Domov / Heimat – Cidlina Tomáš (2022)

The centuries-old meeting of Czech and German culture has left a noticeable legacy in the borderlands despite the complex post-war developments. There are people who perceive it intensely; the traces of the old local culture speak clearly to them. However, efforts to rationally understand everything that happened here in the 20th century often fail. Where reason falls short, it is necessary to engage the senses and emotions. Four poems, which together form a cycle titled Home / Heimat, were originally created as a libretto for a composition by Ľubica Čekovská. The piece was commissioned for the 20th anniversary of the International Music Festival Lípa Musica, with the brief stating: Sudetenland. The content of the book and the libretto consists of poems titled Šumava, Northern Bohemia, Luž, and A Piece of Home. The first part lyrically contemplates the Šumava landscape and its Stifterian charm and purity. The second part presents a view of the hustle, dynamics, and faith in progress in Northern Bohemia at the beginning of the 20th century. The third poem, titled Luž, contains the complex theme of the expulsion of the German-speaking population from the Czech lands after the Second World War. The final poem of the cycle reflects on the present of the Czech borderland landscape and the engagement that those who live here today are obliged to undertake, hearing how the walls, trees, and...