Over to Prague this week, by way of Madrid, for a broadcast concert featuring the venerable Czech Philharmonic, conducted by the equally venerable Jiri Belohlavek.

The program consists of music by Martinu, Novak, Ancerel (Karl Ancerel who was Music Director of the Czech Phil for many years) and Antonin Dvorak and is part of the 100 year anniversary celebration of the Czech Conservatory.

Here are the program notes from Radio Nacional Espana:

100 aniversario del Conservatorio de de Praga. Concierto celebrado en el Rudolfinum de Praga el 28 de abril de 2011. Grabación de la CR, República Checa.

(Top Player) MARTINU: Obertura (6‟18”).
K. ANCERL: Sinfonietta(19‟05”).
(Bottom Player) - NOVAK: Suite morava, Op. 32 (27‟51”).
DVORAK: La rueca dorada, Op. 109 (22‟02”). Orq. Fil. Checa. Dir.: J. Belohlavek.

Great concert, and the Czech Philharmonic certainly lives up to their reputation. Nice Anti Road-Rage Wednesday (Thursday) music.

Enjoy.

Even though the drive is more or less officially over, I know there are some who didn't get a chance to donate while we were in crisis mode. If you care to, that would be wonderful, as running Newstalgia is an every day effort. I'll leave the Donate button up until the end of the week so if you didn't get a chance before, now's your opportunity.

As an adjunct to the news of this day from Prague and the Czech crisis, there was also significant news regarding the very first Air Raid drill to take place in the U.S. on the night of May 16, 1938.

The site was a small rural community in New York State, which also housed an aircraft plant. The Air Raid, part of a new concept in War, was designed to better acquaint the public with the distinct possibilities that war could come just as easily from the air as anywhere else.

And since Radio was pretty new at this sort of on-the-spot reporting, it was an exciting evening for all parties concerned, and rather festive to the inhabitants of Farmingdale, New York.

So here is that broadcast, complete as it happened over WOR, New York on that night of May 16, 1938 - seventy-four years ago.

A lot has changed since then, to be sure.

Over to Prague this week for a concert held this past Friday (the 15th), featuring winners of the Czech Radio International Competition in a program of Vivaldi, Bach, Mozart and Haydn. The concert features winners, Veronica Hrdovo, Guitar - Julie Svecena, Violin and Anastasia Vorotnaja, Piano with the Czech Radio Symphony conducted by Alfonso Scarano. As always, the concert is complete, with the first half (Vivaldi and Bach) on the top player and the second half (Mozart and Haydn) on the bottom. Announcements are in Czech, but not a whole lot.

Here's the program:
Live concert of laureates from the International Radio Competition Concertino Praga 2010 from the Bethlehem Chapel in Prague. Veronica Hrdovo soloists (guitar), Julie Svěcená (violin), Anastasia Vorotnaja (piano), Russia. Radio Symphony Orchestra. Conductor Alfonso Scarano. Margaret Vejvodová , announcer. 1. Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra in D major. -2. JS Bach: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in A minor BWV 1041st - 3. WA Mozart: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 23 in A major K 488th -4. Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 45 in F sharp minor, Hob I/45. Farewell. (134min.)

This concert definitely ranks high on the Anti-Road Rage Wednesday charts.

Enjoy.

News for this day in May 1938 was unsettling. The crisis between Nazi Germany and Czechoslovakia was heating up and the goings on in Prague were taking center stage for the rest of the world.

This broadcast, an English language newscast from Radio Prague on May 16th, 1938 deals with results from the elections held the previous day. Of primary concern was just how influential pro-Nazi Konrad Henlein and his Deutsche Sudeten Party were in securing enough seats in Parliament and how this would eventually effect the proposed land-grab by Berlin.

Negotiations were still going on between England, France and Germany over the Sudeten question, and things would heat up considerably more over the coming weeks before an appeased settlement was brokered by Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. The outcome didn't favor the beleaguered Czech people, but it did promise "Peace In Our Time" for the moment.

And that's what happened in Prague, this May 16, 1938.

The rest is history.