Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article Bohuslav Martinů (born December 8, 1890, Polička, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary [now in Czech Republic]—died August 28, 1959, Liestal Switzerland) was a modern Czech composer whose works exhibit a distinctive blend of French and Czech influences he remained mostly in the United States until 1957 when he went to Rome to serve as composer in residence at the American Academy 🔮 On Sale Now: Spiegeltent 2025 🪩 Fisher Center at Bard Visit bard.edu Weekend One: A Musical Mirror of the 20th CenturyAugust 8–10 Mechanization: Music in the Mid-20th CenturyAugust 14–17 Bard Music Festival returns with an intensive two-week exploration of Martinů and His World In eleven themed concerts featuring its boldest and most adventurous programming to date the festival’s 35th season examines the life and times of Bohuslav Martinů (1890–1959) the 20th century’s foremost Czech composer whose music is nonetheless largely unfamiliar to U.S Planning to see three or more Bard Music Festival performances the Bard Music Festival has established its unique identity in the classical concert field by presenting programs that place selected works in the cultural and social context of the composer’s world Programs of the Bard Music Festival offer a point of view The intimate communication of recital and chamber music and the excitement of full orchestral and choral works are complemented by informative preconcert talks panel discussions by renowned musicians and scholars each season University of Chicago Press publishes a book of essays and correspondence relating to the festival’s central figure the festival encourages listeners and musicians alike to rediscover the powerful expressive nature of familiar compositions and to become acquainted with less well-known works the Bard Music Festival has entered the worlds of Brahms The 35th Bard Music Festival in 2025 will be devoted to the life and work of Bohuslav Martinů The Bard Music Festival promotes new ways of understanding and presenting the history of music to a contemporary audience a single composer is chosen as the main subject the influences and consequences of that composer’s achievement and all aspects of the musical culture surrounding the time and place of the composer’s life are explored Perhaps the most important dimensions of the festival are the ways in which it links music to the worlds of literature and politics and brings two kinds of audience together: those with a long history of interest in concert life and first-time listeners who find the festival an ideal place to learn about and enjoy the riches of our musical past Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College is located in Annandale-on-Hudson situated on the east bank of the Hudson River in the beautiful Hudson Valley about 90 miles north of New York City and 220 miles southwest of Boston Sign up for our mailing list and be the first to get programming announcements and early access to tickets Bard CollegePO Box 5000 Annandale-on-Hudson New York 12504-5000 845-758-7900 [email protected] Sign up to receive the latest news, updates Metrics details Metal–organic framework nanosheets (MONs) have proved themselves to be useful additives for enhancing the performance of a variety of thin film solar cell devices to date only isolated examples have been reported In this work we take advantage of the modular structure of MONs in order to resolve the effect of their different structural and optoelectronic features on the performance of organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices Three different MONs were synthesized using different combinations of two porphyrin-based ligands meso-tetracarboxyphenyl porphyrin (TCPP) or tetrapyridyl-porphyrin (TPyP) with either zinc and/or copper ions and the effect of their addition to polythiophene-fullerene (P3HT-PC71BM) OPV devices was investigated The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of devices was found to approximately double with the addition of MONs of Zn2(ZnTCPP) -4.7% PCE 10.45 mA/cm2 short-circuit current density (JSC) but was unchanged with the addition of Cu2(ZnTPyP) (2.6% PCE 46.27% FF) and halved upon the addition of Cu2(CuTCPP) (1.24% PCE 56.24% FF) compared to devices without nanosheets (2.6% PCE Our analysis indicates that there are three different mechanisms by which MONs can influence the photoactive layer – light absorption UV–vis and photoelectron spectroscopy data found that MONs have similar effects on light absorption and energy level alignment atomic force and Raman microscopy studies revealed that the nanosheet thickness and lateral size are crucial parameters in enabling the MONs to act as beneficial additives resulting in an improvement of the OPV device performance We anticipate this study will aid in the design of MONs and other 2D materials for future use in other light harvesting and emitting devices Through the detailed characterization undertaken as part of these studies we were able to build up a good understanding of the effect of the nanosheets on the surrounding material and so predict which devices would benefit from nanosheet addition we were able to say very little about which structural and/or nanoscopic features of the nanosheets were responsible for this record PCE and what could be done to further enhance these effects In this work we explore the effect of three types of porphyrin-based MONs (Cu2(CuTCPP) Cu2(ZnTPyP) where TPyP = tetrapyridyl porphyrin and Zn2(ZnTCPP)) in order to understand the effect of different combinations of metal ions and ligands on device performance We investigate OPV performance on addition of the MONs and perform energy level alignment studies The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of devices was found to approximately double with the addition of MONs of Zn2(ZnTCPP) (4.7% PCE We observe that Zn2(ZnTCPP) simultaneously improves all device performance parameters (short circuit current density we study whether the energy level alignment of the different MONs within the ternary blend changes we compare the morphology of the different bulk heterojunction systems using atomic force and Raman microscopy to further understand the origin of the improved energy conversion in the Zn2(ZnTCPP) based ternary system This work demonstrates that along with the ideal positioning of the MON frontier energy levels with respect to the donor and the acceptor it is necessary to achieve a favorable active layer morphology to generate a significant improvement in