Dvořák’s less familiar career: networking in the salons of Prague and the long road to operatic success

29th May 2018. Held in the Czech Embassy London, this was a hugely interesting lecture, full of little-known facts not only about the composer Dvořák but also the literary and the musical scene in Prague and the Empire in the 19th century. The title was 'Dvořák’s less familiar career: networking in the salons of Prague and the long road to operatic success'. Jan Smaczny is a well-known authority on many aspects of Czech music. He was the Sir Hamilton Harty Professor of Music at Queen’s University, Belfast, and is now Professor Emeritus in Music. Event organised with the cooperation of the Embassy of the Czech Republic.

Image: Jan Smaczny. Copyright FoCH.

Images clockwise from top left, a manuscript by Dvořák; the composer in 1868; scene of laying the foundation stone of the National Theatre Prague in 1868; Na Příkopě Street, Prague. All images in the public domain