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Czech television presents
Echo of the Prague Spring
Part I.
Dear friends, welcome to the magazine Echo of the Prague spring
which we have been preparing and broadcasting for you for the eighth year already.
We could not have wished for more precious performers
at the beginning of this year's edition of the festival.
We will visit the Prague castle,
where the prologue of this year's festival took place on May 1st.
Berliner Philharmoniker with their chief conductor Sir Simon Rattle
and the mezzo-soprano Magdaléna Kožená played at their traditional European concert
the music of Vaughan Williams, Dvořák and Beethoven.
The Prague Spring, that is not only classical music, but also different genres.
The festival has been organizing together with the organizers of the Prague marathon
free concerts here at the Old Town Square.
Today's protagonist was Ondřej Hejma with his band Žlutý pes.
Did you feel the festival spirit?
Definitively, we have had a great respect for this event.
We couldn't sleep for the last two weeks,
because the Prague Spring, that is for us Mozart and other artists like him.
And we play blues. But we really enjoyed it!
Also because it took place at the Old Town Square, in front of the Town hall,
in front of the all legendary marathon runners who will run tomorrow.
It is Sunday, May 12,
tonight we are looking forward to the opening concert of the Prague Spring
and now we are watching the start of the Prague marathon.
On the opening day of the festival, we celebrate each year the anniversary
of the death of Bedřich Smetana at the Vyšehrad cemetery.
This ceremony is attended by supporters of the festival
and admirers of classical music in general.
Flowers and garlands are put down at the graves
of such great names as Smetana, Dvořák, Fibich and the violinist Josef Suk.
For us to glimpse forever the moment,
when face and landscape were ours to a great extent.
Love's shapes go, the days of flowers pass,
art gives them back.
The time shyly dodges it.
The songs were performed by the vocal choir Pueri Gaudentes,
the poem by Josef Hora was recited by Hana Maciuchová,
And the Prague mayor Bohuslav Svoboda delivered a festive speech.
We are living in a time when we should recognize the pathos of the gestures
of our patriotic ancestors and keep distance and lightness in our souls.
The 68th edition of the Prague Spring is symbolic for the connection itself.
The Prague Spring 1968 has become a notion that is taught in history books today.
I cannot imagine the spring in Prague without the Prague Spring.
I consider it an amazing cultural event
which has had such a long tradition and was founded by our ancestors.
And I think we, the descendants,
should take care of these exquisite cultural traditions
and pamper them and be proud of them and work for them as much as we can
so that the whole Europe would come to Prague for this festival and give us joy.
I cannot imagine the spring in Prague without the Prague Spring,
although it seems today that the Prague Spring will take place in the summer.
Dear Mr. President, dear Mrs. Hanáková, dear Mr. Mayor.
It is a great honour for me to welcome you here.
Allow me to open the Prague Spring with a short official ceremony.
I cannot imagine the spring without the Prague Spring.
You get so used to it after several decades
that even if you don't attend each edition of the festival
the spring in general wouldn't be spring without the Prague Spring.
It might not have such a sound... ...you could not call it spring in Prague.
I cannot imagine the spring without the Prague Spring festival.
I have been living with it since I was a little boy.
And a dress rehearsal at the Prague Spring with Maestro Václav Talich
was one of my first concert experiences.
It was my father who brought me there back then.
We know that the Prague Spring has got double meaning
but the political Prague Spring was a very short one.
The musical Prague Spring has remained until today.
I declare open the 68th edition of the Prague Spring festival.
This year's festival accentuates French productions
and performers from the country of the Coq Gaulois.
The opening concert was therefore for the first time in history performed by a French orchestra,
namely Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France under the baton of Peter Oundjian.
Maestro, has the opening of the Prague Spring ever been one of your professional dreams?
Yes, I am really delighted to be here and it's a great honour to perform Má vlast
at the opening of the Prague Spring with such a wonderful orchestra.
I already played here as a concertmaster of a Tokyo string quartet in early 90ies.
Back then I would have never imagined something like that could ever happen.
I am really happy about it.
I am sure the spring in Prague cannot subsist without the Prague Spring.
This is a classical music festival that has its place in Prague where it belongs.
In my view, one of the values of the Prague Spring has been underestimated in the long term.
I am talking about its inspirational function for local and regional music festivals.
Were it not for the Prague Spring and its extraordinary success by the audience,
this inspiration would have been much weaker.
We will have the next Echo ready for you on Thursday, May 16.
We are going to peep into the backstage of the Prague Spring International Music Competition
which focuses on the categories of French horn and the organ this year.
See you next time!