device performance Structure (a–c) and AFM images (d–f) of Zn2ZnTCPP Cu2(CuTCPP) and Cu2(ZnTPyP) MONs used in this work (g–i) scatter plots of the height of the MONs (in nm) vs the largest lateral dimension in nm the TPyP ligand was first metallated at its centre by reacting it with zinc nitrate in a 1:1 stoichiometric ratio The resulting ZnTPyP ligand was then heated with copper acetate to form Cu2(ZnTPyP) MOF where all the four pyridyl groups of ZnTPyP are coordinated to four different Cu(II) atoms of the Cu2(OAc) units AFM particle size analysis showed that the Zn2(ZnTCPP) MONs were consistent in size with our previous paper and are 0.5–1 nm thin (RMS = 0.63 nm) with a lateral size distribution ranging between 50 and 400 nm (RMS = 224.42 nm) Based on the expected inter-layer spacing from the known crystal structures the Zn2(ZnTCPP) MONs are predominantly monolayer thick The Cu2(CuTCPP) MONs were largely found to be between 4 and 5 nm in height (~ 3 layers thick) (RMS = 6.29 nm) and between 400 and 600 nm (RMS = 495.36 nm) in lateral dimension The Cu2(ZnTPyP) MONs were found to be considerably thicker between 15 and 40 nm in height (RMS = 23.23 nm) and their lateral dimensions were found to be between 50 and 400 nm (RMS = 216.93 nm) Zn2(ZnTCPP) nanosheets formed the highest aspect ratio nanosheets with Cu2(CuTCPP) being few layer nanosheets with higher lateral dimensions and Cu2(ZnTPyP) being considerably thicker with smaller lateral dimensions These differences could be due to differences in the strength of in-layer or inter-layer interactions formed with different metal-ions/ligands It is worth noting that the same conditions were used for each system but these had previously been optimized for Zn2(ZnTCPP) so further optimization of the other two nanosheets could well also yield monolayer nanosheets However as these nanosheets are comparable to other MONs reported by us and others we proceeded with these systems without further optimization (a) Current–voltage curves and (b) PCE averaged over 30 devices for each P3HT-MON-PC71BM combination are plotted as a function of the active layer composition please consider the color code presented in the legend below the panels (a) External quantum efficiency (EQE) of the P3HT-additive-PC71BM devices without and with different ternary additives and (b) thin-film absorption spectra of the pure MONs cast from ethanol we observe in addition to the enhanced absorption contribution in the S band region a pronounced shoulder at 610 nm which corresponds to a second Q-band associated with this MONs and increased scattering due to the larger particle size These findings confirm that the MONs are photoactive in the blends with the porphyrin units contributing to net light absorption this benefit does apparently not result in a higher EQE the photoresponse in the primary absorption region of P3HT-PC71BM at 500 nm is weakened by 5% with the incorporation of Cu2(ZnTPyP) and by 30% in the case of Cu2(CuTCPP) This indicates charge carrier extraction issues presumably due to changes in the active layer morphology and charge transport pathways within these devices – an observation that will be explored below (a) UPS (He I) valence band spectra of PEDOT:PSS without (bottom spectrum) and with different spin-coated MON additives (b) Magnified region of the same spectra on logarithmic scale for inspection of the leading edge to derive the valence band maxima (VBM) For the spectrum of PEDOT:PSS the background (red dashed line) is indicated revealing that there is occupied density of states straight up to the Fermi level (EF) at 0 eV Raman spectra and mapping of the ternary blend active layer Panel (a) shows the acquired single spectra and and panel (b) shows the mapped images where the MON regions are represented in red while the P3HT-PC71BM regions are coloured in blue and green respectively the distribution is representative of a bulk heterojunction as expected We observe significant differences in the ternary bulk heterojunction films The Zn2(ZnTCPP) MONs appear evenly distributed throughout film without breaking-up the P3HT-PC71BM heterojunction blend the Cu2(CuTCPP) and Cu2(ZnTPyP) MONs seem to distribute themselves as larger aggregates in the film which breaks the P3HT-PC71BM charge percolation network The PCE of the devices after 1 month MONs were found to be 1.44% with MONs and 0.76% without the MONs This indicates that the presence of the nanosheets has no detrimental effect on the stability of the devices over time and continue to offer improved power conversion efficiencies as compared to the devices without nanosheets Here we have shown that the choice of organic ligand and metal ion can have a significant difference in device performance reducing (Cu2(CuTCPP) or having no-effect (Cu2(ZnTPyP)) compared to reference devices without nanosheets We then explored three different possible underlying explanations for the differences observed examining how structural differences affect optical absorption P3HT has an much higher extinction coefficient than any of the MON systems so are expected to dwarf these small differences Previous work adding 2D materials to BHJ has attributed poor performance to the creation of traps due to misaligned energy levels We therefore undertook detailed studies in order to understand energy level alignments within each of the systems all the MONs have a workable energy level alignments within the error of the experiment We have previously investigated other polymers where band gap alignment is less aligned than in these cases and still saw slightly improved device performance We therefore conclude that band-gap alignment is also not the key criteria in explaining the differences in performance observed between these systems Our previous detailed studies on ZnTCPP with a variety of different donor polymers and fullerene acceptors indicate that the primary mechanism by which the nanosheets enhance performance is by acting as templates to increase the crystalline fraction of the surrounding semi-crystalline donor polymer Raman and AFM studies indicate that Zn2(ZnTCPP) blend well with the P3HT: PC71BM to form reduced domain sizes compared to devices without nanosheets poor blending is observed in case of the Cu2(CuTCPP) MON system and Cu2(ZnTPyP) this is surprising as you would expect Zn2(ZnTCPP) and Cu2(CuTCPP) to be more similar in surface properties than Cu2(ZnTPyP) which has an inverted PW structure as all of the nanosheets were exfoliated under the same conditions structural differences lead to variations in the thickness