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Monday’s opening of the 2014 Prague Spring music festival was dedicated to one of the greats of Czech music, conductor Rafael Kubelík, who was born 100 years ago this year. The honour was certainly merited; after all, not only did Kubelík help found the festival immediately after WWII, he helmed its first ever concert – and the first opening after the fall of communism.

Monday night’s opening of the 69th edition of the Prague Spring International Music Festival will be in honour of the 100th anniversary of the birth of one of most important figures in 20th century Czech music, conductor Rafael Kubelík. In this special programme, his son Martin discusses Kubelík's remarkable life and career.

2014 is a year of anniversaries: 25 years since the fall of communism, 15 years since the Czech Republic joined NATO and 10 years since the country joined the European Union. One Czech politician who was at the centre of all three of these events is Alexandr Vondra.

May 1st is the 10th anniversary of the Czech Republic’s accession to the European Union. Ten years ago the country joined the EU within the so called “big bang” expansion. The past ten years have brought many ups and downs, from the days when the Czech Republic was seen as an exemplary newcomer, to the years when it was regarded as an uncooperative troublemaker. Ten years on, Czechs are also more sober in their assessment of the EU and trust in EU institutions has hit an all-time low. In a special programme marking the 10th anniversary of Czech

As Czechs mark 10 years in the EU, much of the debate has focused on the material benefits of membership. But what about the less tangible aspects of the country’s accession to the bloc? In this special report, we explore some of the ways “re-joining Europe” has affected Czech society.

In the Czech Republic, celebrations of the moveable holiday of Easter combine Christian traditions and age-old pagan customs. Music plays an important part in the celebrations, spanning from folk chants to religious oratorios. In this year’s Easter Monday special we will give you a taste of Czech Easter music, from carols to cantatas.

NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen has described Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region as the most serious security crisis since the end of the Cold War. In Prague on Thursday, the NATO secretary general demanded that Russia de-escalate tensions and withdraw around 40,000 troops from near the Ukrainian border. But what can the alliance do to pressure Moscow to back down? And are there any circumstances under which NATO would react militarily in the case of further Russian aggression? I put those questions to Mr. Rasmussen shortly before his

Of the hundreds of works of the great modern Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů, one of his earliest and easiest pieces still shines through for its simple elegance and sophistication. In our first broadcast of 2014, we explore Martinů’s cycle of short piano pieces, Loutky, or “Puppets”.

In this special program we speak to the singer and songwriter Marta Töpferová about her newest album Milokraj, her relationship to her home country and her love of Moravian folk music.

Radim Hladík is regarded as one of the greatest Czech guitar players – if not the greatest – of the 1960s generation, the local equivalent of an Eric Clapton or Jeff Beck. In this special programme, the musician looks back over a colourful career spanning five decades.