http://radio.cz/en Latest articles on 'Culture' - information about cultural events in the Czech Republic en Sun, 27 May 2012 02:01:00 +0200 Sun, 27 May 2012 02:01:00 +0200 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/sunday-music-show/50-years-of-olympic This year marks the 50th anniversary of the vanguard rock n’ roll band Olympic, and this month the 70th birthday of its founder Petr Janda. Even in the late sixties music critics noted the tremendous impact that Olympic had on Czech pop, or big beat, but probably no one would have guessed that the band would still be playing in the 21st century, or that their Janda would still be on the stage in front of faithful audiences 50 years on. Sun, 27 May 2012 02:01:00 +0200 urn:uuid:f3c6bc0d-c78f-5ccc-b588-897bbcaad6de http://radio.cz/en/section/arts/hunt-kastner-artworks-helping-young-czech-artists-develop-international-careers-1 Hunt Kastner Artworks in Prague 7 is a private gallery owned and run by Camille Hunt, who is Canadian, and Katherine Kastner, who is from the US though her mother is Czech. The two represent 10 Czech artists, among them Eva Koťátková, Josef Bolf and Daniel Pitín. This week I stopped by to talk to the owners about their work, both curating shows and helping their artists find buyers overseas. I first asked Hunt what had led them to open the gallery in the first place. Fri, 25 May 2012 16:34:34 +0200 urn:uuid:ac09253e-9dbe-58b4-b4f9-eb19718a9598 http://radio.cz/en/section/sunday-music-show/2011-singer-of-the-year-tomas-klus Our guest on this week’s Sunday Music show is singer and songwriter Tomáš Klus winner of the Singer of the year and Album of the year at the 2011 Andel Awards. Tomáš Klus has best captured the present mood of the Czech nation. In his 2011 hit song "Pánu bohu do oken" he sings about the rotten world of Czech politics asking God what Czechs have done to deserve this. Sun, 20 May 2012 00:00:00 +0200 urn:uuid:e66d8c7d-d421-5304-bc0a-5cb5fa27853e http://radio.cz/en/section/arts/prague-company-keeping-classic-czech-design-of-early-20th-century-alive-1 The company Modernista, which has a shop in the centre of Prague, deals in both original Czech furniture from the first half of the 20th century and replicas it has made under license. Perhaps most notably, Modernista sells and recreates Cubist pieces – including ceramics and clocks – which are unique to this part of the world. Owner Janek Jaros described the business to me when we spoke a few days ago. Fri, 18 May 2012 15:18:01 +0200 urn:uuid:5f06d3de-8d45-586e-b5ee-96ff8915f1e0 http://radio.cz/en/section/panorama/american-piano-virtuoso-stephen-beus-i-do-not-remember-a-time-when-i-did-not-want-to-be-a-pianist American pianist Stephen Beus is one of the star performers at the American spring music festival currently underway in the Czech Republic. The internationally acclaimed musician, who performs with renowned orchestras and gives solo recitals the world over, has been described as a strikingly original, confident and gifted player with a rock-solid technique. On what is his second recital tour in the Czech Republic he visited Radio Prague’s studio and talked about the joy he derives from music, the inspiration he draws from it and the secret behind his ability to captivate an audience. Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 +0200 urn:uuid:2746b8d8-b3c0-5906-a122-19bc35b50e25 http://radio.cz/en/section/marketplace/2012-set-to-be-good-year-for-czech-art-market Over the last couple of years, art sales in the Czech Republic have seen a decline. But this year is different, and it’s not just the record sale of a František Kupka painting that did the trick. The market now attracts collectors who are ready to look beyond the well-established segment of modern art that has topped sales so far. Wed, 16 May 2012 16:10:23 +0200 urn:uuid:6648107d-6f46-59d8-9169-78c6b7220173 http://radio.cz/en/section/curraffrs/international-meeting-of-experts-on-czech-language-and-literature-kicks-off-in-prague An international meeting of Czech language and literature experts, among them teachers and translators, kicked off at Prager Literaturhaus, a Czech institute that promotes Prague’s German literary heritage. For the next four days, lovers of the Czech language will be discussing their field of expertise and exchanging their findings in a number of seminars, panel discussions and lectures. On the first day of the international get-together, we speak with Kristin Kilsti, a Norwegian literary translator who