and lateral dimensions of the nanosheets Cu2(CuTCPP) has the largest lateral dimensions 400–600 nm compared with 50–200 or 50–400 for the other two systems we suggest that the large lateral dimensions of the nanosheets result in poor incorporation within the BHJ devices leading to poor device morphology and so reduced device performance Further studies are needed to test this hypothesis and systematically explore the effect of nanosheet size on device performance we took advantage of the modular nature of MONs to understand the effect of different components on the performance of archetypal OPV devices The addition of Zn2(Zn-TCPP) resulted in a near doubling of the PCE whilst Cu2(Cu-TCPP) approximately halved PCE whilst Cu2(ZnTPyP) had no significant effect compared to reference devices without nanosheets EQE and UV–vis data indicate that differences in light absorption between the MONs is small compared to absorption by P3HT whilst UPS studies indicate that energy alignment within all the systems is within experimental error Significant differences in device morphology were observed by AFM and Raman microscopy studies with monolayer Zn2(Zn-TCPP) favoring the formation of well-defined smaller grained sizes Given the structural and electronic similarity of the three nanosheets we conclude that nanosheet morphology plays a key role in determining device morphology and therefore performance MONs offer enormous scope for further optimization of their electronic surface properties as well as their nanoscopic dimensions to further maximise performance We anticipate that the insights from this systematic study will be useful in guiding the design of nanosheet based additives for use in OPV and other electronic devices The other datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding authors on reasonable request Yao, H. et al. 14.7% efficiency organic photovoltaic cells enabled by active materials with a large electrostatic potential difference. 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Appl. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevApplied.14.024034 (2020) Nanoscale morphology of high-performance polymer solar cells High-performance organic photovoltaics incorporating bulk heterojunction and p–i–n active layer structures A new non-fullerene acceptor based on an asymmetric electron-deficient core for indoor organic photovoltaic cells 19.31% binary organic solar cell and low non-radiative recombination enabled by non-monotonic intermediate state transition Bulk heterojunction solar cells with large open-circuit voltage and electron transfer with small donor-acceptor energy offset Lin, Y. et al. Self-assembled monolayer enables HTL-free organic solar cells with 18% efficiency and improved operational stability. 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A https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA12313J (2020) Scalable and sustainable manufacturing of ultrathin metal–organic framework nanosheets (MONs) for solar cell applications Metal-organic framework nanosheets as templates to enhance performance in semi-crystalline organic photovoltaic cells A two dimensional metal–organic framework nanosheets-based fluorescence resonance energy transfer aptasensor with circular strand-replacement DNA polymerization target-triggered amplification strategy for homogenous detection of antibiotics Superprotonic conductivity in a highly oriented crystalline metal− organic framework nanofilm Ultrathin metal-organic framework nanosheets as nano-floating-gate for high performance transistor memory device Metal-porphyrinic framework film as efficient optical limiting layer in electro-optical switchable device Ultrathin 2D Cu-porphyrin MOF nanosheets as a heterogeneous catalyst for styrene oxidation Bottom-up assembly of ultrathin sub-micron size metal-organic framework sheets Tunable electrical conductivity and magnetic property of the two dimensional metal organic framework [Cu(TPyP)Cu2(O2CCH3)4] Composite films of oxidized multiwall carbon nanotube and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): Polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) as a contact electrode for transistor and inverter devices Enhancement of organic photovoltaic device performance via P3HT:PCBM solution heat treatment A quantitative study of the formation of PCBM clusters upon thermal annealing of P3HT/PCBM bulk heterojunction solar cell POSS-enhanced phase separation in air-processed P3HT:PCBM bulk heterojunction photovoltaic systems Laser-induced crystallization and conformation control of poly(3-hexylthiophene) for improving the performance of organic solar cells High-resolution spectroscopic mapping of the chemical contrast from nanometer domains in P3HT:PCBM organic blend films for Solar-Cell applications by High crystallinity parameter poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) thin film fabricated by the electrospray deposition method Molecular ordering of spin-coated and electrosprayed P3HT:PCBM thin films and their applications to photovoltaic cell Spectroscopic study of P3HT:PCBM deposited by electrospray deposition Probing the annealing induced molecular ordering in bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells using in-situ Raman spectroscopy Resonance Raman spectroscopy and density functional theory calculation study of photodecay dynamics of tetra(4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin Confocal Raman imaging as a useful tool to understand the internal microstructure of multicomponent aerogels Nicks, K. et al. Foster, Metal–Organic Framework Nanosheets: Programmable 2D Materialsfor Catalysis, Sensing, Electronics, and Separation Applications. Adv. Funct. Mater. 