Life and career Rafael Kubelík

1 life , career

1.1 life
1.2 brno
1.3 defection
1.4 chicago, covent garden , munich
1.5 last years
1.6 compositions

life , career
early life

kubelík born in býchory, bohemia, austria-hungary, today s czech republic. sixth child of bohemian violinist jan kubelík, whom younger kubelík described kind of god me . mother hungarian countess, anna julie marie széll von bessenyö. kubelík studied violin father, , entered prague conservatory @ age of 14, studying violin, piano, composition, , conducting. graduated conservatory in 1933, @ age of 19; @ graduation concert played paganini concerto , composition of own violin , orchestra. kubelík accomplished pianist, , served father s accompanist on tour of united states in 1935.

brno

in 1939, kubelík became music director of brno opera, position held until nazis shut company down in november 1941. nazis allowed czech philharmonic continue operating; kubelík, had first conducted orchestra when 19, became principal conductor. in 1943 married czech violinist ludmilla bertlová, whom had 1 son.

in 1944, after various incidents, including 1 in declined greet nazi reichsprotektor karl hermann frank hitler salute, along refusal conduct wagner during war, kubelík deemed advisable disappear prague , spend few months undercover in countryside not fall clutches of ss or gestapo . kubelík conducted orchestra s first post-war concert in may 1945. in 1946, helped found prague spring festival, , conducted opening concert.

defection

after communist coup of february 1948, kubelík left czechoslovakia, vowing not return until country liberated. had lived through 1 form of bestial tyranny, nazism, told interviewer, matter of principle not going live through another. defected during trip britain, had flown conduct mozart s don giovanni glyndebourne company @ edinburgh festival. had been engaged on recommendation of bruno walter, whom kubelík had assisted in work @ 1937 salzburg festival. kubelík told wife of decision defect plane left czechoslovakia.

in 1953, communist government convicted couple in absentia of taking illicit leave abroad. in 1956, regime invited him promises of freedom wanted, said kubelík, refused invitation. in 1957 letter times, kubelík said consider returning when country s political prisoners freed , émigrés given freedom have possessed. invited regime in 1966 again refused; in 1968, after prague spring had been ended soviet invasion, organised international boycott, in many of major classical artists of west participated.

chicago, covent garden , munich

rafael kubelík (amsterdam, 1950)

in 1950, kubelík became music director of chicago symphony orchestra, choosing position on offer bbc succeed sir adrian boult chief conductor of bbc symphony orchestra. left post in 1953. hold hounded out of [chicago] job (to quote time magazine) savage attacks (to quote new grove dictionary of music , musicians) of chicago tribune music critic claudia cassidy. chicago sun-times music critic robert c. marsh argued in 1972 chicago symphony trustees behind departure. foremost complaint, , of cassidy well, kubelík introduced many contemporary works (about 70) orchestra; there objections demanding exhaustive rehearsals , engaging several black artists. many recordings made kubelík in chicago mercury records available on cd, , have received critical praise.

after leaving chicago, kubelík toured concertgebouw orchestra, and, in words of lionel salter in grove dictionary, had brilliant success janáček s kát kabanová @ sadler s wells in london in 1954 . kubelík became musical director of royal opera, covent garden, 1955 1958. among achievements there was, in 1957, first practically complete production in opera house of berlioz s les troyens. although covent garden sought renew contract, chose leave, partly because of campaign sir thomas beecham against engagement of foreign artists @ covent garden. in 1961 kubelík accepted position of music director of bavarian radio symphony orchestra (brso) in munich. remained brso until 1979, when retired. salter considers 18-year association high point of kubelík s career, both artistically , professionally.

in 1961 ludmilla kubelík died after car crash. in 1961, premiered concerto performance version of schoenberg s jakobsleiter-fragment in vienna, cologne radio symphony orchestra , choir.

in 1963 kubelík married australian soprano elsie morison (1924-2016). in 1967 became swiss citizen, , began association lucerne festival, in addition work brso.

in 1971, göran gentele, new general manager of metropolitan opera, new york, asked kubelík accept position of music director. kubelík accepted partly because of strong artistic relationship gentele. first production conducted met s music director les troyens. death of gentele in road accident in 1972 undermined kubelík s reasons working @ opera house. had prior conducting commitments away met in first season there, diverted attention. resigned met in 1974, after 6 months in post.

in post-czechoslovakian career, kubelík worked berlin philharmonic, boston symphony, chicago symphony, cleveland, israel philharmonic, london symphony, new york philharmonic, vienna philharmonic , royal concertgebouw orchestras, among others. final concert czech philharmonic.

last years

in 1985, ill-health (notably severe arthritis in back) caused kubelík retire full-time conducting, fall of communism in native land led him accept 1990 invitation return conduct czech philharmonic @ festival had founded, prague spring festival. recorded smetana s má vlast live czech philharmonic supraphon, fifth recording of piece. recorded mozart prague symphony , dvořák s new world symphony @ festival. during rehearsal of new world, told czech philharmonic, joy hear this. wanted sound never found other orchestra in world. eighth [note] great!

kubelík died in 1996, aged 82, in kastanienbaum, in canton of lucerne, switzerland. ashes interred next grave of father in slavín, vyšehrad cemetery in prague.

compositions

among kubelík s compositions 5 operas, 3 symphonies, 3 settings of requiem, other choral works, many pieces of chamber music, , songs, salter describes musical style neo-romantic .