Otázka: Cultural life – CR, GB, USA
Jazyk: Angličtina
Přidal(a): Eliška H.
Culture plays a very important role in our lives. Our life without any culture would be boring and grey. It also helps us to develop our creative skills. We can go to the cinema, to the theatre, we can visit a museum or a gallery, we can go to a concert and so on. In the big cities, there are more kinds of culture than in the small towns and villages. Cultural life is very wide term, everybody imagine different things. I really enjoy going to cinema, theatre or concerts, but I think there aren’t many possibilities in our town. If you want to attend as much cultural events as possible, you should visit our capital city Prague. There are held many concerts, theatre performances, exhibitions or musicals every day.
Music can be someone’s hobby, profession or a part of the lifestyle. If you like classical music, you can enjoy a concert of a philharmonic orchestra in a concert hall or attend a festival. Opera lovers can chose from a list of opera performances in a theatre or opera house. Fans of different music styles – pop, rock, jazz, blues or country can enjoy the music at music festivals, concerts or simply listen to CDs. There are also people, who like folklore music. Folklore groups dressed in traditional costumes dance at folklore festivals from which the most famous is the one held in July in Východná.
Going to the cinema is an important part of youth culture in today’s society. Young people love spending their free time with their friends and the cinema offers them that. After the film, they enjoy talking about the plot, cast and scenes they liked most.
Going to the theatre is a social event for most people. We can enjoy various types of theatre performances of all genres, including drama, opera, ballet and dance or puppet theatre for small kids. The most famous theatre in our republic is the National Theatre in Prague. I’ve never been there, but I hope some day I’ll get there and enjoy a performance.
Those who like fine art enjoy going to art galleries to see exhibitions of classical or modern art that are held all year round. There are not many people who are keen on going to galleries these days, especially among teenagers. However, museums seem to be full of visitors, because people want to learn about the history of their region or country.
How rich your cultural life is depends on both your interests and hobbies, as well as where you live. If you live in a large town, you have a good choice as cultural facilities are plentiful. There are several cinemas, in a large town you can find one or two theatres, many galleries, museums, concerts and festivals of different genres are held there. All you need to do is to decide where you’d like to go or what you’d like to see or sometimes you might need to buy a ticket in advance. That’s all.
If you live in a small town or village, you don’t have such a good choice as there aren’t many cultural facilities. The only cultural event is a disco or ball which are held on special occasions several times a year. There are also folk costumes feast, it is typical for villages. People wear traditional costumes, they drink wine and they are going from house to house.
When people living in a village want to see a good film or theatre performance, they have to go to the nearest town which can be expensive and time consuming. The only choice for them is television, videos and possibly DVDs which are a bit cheaper and more convenient.
Another cultural events are balls. We had our prom ball recently and in my opinion, it was really nice and people enjoyed it a lot. There are many other balls held in our town, but I think our ball is the best. The most famous and really expensive is Opera ball in Prague.
Tourists in the Czech Republic can visit a lot of interesting events.
One of the most famous is The Prague Spring International Music Festival. It is a permanent showcase for outstanding performing artists, symphony orchestras and chamber music ensembles of the world. The festival starts every year on 12 May – it is the anniversary of the death of Bedřich Smetana — with his cycle of symphonic poems Má vlast. Prague Spring is traditionaly held is the Rudolfinum concert hall and in Municipal House, which has a larger seating capacity. Rudolfinum is one of the oldest concert halls in Europe and is noted for its excellent acoustics. The building also contains the Galerie Rudolfinum, an art gallery that focuses mainly on contemporary art.
Another well-known event is Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. It is a film festival held annually in July. Over the past years, it became more and more popular and it has become one of Europe’s major film events. There is also held a film competition and the Crystal Globe is given to the best film. Many celebrities are attending this festival, for example John Travolta last year or Sharon Stone few years ago.
There are also some cultural events in our region. The Peter Dvorský International Music Festival is an outstanding summer open-air festival, which every year in August attracts thousands of people to the castle park in Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou, Valeč castle and the historical brew-house Dalešice. The festival is named after one of the most successful tenors of his generation Peter Dvorský. There are performed opera concerts, but also different kinds of music.
Here in Moravské Budějovice is traditionaly held Václav Hudeček‚s music festival. There we can hear classical music from one of our best violins and his guests.
For younger generation, there is Protiproudu festival with many musicians and bands. The festival has a long tradition – it has been working since 1997, that makes it one of the oldest events of this type in the region of Vysočina. PP has evolved from a small local event for local fans to the festival, which more than two thousand people visit during one weekend. The festival is held in an open-air cinema here in MB.
The USA is a candle of many music styles. In the south near New Orleans was born jazz in 1920s. The centre of culture is NY. His parts Broadway and Harlem are centres of entertainment. Broadway is known for musicals and theatres. Hollywood is a centre of film industry. It is famous around the world as a place where movies and television series are made. It has many different attractions such as the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Universal Studios and the famous Hollywood Sign. The most fanous directors are Steven Spielberg (The Jaws, The Jurassic Park) and George Lucas (Star Wars). There’re many famous actors, actresses, models… The golden age of film was in 1920s – the era of Marilyn Monroe and Charlie Chaplin. My favourite movie is Forrest Gump and sometimes, when I have good mood for it, I enjoy romantic films like Titanic or Pearl Habor.
Great Britain has a rich cultural life, too. London is home to many museums, galleries, and other institutions. The first of these to be established was the British Museum in Mloomsbury. In 1824 the National Gallery was founded to house the British national collection of Western paintings, this now occupies a prominent position in Trafalgar Square. London is one of the major classical and popular music capitals of the world and is home to major music corporations as well as countless bands, musicians and industry professionals. The city is also home to many oechestras and concert halls. Two main opera houses are the Royal Opera House and the Coliseum Theatre. The UK’s largest pipe organ is at the Royal Albert Hall.
