Sunday Music Show | All stories

Czech singer and songwriter Lenny, whose husky voice has drawn comparisons to Janis Joplin, has released her second LP called Weird & Wonderful. It has been hailed by Czech critics as one of the best albums on the Czech pop music scene and has definitely established the 26-year-old musicians as one the leading voices of Czech pop-music. Just like on her first album, Hearts, all the songs are in English.

Czech folk-pop singer-songwriter Tomáš Maček, frontman of the band Thom Artway – which is also his stage name – cut his teeth busking in the streets of Prague. He first came to national attention thanks to the 2013 film “Křídla Vánoc” (Christmas Wings), the soundtrack of which included his song “Towards the Sun”. He released his debut EP Still Standing in the Unknown that year – half of which he spent traveling in and playing on the streets of Australia. His debut album “Hedgehog” (2016) won two of the Czech music industry’s annual Anděl awards.

The acclaimed Czech Jazz guitarist and TV show host Rudy Linka celebrated his 60th birthday this Friday. The Prague-born musician defected to Sweden in 1980 and went on to forge a successful career in the west, studying under Jazz greats such as John Abercrombie, Jim Hall and John Scofield before leading his own group. On that occasion our Sunday Music Show features some of the songs from Link'a recent 2012 album Re:Connect.

Kalle, who have been stalwarts of the Czech independent scene since the middle of the decade, recently returned with a true treat for fans, the six-track mini album Songs with the Acoustic Band. The intimate new work by guitarist David Zeman and singer Veronika Buriánková really highlights Kalle’s strong points and its lead track Humans recently topped the weekly listeners’ poll on Prague station Radio 1.

Czech pianist Ivo Kahánek and the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra have received the highly acclaimed BBC Music Magazine’s Concerto Award for 2020. Their CD featuring the piano concertos of Antonín Dvořák and Bohuslav Martinů conducted by Jakub Hrůša has won them critical acclaim from music peers and media alike since its release last September.

After a break of six years, Dan Bárta, one of the country’s most versatile singers, is back with a new album. The LP, called Kráska a zvířený prach or Beauty and Blowing Dust. The collection of thirteen songs is Bárta’s fifth studio album recorded with the band Illustratosphere.

Khoiba are known for melding electronics and melodic guitars in combination with downtempo rhythms. They released an eponymous LP last year and featured at the Colours of Ostrava festival, having reformed after a decade-long hiatus. Khoiba features singer Ema Brabcová with Filip Míšek on guitar. They have tended not to have a regular drummer but rather invite musicians to collaborate. Khoiba describe their style as “atmospheric pop full of melancholy and positive emotions.”

The Opening of the Wells (Otvírání studánek) is one of Bohuslav Martinů’s most famous compositions. The cantata was written some time between June and July 1955 in France to the text of the poem The Song of the Rubínka Well (píseň o studánce Rubínce) written by Martinů’s friend, poet Miroslav Bureš. Martinů shortened the text, which was inspired by folk traditions of the annual ritual of cleaning and reopening the sources of water around the Moravian village of Tři Studně, and created a warm and captivating composition. It was one of the few works

Mňága & Žďorp have been on the go since 1987 but show no signs of flagging on their most recent LP, Třecí plochy (Friction Surfaces). As ever the work of the group, who hail from the small town of Valašské Meziříčí in Moravia, is perhaps most distinguished by the smart, bittersweet lyrics of front man Petr Fiala. However, Mňága & Žďorp’s punchy music doesn’t disappoint either on this their 17th studio record.

Jan Dismas Zelenka, (16 October 1679 – 23 December 1745) dubbed the “Czech Bach”, is one of the most significant Baroque composers. Yet his music was largely forgotten after his death and was only rediscovered more than a century later. Today all his works are available in digitized form and have become increasingly popular with the public.