31, 2103723.https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202103723 (2021) Kuliček, J.et al. Dataset of "Tuning the morphology and energy levels in organic solar cells withmetal- organic framework nanosheets" (version 1) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12635101 (2024) Download references KS thanks the University of Sheffield for a Faculty of Science Scholarship and the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst for a RISE Professional DAAD fellowship which enabled a research stay at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH and BR acknowledge the support from the project CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/15_003/0000464 (CAP) financed by the European Regional Development Fund and Ministry of Education This work was supported by the project MEYS project No CZ.02.01.01/00/22_008/0004617 ("The Energy Conversion and Storage") under the Programme Johannes Amos Comenius DGL and JAF thank the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) for funding via the following grants - DGL (EP/S009213/1 and EP/V027131/1); JAF (EP/S021124/1) Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH (HZB) Energy Materials In‐Situ Laboratory Berlin (EMIL) Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) Department X-ray Spectroscopy at Interfaces of Thin Films Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energy (HI ERN) carried out the synthesis and characterisation of MONs aided in Raman microscopy and related data analysis provided support during performing photoelectron spectroscopy measurements and together with M.B is a co-founder and Chairman of the materials science company Ossila Ltd that retails materials and equipment used in organic optoelectronic device research and development All other authors declare no competing interests Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-80007-y Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science Bohuslav Martinů: The Greek Passion - Den Jyske OperaBohuslav Martinů's opera is one of those complex works that continue to resonate even though actual performances are still relatively rare Whilst the work is technically about a village's preparations for Easter central to the action is how the villagers deal with a group of refugees Denmark's touring opera company based in the country's second city opens a new production of Martinů's The Greek Passion tonight The production is a co-production with Theater Osnabrück where the production debuted in 2022 Directed by Philipp Kochheim and conducted by Andreas Holz The Greek Passion features Rhys Jenkins to Martinů's own English libretto (based on Jonathan Griffin's translation of the novel Christ Recrucified by Nikos Kazantzakis) Martinů radically revised the work and it was premiered in Zurich in 1961 The two versions are very different and the 1957 original was regarded as too radical it has however been reconstructed and performed Jutland Opera will be performing the work in the composer's 1961 revision the company has two more operas in the 2024/25 season This Autumn they are performing Puccini's Madama Butterfly conducted by Christopher Lichtenstein and directed by Ulrich Peters with Chunxi Stella Hu and Victoria Kaminskaite sharing the title role.  the final production of the season is Fete Galante Schierbeck was known as a teacher in the Conservatory at Copenhagen and the overture to Fete Galante retained a place in the orchestral repertoire Details from Den Jyske Opera's website Czech-American conductor Bohuslav Rattay is a busy ambassador for classical music working with orchestras across the globe to produce symphonic works of all kinds to a diverse audience Currently serving as Music Director of the El Paso Symphony Orchestra and the Midland Symphony Orchestra of Michigan he has gained a reputation as one of the finest talents of his generation Rattay combines impassioned and virtuosic musicianship with a determination to bring great music into the lives of all people Rattay strives to enthusiastically promote both the traditional and innovative aspects of classical music together in a manner exciting and fresh for the audience incorporating special audience discussions and multi-media elements He is also appreciated for his passion for the classics with special appreciation often given to his insightful understanding of the music of his native Bohemia Critics have praised Rattay for his ability to communicate the depth and diversity of music to his audience acclaiming: “Rattay is certainly the man for Tchaikovsky’s fourth” (Charleston Today) “Watching him conduct is like watching a painter creating rich imagery to live music on a large canvas” (El Paso Times) His programming is intelligent and expansive allowing him to connect to a broad range of audience thus creating new symphony-goers while entertaining the enthusiasts  Rattay’s talents and abilities are highly praised He is internationally acclaimed by critics and audiences alike for his fresh and inspired musical interpretations He has received accolades for his “vibrant” performances and his “elegant panache,” (Charleston City Paper) his ability to lead the orchestra with his “infectious zest and physicality,” (Midland Daily News) that will be remembered for many years,” (Duluth News Tribune)  His overflowing passion for classical music is highly solicited appearing as guest conductor with the Colorado Symphony and the Teplice Philharmonic in his native Czech Republic Other recent engagements include the Virginia Symphony Prague’s Dvořák Symphony Orchestra where he received several critical accolades He has also conducted the National Symphony Orchestra as part of the National Conducting Institute and was selected by the American Symphony Orchestra League to participate in its Conducting Fellowship Program Rattay is a committed pedagogue of the younger generations He recently joined the music faculty at the University of Texas at El Paso and has been a faculty member of the College of William and Mary and youth orchestras across the United States The combination of his youthful energy along with his conducting skills make him highly valued as an inspirational mentor Rattay holds degrees from the Prague Conservatory Rice University and the Peabody Institute of Music and Neeme Jarvi as his most influential teachers Email: brattay2@utep.edu Please select all the ways you would like to hear from Osteen Publishing Company: You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails For information about our privacy practices We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. 