The first installment of course content for the Central European tour features films about each of the four cities. As only cinema can do, these films provide a quick immersion into specific aspects of each city's culture and history and serve as an introduction to themes that will be explored in other art forms in the course. (Scroll down for additional content.)

We started with films about music (Budapest) and art (Vienna) and how they represent efforts at resistance and justice. For Prague and Munich we move to films about direct resistance to Nazi power in those cities.

Anthropoid was released in 2016 and is an English-language film about an attempt by the resistance in Prague to assassinate SS General Reinhard Heydrich, third in command after Hitler and Himmler.

Watch the trailer:

For a list of 'top picks' from Czech filmmakers, click here.

As a companion to "Woman in Gold" (see Vienna page) we offer the self-portrait "The Yellow Scale" (click here) by the Czech artist Frantisek Kupka (1871-1957). Click here for more about his work as an artist. As we move further into our posts for each city it should become clear that distinct national and cultural boundaries are difficult to maintain between the cities of the tour, particularly during the period we are focusing on (roughly 1900 to 1950).

As a first musical selection from Prague we provide a recording of Film en Miniature by Bohuslav Martinu, a set of miniatures much like a suite. If you're not familiar with this set, the pieces make excellent repertoire choices for the advanced intermediate student.

Related to our discussion of music and the Holocaust (see also the "Munich" page), here is a tribute to three Czech composers who remained active even while interred at the Theresienstadt concentration camp. All three perished at Auschwitz.

 

Check back regularly for new content related to our Central European tour in July 2018!

NEWS

Join us in Vienna for a week-long course, Creativity at the Piano! June 24-28, 2024

Explore movement, rhythm, composition and improvisation!

Click here for more info

 

 

   

QUICK Links

 

Preview and purchase the Anthology of Turkish Piano Music (with links to video pages)

 

Follow us