Zdeněk Chalabala (18 April 1899 – 4 March 1962) was a Czechoslovak

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Biology and medicine * Bone conduction, the conduction of sound to the inner ear * Conduction aphasia, a language disorder Mathematics * Conductor (ring theory) * Conductor of an abelian variety * Cond ...

. He conducted orchestras in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

Ostrava Ostrava (; ; ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 283,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four rivers: Oder, Opava (river), Opa ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. Chalabala was born in

Uherské Hradiště Uherské Hradiště (; ) is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 25,000 inhabitants. The agglomeration with the two neighbouring towns of Staré Město (Uherské Hradiště District), Staré Město and Kunovice has over ...

. He studied conducting at the

Brno Conservatory The Brno Conservatory, also Brno Conservatoire (), was established in Brno on 25 September 1919 by Moravian composer Leoš Janáček. History Leoš Janáček attempted to establish and improve high musical education in Brno from his early age. ...

with

František Neumann František Neumann (16 June 187425 February 1929) was a Czech conductor and composer. He was particularly associated with the National Theatre in Brno, and the composer Leoš Janáček, the premieres of many of whose operas he conducted. Biograp ...

, and after a few years gaining experience was appointed a conductor of the Brno Opera in 1926 alongside

Břetislav Bakala Břetislav Bakala (February 12, 1897 in Fryšták – April 1, 1958 in Brno) was a Czech conductor, pianist, and composer. His career was centred on Brno and he was particularly associated with the music of Leoš Janáček. Life and career Ba ...

; in 1932 conducted the premiere there of '' Flammen'' by

Erwin Schulhoff Erwin Schulhoff (; 8 June 189418 August 1942) was an Austro-Czech composer and pianist. He was one of the figures in the generation of European musicians whose successful careers were prematurely terminated by the rise of the Nazi regime in Germ ...

. He also conducted performances of operas by

Borodin Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin (12 November 183327 February 1887) was a Russian Romantic composer and chemist of Georgian–Russian parentage. He was one of the prominent 19th-century composers known as " The Five", a group dedicated to prod ...

Mussorgsky Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (; ; ; – ) was a Russian composer, one of the group known as "The Five (composers), The Five." He was an innovator of Music of Russia, Russian music in the Romantic music, Romantic period and strove to achieve a ...

and

Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov. At the time, his name was spelled , which he romanized as Nicolas Rimsky-Korsakow; the BGN/PCGN transliteration of Russian is used for his name here; ALA-LC system: , ISO 9 system: .. (18 March 1844 – 2 ...

.Lambert, P. In the shadow of Talich. '' International Classical Record Collector'', Summer 1996, Vol 2, 5, p20-22. In 1924 he founded the Slovácká filharmonie (Uherské Hradiště). He was chief opera conductor of the

Slovak National Theatre The Slovak National Theater (, abbr. SND) is the oldest professional theatre in Slovakia, consisting of three ensembles: opera, ballet, and drama. Its history begins shortly after the establishment of the first Czechoslovak Republic in 1918. It ...

, where he produced many Yugoslav and Russian operas. He was also conductor in the National Theatre of

Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...

. His students included

Vítězslava Kaprálová Vítězslava Kaprálová (; 24 January 191516 June 1940) was a Czech composer and conductor of 20th-century classical music. Life and career Vítězslava Kaprálová was born in Brno, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now Czech Republic), a daughter ...

. Chalabala was dismissed from the post at the end of the war and worked in Ostrava, Brno and Bratislava before returning to the

Prague National Theatre The National Theatre () is a historic opera house in Prague, Czech Republic. It is known as the alma mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of Czech history and art. The National Theatre belongs to the most important Czech cultural ...

as principal conductor in 1953, a position he held until his death. He took the company to Moscow in 1956 which led to an engagement at the Bolshoi, where he conducted

Leoš Janáček Leoš Janáček (, 3 July 1854 – 12 August 1928) was a Czech composer, Music theory, music theorist, Folkloristics, folklorist, publicist, and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian folk music, Moravian and other Slavs, Slavic music, includin ...

