Zvuky Prahy / Sounds of Prague

Faust in fact probably never lived here, but his symbolic personality is still enbedded in the picture of the old Prague. At the corner of the Charles Square (at the place called “Na skalce” -On the Hill) is an ancient, dismal house called Faustův dům. In 14th century the owner was the princeses of Opava, later it changed regulary the owners till 1724, when the family of Mladota of Solopysky bought the house. Josef Mladota of Solopysky was passionately interested in chemistry, physics and alchemy. According the legend in the time of princeses of Opava, Johannes doctor Faust lived for some years in the house. He performed magics and witchcraft, boiled mysterious powders in flasks and beakers, doing astrology and collected the books of witchcraft, kabbala. He as well asked the devil in order to serve him in exchange for his soul.Mefistofeles fulfilled all his wishes and commands but as soon as the term has expired he took his master to the hell and there remained only the black hole in the ceiling through which the famous magician has disappeared. It was magic and not easy to fix it. The sounds are compised from the fragment of the film by Jan Švankmajer Lekce Faust (1994) and location recordings from Prague. The excelent sound for the film was made by Ivo Špalj.