Václav Hudeček (born June 7, 1952 in

Rožmitál pod Třemšínem Rožmitál pod Třemšínem (german: Rosenthal) is a town in Příbram District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,200 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban ...

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

) is a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * Czech, ...

violinist. A former student of

David Oistrakh David Fyodorovich Oistrakh (; – 24 October 1974), was a Soviet classical violinist, violist and conductor. Oistrakh collaborated with major orchestras and musicians from many parts of the world and was the dedicatee of numerous violin ...

, Hudeček's records have sold many copies in the Czech Republic, especially a 1992 recording of Vivaldi's '' The Four Seasons'', certified platinum. Hudeček also runs an annual academy for promising young Czech violinists.

Biography

Hudeček studied at the

Prague Conservatory The Prague Conservatory or Prague Conservatoire ( cs, Pražská konzervatoř) is a music school in Prague, Czech Republic, founded in 1808. Currently, Prague Conservatory offers four or six year study courses, which can be compared to the level ...

. On 11 November 1967, aged 15, he performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. The next day he was heard by the Russian violinist

, and became his pupil from 1970 to Oistrakh's death in 1974. Since his London debut he has appeared in concert at venues including Carnegie Hall, the Royal Festival Hall, Suntory Hall, and Osaka Festival Hall. He has played with orchestras including the

Berliner Philharmoniker The Berlin Philharmonic (german: Berliner Philharmoniker, links=no, italic=no) is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. History The Berlin Philharmonic was fo ...

Cleveland Symphony Orchestra The Cleveland Orchestra, based in Cleveland, is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the " Big Five". Founded in 1918 by the pianist and impresario Adella Prentiss Hughes, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Se ...

, and NHK Symphony Orchestra, as well as appearing at festivals including

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label= Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

, and

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...

). He has released records on the

Supraphon Supraphon Music Publishing is a Czech record label, oriented mainly towards publishing classical music and popular music, with an emphasis on Czech and Slovak composers. History The Supraphon name was first registered as a trademark in 1932. ...

label. Hudeček's 1992 recording of Antonio Vivaldi's '' The Four Seasons'' with the conductor Pavel Kogan is the most successful classical recording ever in the Czech Republic, and has been certified gold and in 1997 platinum. Hudeček has also received golden records for other recordings. As well as compositions by

, Hudeček performs works by 20th century composers including

Leoš Janáček Leoš Janáček (, baptised Leo Eugen Janáček; 3 July 1854 – 12 August 1928) was a Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist, and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian and other Slavic musics, including Eastern European f ...

and

Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, ...

, and contemporary Czech composers such as Kymlička, Fišer, and Mácha. Hudeček has also worked as a teacher in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, Japan, and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Since 1997 he has been organising the Václav Hudeček Academy, a 10-day course for young violinists held every August in Luhačovice. The best participants from this course are awarded a new violin and a contract to appear with Hudeček at his concerts. Violinists awarded from his academy include Josef Špaček, Marek Pavelec, and Jiří Vodička. In 2007, Hudeček received the "National Award for Achievement in the Area of Culture and the Arts" from Czech President

Václav Klaus Václav Klaus (; born 19 June 1941) is a Czech economist and politician who served as the second president of the Czech Republic from 2003 to 2013. From July 1992 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in January 1993, he served as the second ...

. Hudeček is married to actress Eva Hudečková.

References

External links

Czech RadioVáclav Hudeček Academy website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hudecek, Vaclav 1952 births Living people People from Rožmitál pod Třemšínem Czech classical violinists Male classical violinists Recipients of Medal of Merit (Czech Republic) 21st-century classical violinists 21st-century Czech male musicians