Prague
Donald Macleod details Kapralova's move to Prague as a prize-winning graduate of the Brno Conservatory.
V铆tezslava Kapr谩lov谩, moves to Prague, a vibrant city buzzing with ideas, where the twenty-year-old brilliant young composition student expands her musical horizons with some astonishing results.
Born in 1915 into a musical family, V铆tezslava Kapr谩lov谩 was one of the brightest young composers to emerge in Czech music inbetween the two world wars. A link with her mentor, the composer Bohuslav Martinu, with whom she later became romantically involved, arguably has unfairly impinged on her posthumous reputation; Kapr谩lov谩 achieved considerable success under her own steam, notching up a series of professional achievements that set her apart from her contemporaries. She was the first woman to graduate as a composer from the Brno Conservatory, the first woman to be given the prestigious Smetana award for composition and the first woman to conduct the Czech Philharmonic. Here in the UK Kapr谩lov谩 joined the ranks of British composer Dame Ethel Smyth and Nadia Boulanger in conducting the 成人快手 Symphony Orchestra before the Second World War.
There's litte doubt that the turbulence of the times in which Kapr谩lov谩 lived created obstacles in her creative path. She became an exile after the Munich Pact of 1938 and the subsequent onset of the Second World War. Furthermore, like the talented French composer Lili Boulanger some twenty years earlier, Kapr谩lov谩's life was cut short; she died in France in 1940, at the age of just twenty-five. Nonetheless she was able to compose quickly and naturally, so a sizeable legacy exists of some fifty works, spread across vocal, chamber, solo piano and orchestral forms. Donald Macleod explores V铆tezslava Kapr谩lov谩's extraordinary story with Karla Hartl, the founder of The Kapr谩lov谩 Society.
V铆tezslava Kapr谩lov谩 arrived in Prague with a considerable reputation; she had graduated from Brno Conservatory as a prize-winning student, with a piano concerto that she conducted herself. Now in Prague she furthered her studies and also made good use of the broader cultural activities available in that vibrant city. With Donald Macleod and Karla Hartl, the founder of The Kapr谩lov谩 Society.
Grotesque Passacaglia
Tom谩s V铆拧ek, piano
Apple from the Lap, Op.10
Dana Bure拧ov谩, soprano
Timothy Cheek, piano
String Quartet, Op.8 (1st movement, Con brio)
艩kampa Quartet
Piano Concerto in D Minor, Op.7
Alice Rajnohov谩, piano
Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic Orchestra
Tom谩拧 Hanus, conductor
Vteriny (excerpt), Op.18
Olena Tokar, soprano
Igor Gryshyn, piano.
Last on
Music Played
-
![]()
Vitezslava Kapralova
Grotesque Passacaglia
Performer: Tomas Visek.- TV: 0002-2254.
- TV.
- 9.
-
![]()
Vitezslava Kapralova
Apple from the Lap, Op.10
Singer: Dana Bure拧ov谩. Ensemble: Herold Quartet.- Supraphon: SU 37522.
- Supraphon.
- 8.
-
![]()
Vitezslava Kapralova
String Quartet, Op.8 (1st movement, Con brio)
Ensemble: Skampa String Quartet.- Radio Servis: CRO 618-2.
- Radio Servis.
- 3.
-
![]()
Vitezslava Kapralova
Piano Concerto in D Minor, Op.7
Conductor: Tomas Hanus. Orchestra: Bohuslav Martinu Chamber Orchestra Brno.- CRO: 577-2.
- CRO.
- 1.
-
![]()
Vitezslava Kapralova
Vteriny (excerpt), Op.18
Performer: Igor Gryshyn. Singer: Olena Tokar.
Broadcasts
- Wed 14 Oct 2015 12:00成人快手 Radio 3
- Wed 14 Oct 2015 18:30成人快手 Radio 3
Beethoven Unleashed 鈥� the box set
The complete set of Radio 3 Beethoven Unleashed podcasts, with Donald Macleod.
What was really wrong with Beethoven?
Georgia Mann and neurosurgeon Henry Marsh examine the composer's numerous health problems
Composers A to Z
Visit the extensive audio archive of Radio 3 programmes about Composers and their works.
Who knew? Five eye-opening stories from Composer of the Week
The production team reflects on 5 of Donald Macleod鈥檚 best stories from the last 20 years
Five reasons why we love Parry's Jerusalem
What is the strange power of Jerusalem which makes strong men weep?
A man out of time 鈥� why Parry's music and ideas were at odds with his image...
The composer of Jerusalem was very far from the conservative figure his image suggests.
Composer Help Page
Find resources and contacts for composers from within the classical music industry.