's ''

Jenůfa ''Její pastorkyňa'' (''Her Stepdaughter''; commonly known as ''Jenůfa'' ) is an opera in three acts by Leoš Janáček to a Czech libretto by the composer, based on the Play (theatre), play ''Její pastorkyňa'' by Gabriela Preissová. It was ...

'' and gave the Moscow premiere of ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunke ...

'' by

Vissarion Shebalin Vissarion Yakovlevich Shebalin (; 29 May 1963) was a USSR, Soviet composer, music pedagogue. Rector of the Moscow Conservatory (1942-1948). People's Artist of the RSFSR (1947). Biography Shebalin was born in Omsk, where his parents were school t ...

. He died in

. He is buried at the

Vyšehrad Cemetery Established in 1869 on the grounds of Vyšehrad Castle in Prague, Czech Republic, the Vyšehrad Cemetery () is the final resting place of many composers, artists, sculptors, writers, and those from the world of science and politics. The center ...

in Prague.

Selected recordings

* 1953 - Suchon's ''

Krútňava '' Krútňava'' (abroad staged as The Whirlpool or Katrena after the main female role) is an opera in six scenes by Eugen Suchoň written in the 1940s to a libretto by the composer and Štefan Hoza, based on a novella, '' Za vyšným mlynom (Beyond ...

'' with Slovak National Theatre company (Supraphon) * 1953 - Fibich's '' Šárka'' * 1956 - excerpts from Foerster's ''Eva'' * 1957 -

Shebalin Vissarion Yakovlevich Shebalin (; 29 May 1963) was a USSR, Soviet composer, music pedagogue. Rector of the Moscow Conservatory (1942-1948). People's Artist of the RSFSR (1947). Biography Shebalin was born in Omsk, where his parents were school t ...

's comic opera ''The Taming of the Shrew'' - premiere, recording with

Galina Vishnevskaya Galina Pavlovna Vishnevskaya (, Ivanova, Иванова; 25 October 1926 – 11 December 2012) was a Russian soprano opera singer and recitalist who was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1966. She was the wife of cellist Mstislav Rostropo ...

(soprano),

Yevgeny Kibkalo Yevgeny Gavrilovich Kibkalo (; 12 February 1932, in Kyiv – 12 February 2003, in Moscow) was a Soviet and Russian operatic baritone singer and pedagogue. People's Artist of the RSFSR (1970). Kiblako notably sang Petruchio for Zdeněk Chalabala ...

(baritone),

Glafira Deomidova Glafira Vladimirovna Deomidova (, 15 October 1929 – 12 May 2017) was a Russian soprano who sang at the Bolshoi Theatre company from 1956 to 1977. Deomidova sang the role of Bianca in Zdeněk Chalabala's premiere (and only) recording of Shebalin ...

(soprano). * 1958 - Smetana's '' The Kiss'' * 1961 - Dvořák: '' The Golden Spinning Wheel''; '' The Wood Dove''; '' The Midday Witch''; ''

The Water Goblin ''The Water Goblin'' (; initially published by N. Simrock with the English title ''The Water-Fay'') is a symphonic poem, Op. 107 (B. 195), written by Antonín Dvořák in 1896. The source of inspiration for ''The Water Goblin'' was a ...

''.

Czech Philharmonic The Czech Philharmonic () is a symphony orchestra based in Prague. Its principal performing venue is the Rudolfinum concert hall. History The name "Czech Philharmonic Orchestra" appeared for the first time in 1894, as the title of the orche ...

, Zdeněk Chalabala, Urania 5172 (Koch).''The Gramophone'': Volume 83, Issues 993-996, 2005.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chalabala, Zdenek 1899 births 1962 deaths People from Uherské Hradiště Czechoslovak conductors (music) Brno Conservatory alumni