Part 2: The Perfect Lineup – Ilja Hurník, The Seasoned Composer A work by young composer Lukáš Sommer (28) teamed up with a work by seasoned composer Ilja Hurník (soon to be 90) at a Prague Spring concert by the Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice May 28 (see Opus Osm, June 7, 2012). But that wasn’t the only Prague Spring concert in which Mr Hurník played a role. A few…
Tag: Zuzana Sklenková
Thursday, June 7, 2012: The Perfect Line-Up (1)
The Perfect Line-Up: Sommer and Hurník Part 1 of 2 The two main protagonists making the perfect line-up for the Prague Spring concert Monday evening sat perched among the audience in rows 6 and 9 of the impressive Dvořák Hall. Until Mr Hurník and Mr Sommer walked onto the stage to receive their ovation, only the professional photographer and an attentive reader of the program matched them with their names….
Thursday, May 10, 2012:Dance in their Dreams?
Do ballet dancers dance in their dreams? No, says Petr Zuska. A Thursday afternoon chat about dance, over a glass of white wine on the New Stage, reunited two friends: Marek Eben, the master conductor of interviews, and the man who rules the moves at the National Theatre Ballet, artistic director Petr Zuska. The public conversation May 3 marked Mr. Zuska’s 10th year in the director’s position. The milestone will…
Tuesday, April 10, 2012: Spring Blue
Spring Blue The color blue has taken over the streets of Prague. Leaping from billboards, jumping from the sides of trams, enveloping bus stops, the blue is announcing to pedestrians and passersby that Prague Spring is bound to arrive soon — at least the musical spring. Since 1946 the blue and the elegant violin f-hole logo designed by the painter and typographer František Muzika have symbolized the most significant and…
Tuesday, February 14, 2012:Love Story
A Love Story: Meet Mr Kalabis Although some musicologists regard Viktor Kalabis (1923-2006) as the most influential Czech composer of the second half of the 20th century, the world didn’t start to know his name and his music until the fall of the communist regime. Symphonies, concertos, two ballet scores, and nearly 100 opuses, as well as compositions for the piano and other instruments, came from this single Czech composer…
Friday, February 10, 2012: Time Out
Take Time Out to Catch Up on the News We’re pausing from our usual format just for today to share some positive, Opus Osm news: New! Archive! Look at the black bar at the top of every Opus Osm page – you’ll see the Archive tab. Click to find every article we’ve ever published, right from our very first issue of September 2010. Improved! Calendar! We’ve always had an Events…
Thursday, February 9, 2012: Love’s Many Strange Ways
Love’s Many Strange Ways Undoubtedly, unrequited love has inspired a lot of good — and bad — art. The Russian version, Alexander Pushkin’s story about the sufferings of Tatyana and Onegin, is among the former, and has become a classic. Pushkin spent eight years writing Oněgin in 5,486 lines of verse, in which first the Russian dandy Onegin turns down the naive Tatyana, and a few years later is denied…
Wednesday, Nov 30, 2011:Time Travel
Time Travel “When watching a ballet, bear in mind the period in which it was created,” admonishes dance teacher and ballet journalist Jana Hošková. “In Russian ballet, every step has a meaning.” Mrs Hošková was part of a panel discussion at the Světozor Cinema Nov 20, following the Aero “Ballet in the Cinema” transmission of the Bolshoi Ballet production of Sleeping Beauty, live from Moscow. Her comment was a reminder…
Friday, October 28, 2011:Dušičky Arrives
Dušičky Arrives With November the autumn gloom arrives in the Czech Republic in full force: fog-clad days, and candles flickering on top of graves. November 2 is Dušičky (All Souls’ Day), when many Czechs take seriously the centuries-old tradition of remembering loved ones who passed away. Melancholy inspired two of the three compositions that the Guarneri Trio Prague will perform at the St Simon and Jude church on November 1….
Wednesday, October 5,2011:Cinegogue
Cinegogue in the Synagogue No, cinegogue is not the new codified spelling of the holy place of Jewish worship. Once you look more closely at this odd homophone/word, it will all start to make sense. Cine stands for cinema, and gogue is what’s left of the original word. The last element which brings it together is the Berg Orchestra. By now you must have already guessed that cinegogue is a…
Wed, September 7, 2011:Berg at Roxy
Berg at Roxy With a repertoire as unique as the spaces they choose for their performances, the Berg Orchestra challenges traditional expectations of classical music. The past few months have found the Berg Orchestra performing in a number of unconventional venues, such as a water-treatment plant and in the former transportation office at Vltavská. Next Tuesday they will make a second visit to the hard-rock Roxy club (where they already…
Monday, June 20, 2011: Opera-Why Italian?
Summer Solstice Series! Summer is here! And to celebrate the season, Opus Osm presents a week-long Solstice Series of “backgrounder” articles. If you’ve ever wondered the who, why, what, or why not about opera, this week you’ll find out the answers to your questions. Zuzana Sklenková is on hand to anticipate everything you’ve always wanted to know about this glorious but confusing art form. Part I Why Are So Many…
Tuesday, March 1, 2011: Best Seat in the House
The National Theatre in Prague is one of the best known theatres in the Czech Republic. Its origins have more to do with social structures of the day than modern acoustic and visual demands. It has a large pit to accommodate an orchestra and an impressive stage for the extensive use of scenery. Its auditorium is traditionally U-shaped with balconies and galleries extending above the ground floor seats. Finding the…
