Remains of pianist Rudolf Firkusny will return to Czech Republic

The remains of Rudolf Firkusny, a Czech-born pianist who died in the United States in 1994, will be transported to the Czech Republic. One of the great concert pianists of the 20th century, Rudolf Firkusny left Czechoslovakia in 1939 and again in 1948 to escape the communist regime. He became known especially for his performances of Bohemian and Moravian composers Bedrich Smetana, Antonin Dvorak, Leos Janacek and Bohuslav Martinu. Mr Firkusny's remains will be interred on September 10 at the central cemetery in Brno.