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Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices Media Centre Stáhnout obrázek v tiskové kvalitě (3600x2401, jpg, 1429.46 kB) Stáhnout obrázek v tiskové kvalitě (3600x1415, jpg, 1095.57 kB) Stáhnout obrázek v tiskové kvalitě (3600x2400, jpg, 1641.76 kB) Stáhnout obrázek v tiskové kvalitě (3600x2401, jpg, 1722.89 kB) Stáhnout obrázek v tiskové kvalitě (2992x2000, jpg, 4067.33 kB) Stáhnout obrázek v tiskové kvalitě (2992x2000, jpg, 4204.97 kB) Prime minister holds talks in Brussels with EP chairman and Commission deputy chairman"> Prime minister meets with Czechs working in EU institutions"> Nazis swept in and obliterated the village outside of Prague sent the women and most of the children to concentration camps and burnt or leveled the entire town—even the cemetery elite forces had assassinated one of the chief architects of the Nazis’ “Final Solution.” So Hitler then ordered the extermination of the little village which just happened to be near that attack Bohuslav Martinu composed this Memorial to Lidice in 1943 The Memorial to Lidice crashes two different tonalities together But Martinu was also fond of old Czech or Bohemian tunes throughout his life We also hear the so-called “fate” motif from Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony There’s a new village called Lidice now - near the old one Statues and children’s art competitions remind us of what happened here And so does this music of Bohuslav Martinu The Philadelphia Orchestra performs Martinu's Memorial to Lidice with Christoph Eschenbach conducting Your request has been blocked by our security system due to potential security concerns Please contact us for assistance The underground rapid transit lines have been under construction for almost two decades due to various project delays The cross pinnacle on the Tower of Jesus Christ will be ready to receive visitors in 2026 on the centennial of Gaudi’s death Now you can get your wine in Talence by paying directly in Bitcoin That’s because the state has to spend money on updating the railway infrastructure rather than subsidizing the cost of the popular pass Steffen Romstöck said that he would respect the residents’ choice and would take over the helm of the municipality which will come into force from 1 January 2025 Rethinking renewable energy sources for the urban landscape But operating them is still illegal under the country’s legislation can inform and inspire communities and entrepreneurs that still feel trepidation at the prospect of energy transition it has a unique modular design that allows it to be shortened and lengthened like a train that’s the promise made by the mayor of Paris the district has long been known as the hangout spot for the artsy crowds Hostal de Pinós is located in the geographical centre of the autonomous region the ranking considers several distinct but essential factors these quiet areas will now be available on all main routes in the country The academic institution shows a deeper understanding of the well-being of its students Bohuslav Svoboda became the Mayor of Prague in 2023 He is also a doctor of gynaecology and obstetrics by profession He was first elected the Mayor of Prague in 2010 with the Civic Democratic Party Svoboda formed a governing grand coalition with the Czech Social Democratic party he was rated as the worst local leader in the Czech Republic he gradually improved his position and in 2013 became the best-rated mayor in the Czech Republic  He was removed through a vote of no confidence in May 2013 seeding the position to his former 1st deputy the Civic Democratic party moved to opposition after 22 years of governing Prague Doctor Svoboda ran for Mayor of Prague again but was unsuccessful He also ran for the District Council of Prague 2 where he managed to win In 2018 he ran for the third time as the main candidate of the Civic Democratic Party and while they did win the biggest share in the election it was not enough for an outright majority leading to the Mayorship of Zdeněk Hřib of the Pirate Party Following the 2022 municipal elections and five months of talks to form a coalition on 16 February 2023 Bohuslav Svoboda was once again picked as the mayor of the Czech capital Former mayor Zdeněk Hřib will be deputy mayor Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker 2015 at the Independence House Memory Care in Lincoln Nebraska to Anton Frantisek and Antonie (Slegr) Skutchan He was the first in his family to be born in the United States His family farmed with horses and Tony was proud of his team He owned and operated TS6 Farm and Greenhouses and was a Rural Letter Carrier for more than 20 years Tony served in the Army Air Corps at the end of World War II Their marriage lasted over 58 years until Charlene passed away in 2009 Anton and Cindy Skutchan; 10 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren sign up for email or text message notifications We respect your privacy. 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Contact us Your gift helps advance ideas that promote a free society (by reservation) The opinions expressed on this website are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Hoover Institution or Stanford University by the Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior University This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page This webpage uses Cookies and JavaScript in order to work properly We strongly recommend to enable those technologies in yur browser In case of wrongly displayed content you can request necessary information at e-mail address wwwadmin@mzv.cz which were written by Bohuslav Martinů to his friend Frantisek Rybka in the United States between the years 1940-1959 were handed into the hands of Ambassador Hynek Kmoníček by Dr The ceremonial delivery took place during the festivities of Czech National Day “It is my great honor that today I could accept such precious documents Rybka and his family for their valuable gift I will gladly help to deliver the composer’s handwritten documents to his native town of Polička.” The letters dedicated to the Municipal Museum and Gallery Polička Rybka’s notes and explanations as well as photographs and the original composition “Dumka,” which Martinů composed for Dr who is the author of the biography Bohuslav Martinů offered insight into the composer’s life and personality I would like to offer a new source of information about an amazing musician not only for music fans but also for psychologists that study Asperger’s Syndrome as Martinů I would be very pleased if my book was translated into Czech the native tongue of my father and my grandparents.” Francis Rybka (1935) was born in New York to parents who devoted themselves to classical music immigrated to America in 1913 upon graduating from the Brno Organ School His wife Doris Summers was a piano player from Tennessee Their son Francis James Rybka studied piano and French horn but lacked the talents in music of his parents or his older brother going on to graduate from Brown University and went from there to graduate from Cornell University Medical School in 1961 He trained to become a general surgeon at the Boston City Hospital he served as a Captain in the US Air Force for two years after which he had further training in Plastic Surgery in St California where he entered private