Alexandrov ensemble comes to Prague, Arts news

In today's edition, we'll be looking at some of the cultural events coming up in the next few days and reflect upon a breathtaking performance by one of the biggest song and dance ensembles in the world. Stay tuned:

Alexandrov ensemble comes to Prague, Arts news

Bob Marley, photo: CTK

This Saturday, an open-air concert will be held in Prague to commemorate the anniversary of the death of the legendary Jamaican musician and singer Bob Marley. The king of reggae died on May 11 1981 at the early age of 36. In honour of his life and work, fans have organised numerous events to be held around the world this week-end. The Czech Republic will not be excluded, planning a fifteen hour music festival as part of the Jamaican Connection international event at Prague's Stromovka Music Garden.

Slzicky or little tears is a new feature film that was introduced in the Moravian town of Zlin by the country's first Roma director Petr Havranek. Filmed within 18 months in several towns in Moravia, Slzicky is about a group of youngsters who get involved with drugs. According to the 33 year-old Havranek, it was difficult to shoot the movie as it was made from a low-budget - some 1.5 million crowns - and depended on volunteer work from his friends. The actors featured in the movie include Milena Dvorska, Jaroslav Obermajer, and Pavel Soukup. Mr Havranek has said he is already planning a second part. Slzicky is his first feature film. Up-to-date, Petr Havranek focused mainly on documentaries such as Black-and-White World on the history of the Roma community.

The National Museum is proud to announce that the Bedrich Smetana Monument in the village of Jabkenice will be open to the public from June 1 2003. An exhibition focusing on the famous Czech composer's life and work will also be opened a day earlier on May 31. The Jabkenice village near Mlada Boleslav is closely associated with the last ten years of Bedrich Smetana (1824 - 1884). Smetana's son-in-law, Josef Schwarz, husband of his oldest daughter Zofie, worked from 1875 in a gamekeeper's lodge in Jabkenice, within close distance of the vast game park of the Dukes Thurn-Taxis. The game park, rich with beautiful natural scenery, still exists today. Loss of hearing in 1874 deprived Smetana of a steady means of existence and therefore from 1875 he lived with his family at his daughter's house. It was there, where the majority of his most significant works was created: The Kiss, The Secrecy and The Devil's Wall operas, both string quartets, piano cycles Dreams and Czech Dances, several choral works and he finished the cycle My Country there.

In 1888 a memorial plaque to Smetana was unveiled on the gamekeeper's lodge, in 1928, as a small museum, his workroom was made open to public, even though the building still served its original purpose. In 1936 the gamekeeper's lodge was bought by the society Heritage of Bed"ich Smetana in Jabkenice, and, in cooperation with the Smetana Museum the first permanent exposition was opened there in 1937. In 1950 the Smetana Museum took the gamekeeper's lodge under its administration and made an installation of a new exposition. The last exposition was accessible there in the years 1964 - 1987. From 1987 extensive reconstruction of the was carried out, but there were no funds for a new exposition. The gamekeeper's lodge thus remained closed to the public for 15 years.

Alexandrov ensemble, photo: CTK

After an eighteen year break, the legendary Russian Alexandrov song and dance ensemble came to Prague to give a stunning performance at the city's Congress Hall this week. The ensemble was invited to the Czech capital by the Defence Ministry to celebrate the 58th anniversary of the liberation from the Nazis. Within a week, the 1700 seated Congress hall was sold out. The audience was thrilled by the performance, and gave a standing ovation at the end of the two-hour performance, only to be rewarded with two more bonuses, the famous classic Katusa and Moscow Nights.

Russia's oldest and renowned choral and dance troupes first took the stage on Oct. 12, 1928 under the direction of its founder Alexander Vasiljevic Alexandrov (1883 - 1946), who also composed the Russian national anthem. The group had 12 members: a vocal octet, two dancers and two musicians. Today, it has 250 members, one hundred of which came to Prague. Made up of an orchestra, a choir and a dance group and performing in traditional Army uniforms, the Alexandrovs, who were highly popular in the country under the Communist regime, overwhelmed many visitors:

"I am 50 years old and I remember when they came here 18 years ago. I know the Alexandrov ensemble from my childhood and their concerts were always broadcast on Czech TV. I have always dreamed of seeing them live and now I'm here."

Alexandrov ensemble, photo: CTK

"It was a great experience for me. One I hadn't had for a very long time. It's only a big pity that such ensembles on such a high level are very few in our country. You can see the heartfelt warm welcome the public gave to them. We'll be happy to welcome more of them here in Prague. I enjoyed it even more because I speak Russian and understood everything they were singing. We were very pleasantly surprised by the large number of young people who came here. They really enjoyed the performance and clapped real hard."

The beginning of the concert was devoted to Russian songs ranging from traditional folk music to Red Army marches, such as "Svata Vojna" or Holy Army, composed by the ensemble's founder. To the pleasant surprise of the audience, the Alexandrov choir also added the Czech folk song, Koupim ja si kone vrany to their repertoire as well as melodies from Giuseppe Verdi's opera Nabucco and Giacomo Puccini's Turandot.

Russian ambassador to Prague Igor Savolskyi was also at the concert. To him, the arrival of such an ensemble was more than just a cultural event:

"I think that this was a very important event for the development and preservation of the spiritual and cultural relation between our two nations. The presence and performance of the Alexandrov ensemble means more than just culture and art. It is a reminder of our common victory of the war and the liberation of Czechoslovakia. You could see for yourself how much the public enjoyed and welcomed them."