The Czech National Day Program for EXPO 2025 Is Taking Shape in Prague – One Month to Go
The highlight of the Czech National Day program at EXPO 2025 in Osaka, Japan, taking place on July 24, will be a joint performance by the Czech Philharmonic chamber ensemble and Cirk La Putyka, accompanied by the Czech Radio Children’s Choir. On Wednesday, June 26, 2025, a rehearsal of the bold production Strings, written and directed by ensemble leader Rosťa Novák Jr., was held at Jatka78 in Prague’s Market Hall. The performance will feature some of the most iconic works by Czech composers, representatives of the ensembles told journalists during the rehearsal.
The Philharmonic sextet, in a musical arrangement by conductor Jan Kučera, will perform pieces such as Antonín Dvořák’s Humoresque, an adapted section of Bedřich Smetana’s Má vlast, and will accompany the choir in Vítězslava Kaprálová’s song Můj milý člověče. “A shortened version of Dvořák’s Largo, which the Japanese almost consider their national song, will also be performed,” conductor Kučera told ČTK.
Various musical forms will be visually complemented by an acrobatic and dance performance by Cirk La Putyka, whose collaboration with the Czech Philharmonic was seen by audiences at last year’s Smetana’s Litomyšl festival. The troupe uses a treadmill, trapeze, rings, ground and aerial acrobatics—often at a frantic pace—as well as puppets in the performance.
The name Strings was derived by Novák from these puppets and their guiding strings, but it also refers to the string instruments played by the musicians. According to him, the visual concept of the performance was shaped by Liberec’s Anifilm and photographer Libuše Jarcovjáková, who visited Tokyo in 1986.
“I want to present role models and icons, but also victories and defeats. The performance will also feature traditional marionettes inherited from my parents, dating back to the mid-19th century. The puppetry tradition in Japan is rich and respected,” Novák said.
Rehearsals for the performance will, according to him, continue in Prague in the coming days. The troupe is also still waiting for costumes. Novák estimated that around 70 people are involved in the program for the National Day performance, including singer Aiko, who represented the Czechia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 and has been nominated for the Anděl music award.
According to Přemysl Pela, the program director of the Czech participation at EXPO 2025, the performance "Strings" will not take place in the Czech pavilion but on the large EXPO stage, in the so-called National Day Hall. Today at Jatka 78, Pela praised the rehearsing artists, saying they have reached the final stage of preparation. The performance "Strings" is scheduled to take place twice on July 24, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. The ambition of the Czech participation is to surpass the American National Day, which will take place in Osaka about a week earlier.
The Czech National Day is associated with the personality of Alfons Mucha, as July 24, 2025, marks the 165th anniversary of his birth. His work enjoys great popularity in Japan and is even admired by the imperial family, which still maintains a friendship with the Mucha family. This is why Mucha plays such a significant role in the Czech presentation. As part of the Czech national pavilion's exhibition, visitors can also view an original bronze statue of Alfons Mucha titled "Nude on a Rock.
EXPO 2025 in Osaka, Japan, runs until October 13.
Source: Czech News Agency, author’s adaptations
