Category / ENTERTAINMENT

Czech Fairy Tales in Advertising

During the First Republic, when shopping at the grocery store, children would receive a short fairy-tale pamphlet as part of selecting specific merchandise. These were usually printed on double-sheets with color illustrations. Usually the first page contained a picture with the name of the fairy tale, the inner part then had the text and an...

Childrens Books

February 12, 2020

The Fabulous Lost and Found and the Little Czech Mouse

A wonderful new book was brought to my attention and I believe it’s perfect for those who want to teach kids Czech. Not only is the story fun and the illustrations adorable, but there is an awesome science behind it that you”ll be happy to learn about today. This book a part of a groundbreaking...

Childrens Books, LIFESTYLE

February 6, 2020

Joseph Kaspar the (Czech) Accordionist from Texas

Today we are time traveling to Texas to meet Joseph Kaspar, the Texas accordionist of Czech descent. In this interview which took place on August 9, 1987, Al Lowman sat down with Joseph Kaspar at the Folk Like Festival in Texas. Here is what we can learn from this unique and very special Czech musician....

History, Music

January 30, 2020

Meet the Most Important Czech Woman Composer

Despite her tragically brief life, Vítězslava Kaprálová, who died at the age of twenty-five, is now considered the most important female Czech woman composer of the 20th century. Her prolific output, abundant with fresh and bold ideas, passion, tenderness and youthful energy are once again coming to light. Muse (and mistress) of Bohuslav Martinů and...

ENTERTAINMENT, Music, Women

January 9, 2020

Bambini di Praga aka Czechoslovakian Children’s Choir

The Bambini di Praga, also known as the Children’s Choir was founded in 1973 in Prague, (then known as) Czechoslovakia. The Bambini di Praga choir (BDP) was one of the top ensembles in Czech choral art. This select group of young singers, predominantly girls aged 12 to 20, was capable of meeting all artistic challenges...

ENTERTAINMENT, Music

January 4, 2020

Watch This: The Sorrows of Lenka or Trápení

Also known as The Sorrows of Lenka, The Proud Stallion, The Stress of Youth, Suffering, the Czech film Trápení is an engaging drama by director Karel Kachyna about the growing pains of a young teenage girl (Jorga Kotrbova) and the hardships of a noble steed mistreated by a cruel neighboring farmer. She is having a...

ENTERTAINMENT, Movies

October 29, 2019

Steel Strings and Iron Curtains

As you know, the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution is coming up on November 17th. Just in time, we wanted to introduce the English-speaking community to Central Europe’s versions of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, Ray LaMontagne and Elliot Smith through Steel Strings and Iron Curtains. In this extraordinary project, a group of...

ENTERTAINMENT, Music

October 28, 2019

Voice of the Velvet Revolution

The first major manifestations of dissatisfaction began in August of 1988. The demonstrations continued until end of totalitarian regime. In January of 1989, memorial demonstrations were held to commemorate Jan Palach’s self-immolation. Water cannons and special intervention units were sent to the streets. The reaction of the communist regime prompted more people to attend further...

ENTERTAINMENT, History, Movies

October 25, 2019

Watch This: Princezna ze mlejna or The Watermill Princess

Princezna ze mlejna (English: The Watermill Princess) is a Czech fairytale film which tells the story of a young man named Jindřich, who dreams of finding and freeing an enchanted princess. The movie begins in a sun-drenched village in Southern Bohemia, surrounded by shady woods and silvery ponds. It is in this gentle village where...

ENTERTAINMENT, Movies

October 9, 2019

Lúčnica – Czechoslovakian Folk Ballet from Bratislava

Dancers with the precision, athleticism and enthusiasm of Lúčnica, a Czechoslovak folk ballet, do not come along every day. This is an almost continually fascinating group of expertly trained and excellently choreographed dancers presenting a show unlike any other. I learned about them from an old program I received from their tour in 1976. At...

ENTERTAINMENT, Music, Theater

October 6, 2019

… And Give My Love to the Swallows

Are you interesting true WWII story about the Czech Resistance and a young woman’s role? If so, you will enjoy … And Give My Love to the Swallows, where you will learn about a woman from the past, one whom few remember and the young generation probably does not know at all. Resistance fighter Marie...

History, Movies, Women

October 3, 2019

Czech and Slovak Cinema

Czech and Slovak cinema is finally beginning to make an appearance on the world stage. Among the most successful Czech films made after the fall of communism are: Kolya, Divided We Fall, Cosy Dens, Loners, I Served the King of England and Walking Too Fast. The first Czech CGI animated movie was The GOAT Store...

ENTERTAINMENT, Movies

September 30, 2019

Antonín Dvořák and His Recorded Works

Today’s post is dedicated to the memory of Antonín Dvořák, the great Bohemian composer. America and the Czech Republic (Bohemia) have a warm place in their hearts for Dvorak. Both country’s love him on account of his visit to America, the influence of the works he wrote in America, and for the splendid lesson he...

Bohemians, History, Music

September 7, 2019

76 Years Ago Today the Brundibar Opera in the Terezin Ghetto

The Brundibar Opera is a children’s opera by Jewish Czech composer Hans Krása with a libretto by Adolf Hoffmeister, made most famous by performances by the children of Theresienstadt concentration camp (Terezín) in occupied Czechoslovakia. The name comes from a Czech colloquialism for a bumblebee. Krása and Hoffmeister wrote the opera in 1938 for a...

History, Theater

August 26, 2019

The Night a Russian Cellist Wept for Czechs

It is quite rare to view a live recording of a truly legendary performance, yet I was blessed to do so a few years ago. In a documentary about Mstislav Rostropovich, the genius Russian cellist, I saw such a performance, the night a Russian cello wept for Czechs. It was the 1968 Proms season and...

ENTERTAINMENT, Music

Groovy Dancing and Communist Tanks: Stark Contrasts of Prague in August of 1968

August 16, 2019

Caught in the Clash of Groovy Dancing and Communist Tanks – Prague Spring 1968

What does groovy dancing have to do with communist tanks? Not much, but one day in August of 1968, groovy music videos were being filmed simultaneously in and around Prague. A popular television program at the time, Europarty had crews filming music videos for the show. It was the height of Prague Spring, and there...

History, Music, NOSTALGIA

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