practice Many years after his father and Martinů died He was interested in several particularities he concluded that the composer suffered from Asperger’s Syndrome one of Martinů’s odd traits was his extreme dependence on others He lacked social reciprocity; when other composers complimented at a premiere of one of his scores so much that he was not able to go out on stage to bow to the public after his works of music were performed Rybka presents further evidence and his conclusions in his book Bohuslav Martinů Czech Television Report May 10, 2025 EU Open House 2025: Czech Embassy Opens to the Public May 13, 2025 Concert: Tomáš Kačo May 14, 2025 Film: Girl America Charles Edward Proshek is a remarkable reflection of the history of the Czech nation of about 150 years from a perspective of a Czech-American family of Minnesota Proshek was born in 1893 as one of 12 children His parents were brought to the United States from Bohemia as children His grandparents had established a farm near New Prague around 1870 His desire to become a physician sprang from admiration of his home town physician Charles Proshek graduated from the medical school of the University of Minnesota in 1917 he decided to volunteer for the American Red Cross for duty in the war-devastated Eastern Europe In Siberia he gave aid to the Czechoslovak Legionnaires a major force in the campaign for the Czechoslovak independence For his work done during his next two assignments he was honored with high decorations by Greece and Yugoslavia he met and in 1922 married Gabriela Preissova Proshek accepted an appointment as Czechoslovak Honorary Consul for the Northwest he and his wife carried on almost a 2-person campaign to bring young Czech scholars to the United States trying to save at least a few people from the Nazi tyranny They enabled more than 50 students to further their education in the United States with the hope that they would assist in the rehabilitation of their home country in the future When the communists seized control of Czechoslovakia only few years after the end of the World War II he resigned the post of Honorary Consul after having served in the capacity for twenty years he kept up close contacts with key scholars He and his wife established extensive correspondence with refugees from Czechoslovakia and lifted their morale with letters of hope and thousands of relief packages personally purchased they helped many of them after they arrived to the United States The principles of democracy and freedom were central to his involvement in the U.S His name is associated with a project that continues to assist the country of his ancestors since 1996 presented as Proshek – Fulbright Award graduates in medicine from the Czech Republic at the University of Minnesota every year Over the years the program has proven to have a great positive impact on professional careers of the Czech fellows and through that on the development of medicine and the medical research in the Czech Republic The Proshek Foundation was established by the estate of Mrs Gabriela Proshek to honor her late husband Proshek shared with her husband a strong sense of responsibility for strengthening mutual relations between Czechoslovakia and the United States The award shall also be an expression of appreciation of her merits A key role in the development of the Foundation was played for many years by Dr the only son of Charles and Gabriela Proshek Prime Minister of the Czech Republic honored Dr Charles Edward Proshek in memoriam with the Karel Kramář Medal for his lifelong tireless support of democratic values and the people of the Czech Republic The Karel Kramář Medal is a merit award of the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic for exceptional achievements in the defense of democracy The award was established on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the creation of Czechoslovakia and is named after the first Prime Minister of the Czechoslovak Republic The medal was awarded in the presence of coordinators of the Proshek-Fulbright Award Professor Paul Quie and Associate Professor Veronika Bachanova without whose dedication this program could not have had such an extraordinary impact Gratitude was expressed also to another Czech-American professor of the University of Minnesota and former Honorary Consul in Minnesota who was instrumental in enhancing the program through the partnership with the Fulbright Foundation The University of Minnesota has been the most welcoming platform for the Proshek – Fulbright Program Vice President and Dean of International Programs represented the University at the ceremony.  BohuslavBohuslav Martinů: cosmopolitan dreamer Reckoned one of the world’s leading composers in the 1940s and ’50s Bohuslav Martinů’s music is no longer a frequent presence in our concert programmes Martinů was born and spent most of his childhood in a church tower in Polička enjoyed a panoramic view of the Czech countryside was ‘the vast and boundless space I am always searching for in my music’ Perhaps this feeling of living in an eyrie accentuated the feeling of being an outsider which his music often gives off Although he identified passionately with the Czech nation and countryside Martinů never really seemed to be at home anywhere; he spent much of his life outside his homeland Martinů’s early musical life saw him take up composing from a young age suffer an ignominious exit from the Prague Conservatory only to return later under the tutelage of Suk and play violin for the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra he moved to Paris to try his luck as a full-time composer He spent 17 years in Paris from 1923 until 1940 making annual trips back to Czechoslovakia For the first time in his life he was able to devote himself entirely to composition and throughout those years he refined and perfected his technique and cultivated his individual approaches to form and sonority He now put aside his early, rather Romantic style and freely consorted with the artistic avant-garde Though he experimented with Dadaism and Constructivism in the 1920s his dominant idiom was a rather chic and sometimes sensationalist neo-classicism He began to acquire some international celebrity with works such as the football rondo Half-Time (1924) and the noisy showpiece La Bagarre (1926) Soon after came the witty chamber ballet La Revue de cuisine (1927) whose characters consist of kitchen utensils including a pot his music gained in power and distinctiveness speaking ever more plainly in a highly personal voice for example in the Czech choral folk ballet Špalíček(1931) and several operas (some of them designed for radio) with absurdist elements Swiss conductor Paul Sacher commissioned the work for his Basle Chamber Orchestra but at the first rehearsal even Sacher’s crack players found Martinů’s new work too great a challenge ‘But gentlemen,’ Sacher is reported to have said ‘you do not realize that you have before you a chef d’oeuvre!’ He received a stream of commissions (notably from conductor Serge Koussevitsky and the Boston Symphony Orchestra) which provided the spur to the composition of many of his finest works – notably powerful and imaginative utterances that enhanced his international stature Contemporary wartime events also inspired him for example in the searingly tragic Lidice Memorial in memory of the victims of the notorious Nazi massacre; and in lighter vein in the brilliant orchestral scherzo Thunderbolt P-47 a tribute to an outstandingly successful American fighter-plane Shortly after the war Martinů was seriously injured by falling from a balcony at Tanglewood necessitating several years’ convalescence during which he taught at Princeton University He had been offered a professorship in Prague but because his distrust of the new Stalinist regime he never in fact returned to his homeland He died of stomach cancer in Switzerland in 1959 Martinů had always been interested in the resources of instrumental colour and timbre but in his final decade he explored them with a new fascination in a series of works which show remarkable powers of sonic invention and creative renewal Martinů referred to these works as ‘fantasies’ but he also saw them as works of imaginative protest On the score of the piano-and-orchestra Incantations (1956) which he catalogued as the fourth of his five piano concertos he wrote: ‘The principle governing our present life is uncertainty; let us add to this its mechanisation and uniformity This chimes with his lifelong desire to create beauty in music: ‘It must be beautiful The archetypal example of these late ‘fantasies’ is his Sixth Symphony but almost as remarkable are such scores as the stirring Babylonian cantata The Epic of Gilgamesh (1955) and the shimmering Frescoes of Piero della Francesca (1955) and Parables (1958) and Greek Passion after the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis is infused with a new sense of Old Testament severity and vision It seems to open a new stage in Martinů’s music which he might have explored further; but in any case his output is a veritable treasure-house of creativity full of jewels which deserve to be displayed more often President Miloš Zeman causes widespread offence after falling out with PM Bohuslav Sobotka over Europe’s refugee crisis Czech politicians of all stripes joined forces on Tuesday to slam the country’s outspoken president after he publicly mulled using a Kalashnikov to get rid of the prime minister President Miloš Zeman and prime minister Bohuslav Sobotka were once allies but their relationship soured amid Europe’s record migrant crisis Asked at a public debate on Monday about how people could get rid of the pro-migrant Sobotka Zeman said: “There is only one democratic option “A non-democratic option is a Kalashnikov,” added the 71-year-old veteran leftwinger, the first ever directly elected president of the Czech Republic the head of the opposition Communist party told local media: “I hope he meant it as a joke Poking fun at Zeman, Christian Democrat MEP Pavel Svoboda tweeted a picture of actor Sylvester Stalone as Rambo gripping a Kalashnikov with the caption: “Will the president be able to hold the Kalashnikov himself said: “This is unworthy of a head of state something a good politician would never dare do.” who started his political career 20 years ago as a legislator for the Social Democrats led by Zeman at that time “We are most likely the only country in the civilised world where the president openly calls for killing the prime minister,” Sobotka said on Twitter but I’m upset by the fact that Zeman has scared my children the whole family and friends,” added the 44-year-old father of two Sixty per cent of Czechs believe their EU and Nato state of 10.5 million people should not accept refugees from war-torn countries the Czech Academy of Science found in a poll in December Children of Heroes is a long-term project of the Embassy of the Czech Republic in London It's aim is to acknowledge the brave Czechoslovak air personnel and soldiers who settled married and had children in the United Kingdom during the War and give their descendants and relatives the chance to tell the world their stories Czechia to Send New Ambassador to Lebanon "Czech Support to Ukraine Will Continue," Minister Lipavský Assured Ukrainian Foreign Minister Sybiha World Press Freedom Day 2025 New Ambassadors to Jordan and Ukraine Prague Radio SO/Netopil(Supraphon)The Czech composer’s meditations on Piero’s Arezzo frescoes are among the fascinating works on this rewarding disc Estampes review – mystical musingsThis article is more than 3 years oldPrague Radio SO/Netopil(Supraphon)The Czech composer’s meditations on Piero’s Arezzo frescoes are among the fascinating works on this rewarding disc his teaching in the US interrupted with spells back in Europe before he eventually settled first in Italy and then in Switzerland there was a final flowering of Martinů’s orchestral writing during this period resulting in the pieces brought together on this disc The best known of these late scores is The Frescoes of Piero della Francesca, a triptych of movements completed in 1955 and inspired by the Renaissance artist’s sequence The History of the True Cross in the basilica of San Francesca in Arezzo the pieces are not at all descriptive – more meditations on the mystical and philosophical ideas behind the paintings The more or less symphonic shape that they trace out is very similar to that of The Parables and to express ideas and feeling that are perhaps inexpressible The performances under Tomáš Netopil are obviously idiomatic – these major scores are more or less repertory pieces for the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra – though one can imagine the extra lustre and refinement that a really top-notch orchestra might bring to the string textures especially who don’t often get the opportunity to hear this music in the concert hall The other pieces on the disc – an Overture from 1953 the symphonic prelude The Rock of four years later the last orchestral work Martinů completed Also from Supraphon is a disc devoted