|
British Czech and Slovak Association
ReviewsThis section has reviews of selected books, CDs and DVDs.BooksPrague in Black: Nazi Rule and Czech Nationalism by Chad BryantIn September 1938, the Munich Agreement delivered the Sudetenland to Germany. Six months later, Hitler's troops marched unopposed into Prague and established the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia--the first non-German territory to be occupied by Nazi Germany. Although Czechs outnumbered Germans thirty to one, Nazi leaders were determined to make the region entirely German. Chad Bryant explores the origins and implementation of these plans as part of a wider history of Nazi rule and its consequences for the region. Freedom in the Air by Hamish Ross Freedom in the Air, to be published by Pen and Sword Books in August, tells the remarkable story of a Czech airman, Václav Robert Bozdech, whose dog, Antis, flew with him in WW2 with Bomber Command. The two were inseparable; Antis was twice wounded by enemy fire, later saved his master’s life and was awarded the Dickin Medal (the animals’ VC) by Field Marshall Wavell. Good Beer Guide Prague and the Czech Republic An authoritative and entertaining guide to the breweries, beers, bars and pubs of the Czech lands, written with an insider's eye for detail and a beer-lover's thirst for great beer, the Czech national drink. This unique volume features a comprehensive portfolio of the best beer-bars and pubs in the capital city of Prague, now a major tourist destination visited by over 12 million people each year. International travel writer Evan Rail has devoted six years to tracking down the best beers throughout the ancient kingdoms of Bohemia and Moravia, the two halves that make up today's Czech Republic. www.camra.org.uk/books The secret history of the Czech Connection by Neil Rees This new book tells the story of President Benes and his presidential guards at Aston Abbotts, his government in exile in London, his officials at their residences in Wingrave and Addington, and their secret operations with the Special Operations Executive in Bedfordshire. The story starts with the Munich Crisis in 1938, the Czechoslovaks coming to Bucks in 1940, returning home in 1945, and ends with communism in 1948. The book uses primary sources to weave the story of The Czech Connection through 64 pages of captions on 134 illustrations (most never published before), and stories from interviews with people who were there (most of whom have not told their stories before). www.czechsinexile.org Dealing with Democrats: The British Foreign Office and the Czechoslovak Emigres in Great Britain, 1939 to 1945 by Martin D Brown This new study provides a rigorously post-cold war analysis of Britain's relationship with the Czechoslovak emigres based in London during the Second World War. Detailed consideration is given to inter-Allied diplomatic contacts, joint resistance operations, including the assassination of Obergruppenfuhrer Reinhard Heydrich, and the British Government's involvement with the plans to forcibly "transfer" the Sudeten German minority from Czechoslovakia after the war. www.peterlang.com CDsLibor Novacek, LisztThe eagerly awaited follow-up by Czech pianist Libor Novacek explores one of Liszt's most poetic works, the 2nd set (Italy) of Années de Pèlerinage, which includes interpretations of 3 Petrarch sonnets and the famous Dante Sonata. The recital is rounded off with a barnstorming performance of the fiendish Mephisto Waltz no.1, one of Libor's favourite calling cards. This recording is Gramophone Magazine Editor's Choice for February 2007. www.landorrecords.co.uk Libor Novacek, Piano The debut recital disc by the winner of The Landor Competition 2005, the young Czech pianist Libor Novacek, examines French and Czech music from the early 20th century and features performances of Janacek's Sonata 1.X.1905, Ravel's Tombeau de Couperin, 3 Czech Dances by Martinu and Preludes by Debussy. www.landorrecords.co.uk From the Homeland by Craig J Stratton (violin) and Sholto Kynoch (piano) The CD contains romantic works by composers such as Suk, Smetana, Dvorak and Martinu as well as slightly less known Czech composers, Fibich and Fiser, the latter of which has over three hundred film score titles to his name. The repertoire of these composers is hugely patriotic and nostalgic and when one looks at the surroundings and architecture of Prague and its countryside it is not hard to see why. The music itself often reflects its history, folk melodies and rich fairytales. Although Martinu for example wrote much of his works in America including the Czech Rhapsody, one can hear the driving rhythms of Czech folk dances in the music. The Amoroso by Fiser and the "Fairytale" by Suk are examples of Czech nostalgia with their luxuriously romantic melodies. www.craigstratton.co.uk Elida by Iva Bittova The Czech violinist/singer/composer Iva Bittova has teamed up with the dynamic Bang on a Can All-Stars for an unforgettable recording. Her first major US release since her eponymous debut on Nonesuch in 1998, Elida (the name is a brand of soap from the composer's childhood) finds Bittova using the All-Stars as her orchestra. Sweeping piano lines meet full string ensemble settings, while clarinet improvisations meet electric guitar noise. The music is at the same time sophisticated and direct, edgy and nostalgic, mixing Eastern European classical music and folk traditions with angular string writing and heart-breaking Czech vocal melodies. www.bangonacan.org DVDsBata-ville: We are not afraid of the futureBata-ville is a bitter-sweet record of a coach trip to the origins of the Bata shoe empire in Zlin in the Czech Republic. Against the backdrop of regeneration in their local communities, former employees of the now-closed UK shoe factories in East Tilbury (Essex) and Maryport (Cumbria) are led on a journey that begins as a free holiday but soon becomes an opportunity for a collective imagining of what entrepreneur Tomas Bata's maxim "We are not afraid of the future" means for them in 21st century Britain. somewhere.org.uk |
|
Last updated 22 June 2008. Copyright British Czech and Slovak Association. Registered charity 1049411
BCSA makes an effort to ensure that information contained in these pages is accurate. However, no liability is accepted arising from reliance upon the information contained in these pages or any other information accessed via this site.