In the Footsteps of Chopin (32 minutes)
Cinema of the Birthplace of Fryderyk Chopin in Żelazowa Wola

A film about Fryderyk Chopin and the Czech episodes in his life. The composer visited the Czech Republic several times. He experienced particularly happy moments in Prague, Mariánské Lázně, and Karlovy Vary. He also visited Teplice and Decin.

The Czechs commemorated the great composer's stay with, among other things, commemorative plaques, the founding of a musical society bearing his name, and the organization of the International Chopin Festival in Mariánské Lázně.

In August 1829, Fryderyk Chopin, returning from his first trip to Vienna, stopped for three days in Prague. He met Vaclav Hanka, a scholar of early Czech, who guided the composer and his friends around Prague. The composer also visited Prague in 1830 during his second trip to Vienna.

After leaving Prague in 1829, Fryderyk Chopin stayed at the spa town of Teplice, where he would return several times. In the summer of 1835, Chopin met his parents in Karlovy Vary, who had come there for treatment. Fryderyk Chopin spent the summer of 1836 at the White Swan guesthouse in Mariánské Lázně, where his muse and youthful love, Maria Wodzińska, also stayed with her family.

The film features: an excerpt from Fryderyk Chopin's Piano Concerto in E minor; Ivan Klansky plays with the West Bohemian Symphony Orchestra conducted by Miroslav Bervid; and an excerpt from "What Flowers, What Wreaths" (Mazur dla Vaclava Hanka) performed by Florian Skulski (lyrics by Ignacy Maciejowski, music by Fryderyk Chopin).

Time: 5:00 PM