The Prague Symphony Orchestra will play music from Czech films in the Municipal House

Details about the concert will be revealed by the conductor Jan Kučera in an interview with Martina Klausová on Classic Prague in Sunday, April 28 at 4:30 p.m. Listen to the replay on Monday 4/29 at 11:30 a.m.

• FOK, conductor Václav Kučera, film music concert (©Petr Dyrc)

“Film music sounds quite often in concert halls. Not so much music from Czech films. At the same time, we can find original musical ideas in many of them! Its authors should not be neglected in the Year of Czech Music,” says the FOK dramaturg Martin Rudovsky.

“I like movies, especially Czech ones. In most of them there is great music, which we sometimes perceive, perhaps a little unfairly, only as a backdrop to the story. Many times, however, sheet music materials are not available. Fortunately, the music in the films still sounds and can be very well reconstructed or rearranged. That is why I have already created several such symphonic film suites, in which I try to present these jewels to the audience in concert form. I want to keep reminding the audience of the great composers of Czech film music, such as Luboš Fišer, Jiří Šust and Petr Hapka,” he remarked Jan Kučera, who himself will sit down at the piano during the concert, from which he will conduct the orchestra. His colleague Ondřej Brousek will moderate the concert.

The concert covers almost the entire history of sound film in the Czech Republic. The program begins with films from the 1930s, for which the FOK orchestra recorded music; for example C. and K. field marshal, You don’t know Hadimrška or Hey rup! During the evening, Doubravka Součková sings solo and in several duets with Jan Cina. Their performance will include hits such as Den je bzőlý or Bossa nova from Starců na chměle or So fár tu jů aj mej from Lemonádové Joe. In cooperation with the National Film Archive, the FOK acquired visual materials for historical films that will be shown during the concert.

“I composed symphonic suites of melodies from old Czech films on the order of the Czech Philharmonic as early as 2003, and since then I have performed them several times with almost all Czech orchestras. At that time, I selected the biggest film hits of the First Republic, such as the songs Just for the present day, Sunflowers, Přednosta stacinja and the like. In the case of Petr Hapka’s film melodies, I was lucky enough to have time to personally discuss it thoroughly with Petr, he was happy that such a symphonic suite would be created, and he himself gave me tips on the selection.” supplies Jan Kučera.

• FOK, conductor Václav Kučera, film music concert (©Petr Dyrc)

A word from FOK dramaturg Martin Rudovský

“Jan Kučera and Ondřej Brousek make a really well-matched pair; both present with taste and wit, both play the piano, both are composers and both know so much about music, including film music. That is why there is no one better suited for an evening that will belong to Czech film music. And since May 2024 is one of the highlights of the Year of Czech Music, we’ll take it from the ground up. That is, from Ježek to Sluk, but also from Vačkař to Soukup and from Beneš to Hapko. Or from Kristián to Kolja, from the Advantages of the station to the Secret of the Castle in the Carpathians. This evening, in short, F in the abbreviation FOK will shine like Hotel Modrá hvězda.”

Opening photo: FOK, conductor Václav Kučera, film music concert (©Petr Dyrc)