In this week's Mailbox: Music videos filmed in Prague, music in Radio
Prague's broadcasts. Listeners quoted: Evelyn Coviello, Maren Brown,
Stephen Hrebenach, Chun-Quan Meng.
Hello and welcome to Mailbox. A number of your e-mails in the past week
concerned music so today’s edition will have a single theme.
Evelyn Coviello from New York State, a devout reader of Radio Prague, as
she put it, sends a warm greeting to all at Radio Prague along with this
comment:
“I am writing a short response to last week’s [Letter from Prague]
regarding music videos filmed in Prague. In retrospect the INXS video
‘Never Tear Us Apart’ ignited my desire to come and visit Prague. 15
years after the video’s release I finally had my chance. Upon my return
home to NY I would watch that video over and over to reminisce of my
holiday in Prague. You may consider it a ‘cheesy’ video, but for me
that video captured the black and white essence of Prague 1988. This has
prompted me to seek out other music videos and movies filmed in Prague.”
Maren Brown sent in this question regarding a July edition of the Arts by
Jan Richter:
“I very much enjoy listening to your broadcast every day and had a
question about a recent piece entitled: ‘Czech Catholic literature
1918-1945: from dreams of utopia to despair’. Can you tell me what music
was used in the background? I really love the piano piece and would love to
find a CD.”
And Jan tells me it was a late 19th century piano piece entitled
Gnossienne No.1 by the French composer Erik Satie.
Stephen Hrebenach, our regular listener from Ohio responds to the recent
changes to Radio Prague’s sound design:
“I don't have a strong opinion one way or the other on the new jingle
and music now being used on Radio Prague. They are different, but it will
only take a little time to get used to that, much like when the web page
design is changed. However, I was disappointed to hear that music would no
longer be used to set the mood for some pieces. I always thought that added
to the broadcasts it helped paint a mental picture.
“I understand the issue with copyrights and podcasts, although I
subscribe to other podcasts that broadcast small bits of music, seemingly
without issue. I had come to believe that the copyright issue had to do
with using an entire piece of music, not just a small excerpt. Perhaps I
had gotten the wrong idea. Given the new expectations, I was pleasantly
surprised to hear music interspersed in this week's Spotlight on the
National Museum. I am hoping that you can continue to use music as a
highlight in this manner. Also, I am hoping that you will still be able to
use songs to continue the long-running series Sound Czech. I guess that
will be answered by the weekend.”
Chun-Quan Meng writes from China:
Glad to send you an email again in this week. I've just logged onto
www.radio.cz and wanted to enjoy the latest edition of Music Express
online, but my listening was interrupted several times... Luckilly, I read
the script of the programme entitled ‘Gipsy.cz – A phenomenal mix of
hip hop, rap, r’n’b and traditional gypsy music’. I'm interested very
much in Gipsy.cz, who incorporates all kinds of traditional musical
elements: violin, cymbalo.... Maybe it’s the creative aspect of mixing
the traditional with the modern is also attractive to us Chinese music
lovers. I wish Gipsy.cz would have a chance to tour China in the future. If
possible, please convey my greetings and wishes to this band.”
Thank you very much for all your letters and reception reports and before
I say good-bye, here is our quiz question for this month which,
incidentally, also concerns music:
In September we are looking for the name of an opera singer who was born
in 1807 in the east Bohemian town of Teplice nad Metují and died in 1886
in the German city of Dresden.
Please send us your answers by the end of September to english@radio.cz or Radio Prague, 12099 Prague. Mailbox will be back again next week. Until
then, take care.
| 
Related articles
Also in section "News"
Most popular articles