to the orchestral music of another Czech-born composer, Karel Husa, who left his homeland to settle first in France and later in the US, where he won both a Pulitzer prize and a Grawemeyer award an assertion of Czech identity composed in the wake of the Soviet invasion though these performances do leave a bit to be desired with some wobbly wind playing in the Music for Prague especially “Roger Bohuslav and Marcela Kourkova are Czech-American artists exploring portraiture They are influenced by the Decorative & Pattern Movement and nature and both artists often collaborate on  paintings.” Galeria E.V.A. and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" HAA Cultural Events Calendar Bohuslav Rattay – pronounced Bo-hoo-slav – was “truly a breath of fresh air,” continued Hayes And when the Prague native took the stage tonight it was easy to see how he won over the committee that conducted the secret search for the past year Rattay talked about how the rain did a number on the one he brought for the occasion And after fielding questions from the crowd he talked about a coming celebration of the new alliance who directs the Muncie Symphony Orchestra and Lake Charles Symphony brings European flair with a Midwestern warmth and that set him apart from the other 109 applicants from around the world “He’s the total package,” said Ken Johnson who chaired the search committee of 10 men and women “When we met him for dinner the first time we were taken with his interpersonal skills along with his accomplishments and capabilities.” Rattay has a love of the traditional classical music that Midland’s audience holds dear And in addition to musically appealing to the community’s youth Rattay will reach out in an educational capacity “It falls right in step with the center’s mission,” Johnson said Rattay was an immediate favorite among the musicians as well the orchestra’s principal trumpet and a member of the search committee “We ran online surveys among the musicians after each show this season and it was overwhelmingly positive,” he said In a program that featured works by Shostakovich and Rachmaninoff appropriate in his criticism and enthusiastic What could have been a concert that we just gone through became a musical accomplishment.” Thomas said he sees Rattay musically leading the Midland Symphony Orchestra to a higher level and attracting and retaining a higher level of musicians to its ranks “What started as a community orchestra could become much more It’s a refreshing and exciting turn of events who as executive director of the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra went through a similar search before hiring Brett Mitchell in May 2010 “Brett and Bohuslav know each other,” he said “And they’re going to find the non-resident director model is good economics We can’t pay full time for five or six concerts a year they can take on three or four or five jobs “Bohuslav can take them a long way; he’s going to take them where they want to go.” Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User 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All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices Last week was my serious numero uno Peter Sculthorpe next week it’s Stuart Greenbaum (what a beautiful soul that man must have) and today it’s the twentieth-century Czech composer You remember those mirrored halls in the fairgrounds of your childhood those spaces of transfiguration and perplexity where the rules of physics were redundant; where you stood looking at yourself with twisted face and body That is the sound world of Bohuslav Martinů a world where regular chords take a step sideways Martinů may deserve one of your votes in the Classic 100: Composers After doing breakfast radio for a long time small odd facts tend to stick in my mind: Handel was saved in a duel by one of his buttons; Beethoven shouted at his housekeeper; Clara Wieck-Schumann’s dad threatened to shoot Robert Schumann if he went anywhere near his daughter And Bohuslav Martinů was born in a bell tower That bell tower where Martinů was born sits in the middle of Polička which sits pretty much in the middle of Europe and Martinů’s life itself sat in the middle of the huge events of the twentieth century he played violin in the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra His music style initially used folk songs from Bohemia and Moravia but his sound changed in Paris to include neo-classical rhythm and modern jazz chords It was a touch of panache to lift the earthiness of his roots because Martinů’s music came from the deep green of the fields of central Europe from the flower-filled meadows and full brooks But it also came from the horror that descended on those places just when the trees would have been at their greenest and the crops readying for harvest the Nazis went to the village and murdered all the men over 16 years of age They took away children who looked "Aryan" and placed them with German families they murdered women who stood with their husbands they sent the rest to the gas chambers and they destroyed the buildings of the whole village but they failed in their bid to erase the name of Lidice from memory and Martinů’s work is one of the great memorials of the twentieth century The music takes us from sounds of bucolic bliss with memories of Dvořák’s open harmonies to the walk the men would have made as they went from arrest to being murdered Unbearably heavy chords sound again and again as the condemned go The barn was covered in mattresses to stop the bullets ricocheting and that deadened sound is recreated by dull brass — a despair we should never be able to fully comprehend The trombones give heavenly shrugs as the music moves to a shattering chord of inhumane harmony the bright colours of the Czech nation are painted with a simple major chord But his music was also full of wit and irony how can a composer who wrote a harpsichord concerto in the twentieth century not have anything but your vote in the Classic 100 “The artist is always searching for the meaning of life A system of uncertainty has entered our daily life The pressures of mechanization and uniformity to which it is subject call for protest and the artist has only one means of expressing this Listen to Martinů’s music and feel that obsession with your phone computer or online life lessen just a little Voting is open for the Classic 100: Composer from 5 April to 20 May 2019 Ed Ayres presents Weekend Breakfast on ABC Classic (Saturday and Sunday 6am – 9am) He also presents The Art Show on RN (Wednesday 10am).