works from Czech into her native tongue. Wed, 16 May 2012 15:27:05 +0200 urn:uuid:e4d120f7-57ff-5656-b207-f53593c7ac99 http://radio.cz/en/section/sunday-music-show/jazz-legend-laco-deczi In this edition of the Sunday Music Show: conversation with, as well as new music from, jazz legend Laco Deczi. Sun, 13 May 2012 02:01:00 +0200 urn:uuid:3c42dcf0-abeb-5192-81bb-69c5ac5eb09d http://radio.cz/en/section/books/blanka-cechova-finding-kafka-in-kosovo Not many people would give up the salary, status and security of a job as a high-flying European lawyer for all the uncertainties of being a full time writer. But this is exactly what Blanka Čechová has done. After several years working for international institutions that seemed to feed on their own bureaucracy, she became disillusioned, and instead has taken her experiences as an inspiration for her writing. Her new novel, “Totál Balkán” draws richly from the time the author spent with an international mission in Kosovo, and the picture it paints is far from flattering. David Vaughan meets a writer who has not been afraid to court controversy. Sat, 12 May 2012 02:01:00 +0200 urn:uuid:c641e527-7f19-5617-830c-2e06e86674ad http://radio.cz/en/section/arts/actor-jiri-madl-the-teenage-heartthrob-grows-up In 2004, Jiří Mádl, who at the time was all about playing hockey and had little ambitions to become an actor, shot to fame overnight with his lead role in the box-office hit Snowboarďáci, or Snowboarders. While he was mostly cast for teen comedies following his first big success, his more recent films show a shift towards serious roles. In his latest movie, Four Suns or Čtyři Slunce, directed by the acclaimed Bohdan Sláma, Mádl plays bad-boy Jerry. The film also happens to be the Czech Republic’s first submission to the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. I spoke to Mádl, about his work, his love for foreign languages and asked him if he still has a passion for ice-hockey. Fri, 11 May 2012 11:46:28 +0200 urn:uuid:1784ad8c-2ebf-54fd-8ab4-7857848eca5b http://radio.cz/en/section/curraffrs/mucha-family-voices-concerns-as-slav-epic-goes-on-display-in-prague After many months of delays, and several years of arguing, the Slav Epic will go on display in Prague’s Veletržní palác on Thursday. Alfons Mucha’s Art Nouveau masterpiece has been at the centre of a heated dispute between the town of Moravský Krumlov, where the 20 enormous canvasses were kept until recently, and the City of Prague, which has made no secret of wanting to put the work on permanent display. As for the painter’s own wishes, the Slav Epic was willed to the Czech capital upon his death in 1939, but on the condition that a special building was made for it. That has never happened, much to the ire of the Mucha family. We spoke with the painter’s grandson John Mucha in London, and asked how he felt about the opening. Wed, 09 May 2012 16:36:10 +0200 urn:uuid:24effb91-d1b8-5c15-b1a4-b981b5f40f9a http://radio.cz/en/section/sunday-music-show/spring-is-in-the-air In our first May edition of the Sunday Music Show, we listen to all sorts of spring tunes. Sun, 06 May 2012 02:01:00 +0200 urn:uuid:19749fb8-29c6-5b17-853d-5ea5cfb5ea3c http://radio.cz/en/section/arts/remembering-adolf-toman-one-of-the-founders-of-torontos-new-czech-theatre The Nové divadlo (New Czech Theatre) was established in the Canadian city of Toronto in 1970. Since then it has enjoyed several high points: the great actor Jiří Voskovec appeared in one production, Josef Škvorecký wrote a play for the amateur group and it staged the world premiere of the Czech language version of Václav Havel’s Temptation. In 2010, the New Czech Theatre received an award from the Czech Foreign Ministry for its work in promoting the good name of its founders’ native country. Sadly, Mr Toman passed away in the Czech Republic last summer at the age of 69. Here is another chance to hear his interview about the the Toronto theatre with Ian Willoughby. Fri, 04 May 2012 00:00:00 +0200 urn:uuid:d603586b-079b-58d2-beca-1908af0fd2d5 http://radio.cz/en/section/one-on-one/stephan-delbos-a-prague-based-poet-teacher-and-reporter-1 Stephan Delbos is a Prague-based poet. Five years ago, he moved to Prague, where he edits the Prague Review, teaches literary writing at Charles University, works as a business reporter at the English language newspaper The Prague Post and occasionally hosts the Alchemy poetry reading series at the Globe café. I talked to Mr. Delbos about the English language poetry scene here in Prague and what initially drew him to the city. Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:21:10 +0200 urn:uuid:fcfd2a12-cbab-55a5-80fd-4d4598498aab http://radio.cz/en/section/sunday-music-show/prague-based-quebecois-jonathan-gaudet-adds-latin-flavour-to-his-blues Our guest in this edition of Sunday Music Show is Jonathan Gaudet, a French-Canadian guitarist, singer and songwriter who travelled the world before he settled in Prague. Collaborating with Czech musicians and singing in French, Spanish and English, Jonathan incorporates various musical influences in his lively blues. Sun, 29 Apr 2012 02:01:00 +0200 urn:uuid:03dbda0e-8448-560a-be55-fd742ea3a20d http://radio.cz/en/section/books/a-taste-of-prague-spring-for-an-actor-in-egypts-revolution It was apt that one of the participants in this year’s Prague Writers’ Festival was the Egyptian novelist Hamdy el-Gazzar, who played an active part in the dramatic events last spring on Cairo’s Tahrir Square. It is no coincidence that the revolutions across North Africa and the Middle East came to be known as the “Arab Spring”, taking their name from events in Czechoslovakia – the Prague Spring – over forty years earlier. You do not have to look far to find parallels between the atmosphere of then and now, and the events of ’68 are also a warning that not every popular uprising ends happily. David Vaughan talks to Hamdy el-Gazzar about his experience as a writer and journalist. Sat, 28 Apr 2012 02:01:00 +0200 urn:uuid:c36cad24-02b7-59f0-ba6e-1a8408763746 http://radio.cz/en/section/archives/hooligans-and-swindlers-the-communist-regime-and-the-plastic-people-1 In the 1970s the communist authorities tolerated popular music as long as it was insipid, colourless and unoriginal – everything that the Czech psychedelic rock band The Plastic People of the Universe most definitely was not. Their music was inspired by Frank Zappa and The Velvet Underground, their lyrics anarchic, their behaviour unconventional and their hair long. In 1976 four members of the band were sentenced to prison terms for what was described as “organised disturbance of the peace”, and in December of the same year Czechoslovak Radio broadcast a documentary that painted the band in the darkest possible colours and included extracts from their music, recorded secretly at their concerts. Sat, 28 Apr 2012 02:01:00 +0200 urn:uuid:66867846-b179-5af8-ae1e-52f5ea29bbdf http://radio.cz/en/section/arts/pavel-sporcl-not-your-everyday-violin-virtuoso-1 In the Czech Republic and increasingly even abroad, violinist Pavel Šporcl enjoys the kind of name recognition that aspiring rock stars dream of. A natural talent, he became the enfant terrible of the classical music world when first he arrived on the scene, forgoing a tuxedo for a bandana and taking an interactive approach to his concerts. Having toured the world over and recorded roughly a dozen albums, 39-year-old Pavel Šporcl is not only a dominant but a defining force in classical music. I met Pavel as he was preparing for a concert, and asked him to describe what it is that has made him and his career so distinct. Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:10:42 +0200 urn:uuid:afaf932e-e49e-5ad1-aabb-35ea2dcd610d http://radio.cz/en/section/curraffrs/legendary-prazsky-vyber-returns The legendary band Pražský výběr – one of the most influential bands from the Czech New Wave – are back. Recently the group, led by frontman Michael Kocáb announced they would put aside past differences and reunite for a series of concerts in the autumn. Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:29:28 +0200 urn:uuid:6a1f48ae-cbc4-5927-902a-5d974cbf4fed http://radio.cz/en/section/one-on-one/lubomir-doruzka-legendary-music-journalist-and-translator-of-western-literature Lubomír Dorůžka first began writing about music seven decades ago when, during WWII, he produced a clandestine magazine on his greatest passion, jazz. The quintessential American art form was frowned upon by the Communists after their 1948 takeover of Czechoslovakia. However, in the relatively liberal 1960s Mr. Dorůžka was able to edit music magazines and play a very active role in international jazz organisations. As well as being a music journalist, he is also a renowned translator of American and British writers – and as a young man did many translations with his lifelong friend, the novelist Josef Škvorecký. Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:09:46 +0200 urn:uuid:903c3338-4e44-5644-b720-cacfe34e71c4