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Rafael Kubelík

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Rafael Kubelík was a Czech conductor and composer. He was born on 29 June 1914 in Býchory, the son of the famous violinist Jan Kubelík. He learned the violin from his father and studied at the Prague Conservatory, from which he graduated in 1933. At nineteen he made his debut with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1946 he helped found the Prague Spring festival and conducted the opening concert.

Music and breakthrough

After the Communist coup of February 1948 he left Czechoslovakia. He did not want to live through another tyranny, he said, after the Nazi occupation. He fled during a trip to Britain and became a Swiss citizen in 1967. He was music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 1950 to 1953 and of the Royal Opera at Covent Garden from 1955 to 1958. In 1957 he conducted and recorded the world premiere of Berlioz's Les Troyens. From 1961 to 1979 he led the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks.

Influence

Kubelík left behind a large body of recordings, including of Mahler, Dvořák, Smetana and Janáček. As a composer he wrote, in a neo-Romantic style, five operas, three symphonies, chamber music, choral works and songs. His life story shows how intertwined music and politics were in Central Europe. For many listeners he is above all the conductor who knew Czech music from the inside.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to his recording of Die Moldau by Smetana and notice how the orchestra makes the river flow. Do you hear how the melody begins with small streams and grows into a broad river?

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists