This is a sponsored article on behalf of the Czech Centre.
Dip your toes into Czech culture next month, as Made in Prague Festival returns to London, spanning music, film, literature and visual and performance art across five mesmerising weeks.
This year's festival, organised by the Czech Centre, is the 28th edition, and it's a triple whammy, reflecting on Czechia's musical heritage, celebrating a centenary of the legacy of Franz Kafka, and remembering the 35th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution. There's plenty to get stuck into, so let's take a look at a few highlights.
It all kicks off with an opening concert at Barbican on 31 October, with the London Symphony Orchestra performing Follow Me, a piece by award-winning Czech composer Ondřej Adámek, accompanied by violinist Isabelle Faust. If that gives you a taste for Czech music, there's more to follow, including:
- Czech pianist and composer Emil Viklický and UK vocalist Imogen Ryall launching their new album Songs, at The Pheasantry in Chelsea (4 November)
- Award-winning Czech pianist and composer Nikol Bóková performing songs from her latest album, Expedition, at the Crazy Coqs — part of this year's EFG London Jazz Festival (18 November)
- A closing gala concert at Southbank Centre, featuring violinist Pavel Šporcl and the English Chamber Orchestra performing Dvořák's Violin Concerto and Symphony No 8, and works by Faure and Saint-Saëns (30 November)
Away from music, there's plenty more to see and do. Inspired by Kafka: Insectum K. & Joseph Kilian is an evening celebrating the legacy of avant garde writer Franz Kafka with three short films, followed by a one-man dance in which performer Honza Malík evokes Kafka's surreal and unsettling world — catch it on 26 November at the Coronet Theatre. Plus, immerse yourself in the world of Kafka's novel The Castle at an open-air exhibition featuring expressive black and white prints by renowned Czech illustrator Jaromír 99. It's free to visit, located in a public space outside the Czech Embassy.
The UK premiere of Havel Speaking, Can you Hear Me? comes to the ICA on 14 November, followed by a Q&A with director Petr Jančárek. The time-lapse documentary reflects on the political legacy of Václav Havel, who became the President of Czechoslovakia following the Velvet Revolution of 1989.
There are several other treats for cinephiles too, as the festival continues its tradition of introducing contemporary Czech cinema to London, including the UK Premiere of Waltzing Matilda — a tragicomic story about a successful debt collector whose orderly world is upended when their mother moves in — at the Regent Street Cinema on 12 November. Throw in further film screenings, a book launch, a children's illustration workshop, exhibitions and more, and this year's Made in Prague Festival looks altogether unmissable.
The 28th Made in Prague Festival runs 31 October-30 November 2024. The full programme is available to browse online now.
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