Conductor Vladimír Válek turns 80

It seems hard to believe, but Czech conductor Vladimír Válek, who headed the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra for 26 years, turned 80 this week.

Vladimír Válek, photo: archive of Czech Radio

In his honour, we are featuring recordings of work by composers Janáček, Dvořák and Smetana, with Mr Válek conducting.