Vladimír Merta

A concert by singer-songwriter Vladimír Merta begins at 19:00 at the swimming pool in Poniklá. Admission is voluntary. In case of bad weather, the event will move to the cinema hall in the building of Poniklá Primary School, Poniklá 148.

Vladimír Merta has released over forty music albums and a dozen books across various genres. Music critic Pavel Klusák wrote of him: "Merta has pushed the possibilities of Czech song to the boundaries of the essay. He can balance depth with playfulness and a firmly structured composition with improvisation, where he risks everything." The foundation of his current concert playlist consists of cult songs from the 1970s and 1980s.

His first album Ballades de Prague was released in 1969 by the French label Vogue; further publishing opportunities were severely restricted by regime repression. He had to wait until 1978 for his first official domestic release; a decade later came a raw live double album recorded at Malostranská beseda. His strong poetic lyrics and distinctive guitar playing earned him the status of an unconventional musician who refuses to be bound by anyone.

After 1989, Merta was able to fully devote himself to publishing, film directing, and performing. His notable activities include collaboration with the Jewish song ensemble Mišpacha, Baroque and Renaissance music performed with Jana Lewitová, cooperation with Mišíkovy Etc…, which resulted in the album Ponorná řeka, and the albums Domilováno (2013) and Imagena (2014) with David Landštof, Josef Štěpánek, Jan Štolba, and other musicians in the studio band. He is currently releasing a solo album series Nejisté jistoty (gradually in 2024-2027).