Sunday Music Show | All stories

Czech classical music is not only a part of the national culture and history, but also of its very soul. This year, we have prepared a series on renowned works of Czech classical music. Listeners will be familiar with many of them, as they are widely known and regularly performed in concert halls all over the world. The background to their creation and how they were recorded will all be covered by this series in the coming weeks.

Czech classical music is not only a part of national culture and history, but also of the nation’s soul. This year we have prepared a series on the renowned hits of Czech classical music. You will be familiar with many of them, as they are widely known and regularly performed in concert halls all over the world. The background to their creation and how they were recorded will all be covered by this series in the coming weeks.

Czech classical music is not only a part of national culture and history, but also of the nation’s soul. This year we have prepared a series on the renowned hits of Czech classical music. You will be familiar with many of them, as they are widely known and regularly performed in concert halls all over the world. The background to their creation and how they were recorded will all be covered by this series in the coming weeks.

B4 have been around in different forms for over two decades but now comprise the duo of David Freudl and Tomáš Procházka. The outfit are self-proclaimed adherents of krautrock and their online profile refers to such names as Can, Nurse with Wound, Einstuerzende Neubauten and Money Mark, though they also bring to mind Warp acts such as Plone. Their latest release Plastová okna (Plastic Windows) placed third in Radio Wave’s top 10 Czech LPs of 2019.

The sons of a respected classical music composer, the Eben brothers -Kryštof, Marek and David- grew up surrounded by music and musical instruments. They received an education in classical music, but sought inspiration from folk, jazz and rock as they searched for their own style of expression. They formed their first folk-rock band in the late 1970s and their ability to combine different music styles and musical instruments created the unique "Eben style“ which captivates audiences.

Mikuláš Bryan – alias Mr. Folxlide – is a Prague-born poet, award-winning translator of French literature, and musician steeped in blues and folk traditions. He plays on an American cigar box guitar, tuned to an open chord, adapting old time blues for balfolk dancing (“the ultimate balfolk-blues crossover”). This edition of the Sunday Music Show features tracks from Mr. Folxlide’s album “1-4-5”, sung in English and French, replete and resplendent with the “drone, ostinato and simple riffs” found in folk music around the globe.

Exactly 50 years ago, Vladimír Merta, one of the country’s most respected singer-songwriters and an excellent guitarist, released his debut album called Ballades de Prague. To mark the anniversary, the artist has launched a limited edition of the record on vinyl. It was presented at a concert at Prague’s Malostranská Beseda this Saturday.

Not only is Bohuslav Martinů one of the most famous Czech composers, but next to Antonín Dvořák he is also the most played. Born in the small Czech village of Polička on December 8, 1890, Martinů would end up spending most of his life abroad, writing hundreds of compositions and experimenting with styles including expressionism, constructivism and jazz. Despite living in Paris and the United States for much of his life, he was also a fervent patriot, who included Czech folk music themes into his compositions and even volunteered to serve in the

The music project Zvíře jménem Podzim (An Animal Named Autumn) is the brainchild of Jakub König, who also goes by the name Kittchen. However, on Září, their recently released second LP, Zvíře jménem Podzim have expanded to become a veritable orchestra and now include such players as Terezie Kovalová, Tomáš Neuwerth, Marie Puttnerová, Ondřej Mataj, Ondřej Zátka and Veronika Linhartová. Ably abetted by producers Aid Kid and Pjoni, the collective’s second LP is a triumph.

As Czechs marked the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution and the return of freedom to the country, streets and squares resounded with the iconic protest songs linked to the Prague Spring and 1989. Songs reflecting people’s hopes in 1968 and the frustration of Czechs following the crushing of the Prague Spring became underground cult hits, going from hand to hand, recorded on the old cassette recorders and played in the privacy of people’s homes. Among them are Karel Kryl’s famous Bratříčku zavírej vrátka (Keep the Gate Closed, Little Brother)composed