by Jaroslav Jezek. He was a Czech composer of the inter-war period who made a huge impression on Czech musical culture, and this recording features his own piano, still in place in Jezek's famous "Blue Room". We also engage in some "Philosophical Dialogues" with contemporary composer, Oldrich Korte, whose works confront some of the basic questions of our existence. Sun, 06 Aug 2006 00:00:00 +0200 urn:uuid:4c26258d-419b-5d3b-9ee8-773795d8390b