'Living In Truth': The Czech Republic
An orchestral performance in June 1939 demonstrates why the Czech Republic has a moral standing that few other nations possess, says Paul Lay.
Historical sources come in many forms. One extraordinary example, unearthed recently from the archives of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, is a recording from June 5th, 1939 of a concert given by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra at the National Theatre, Prague. The orchestra, under the baton of Vaclav Talich, perform a riveting account of Bedrich Smetana’s nationalist tone poem, Ma Vlast (My Country). The historical context is all. On March 15th, 1939 Nazi Germany had begun its occupation of Bohemia and Moravia, renamed Der Protektorat Böhmen und Mähren.
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