Martinů and His New World

A commemorative evening dedicated to Bohuslav Martinů and his American period, held on the 135th anniversary of the composer's birth. 

The entire program will be framed by Martinů's music performed by students of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. It will also include a discussion of the new book Martinů and His World (University of Chicago Press 2025) and this year's Bard Music Festival, which was dedicated to Martinů.

The book Martinů and His World contains contributions from musicologists from a number of countries. Published in collaboration with the Bard Music Festival, it presents studies on the life of Bohuslav Martinů and the reception of his work in various cultural contexts. It offers a multifaceted portrait of Martinů – his artistic development and his rich legacy in 20th-century music, but also his decades-long life in exile. In addition to scholarly studies, it also contains a detailed analysis of one of the composer's newly discovered notebooks and interviews with his American friends and students. It presents Martinů as a cosmopolitan artist whose music combines Czech folk traditions with global influences,

The debate will feature musicologist and composer Aleš Březina, director of the Bohuslav Martinů Institute and one of the two editors of the above-mentioned book, as well as musicologist and composer Vít Zouhar, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Bohuslav Martinů Foundation; Markéta Kratochvílová from the Institute of Art History of the Academy of Sciences; musicologist Marek Pechač from the Bohuslav Martinů Institute; and composer, conductor, and educator Marios Christou, director of the Archaion Kallos Festival.

More information: https://www.americkecentrum.cz/udalost/martinu-a-jeho-novy-svet/