Štěpán Rak (born 8 August 1945) 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 *Czech (surnam ...

classical guitar The classical guitar, also known as Spanish guitar, is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string (music), string instrument with strings made of catgut, gut or nylon, it is a precursor of the ...

ist and composer of Ukrainian origin. He is well known for the

technical Technical may refer to: * Technical (vehicle), an improvised fighting vehicle * Technical area, an area which a manager, other coaching personnel, and substitutes are allowed to occupy during a football match * Technical advisor, a person who ...

innovations that he uses in his compositions.

Biography

Štěpán Rak was born as Štěpán Slivka 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 ...

to Cilja (Vasilina) Slivka (1924-1993). His mother escaped from

Carpathian Ruthenia Transcarpathia (, ) is a historical region on the border between Central and Eastern Europe, mostly located in western Ukraine's Zakarpattia Oblast. From the Hungarian Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin, conquest of the Carpathian Basin ...

in 1941 after it was occupied by Hungary. She was imprisoned in

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

and joined

Czechoslovak Army The Czechoslovak Army (Czech and Slovak: ''Československá armáda'') was the name of the armed forces of Czechoslovakia. It was established in 1918 following Czechoslovakia's declaration of independence from Austria-Hungary. History In t ...

in 1944. Štěpán was adopted by Marie and Josef Rak in 1946 and his biological mother later returned to

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. Rak first studied at a Fine Arts High School in Prague and continued with guitar studies at the

Prague Conservatory The Prague Conservatory () is a public music school in Prague, Czech Republic, founded in 1808. Currently, the school offers four- or six-year courses, which can be compared to the level of a high school diploma in other countries. Graduates c ...

until 1970. Later he studied composition at the Prague Academy of Arts. In 1973, his orchestral composition ''Hiroshima'' won a second prize at a Czechoslovak competition for young composers. From 1975 to 1980 he taught guitar at the

Jyväskylä Jyväskylä () is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Central Finland. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Jyväskylä is approximately , while the Jyväskylä sub-region, sub-region has a population of approximately ...

Conservatory in Finland. After his return to Czechoslovakia he taught at Prague Conservatory. Since 1982 he has been teaching guitar at

Academy of Performing Arts in Prague The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (, AMU) is a university in the centre of Prague, Czech Republic, specialising in the study of music, dance, drama, film, television and multi-media. It is the largest art school in the Czech Republic, wit ...

. Rak speaks English, Russian, Finnish and German.

Compositions

Solo Guitar

* ''Sonata per chitarra No. 1'' (op. 1, No. 1) * ''Sonata per chitarra No. 2'' (op. 1, No. 2) * ''Variation on theme by Jaromír Klempíř'' (op. 7) * ''Toccata'' (op. 9, No. 2) * ''Pláč kytary, in memoriam of F. G. Lorca'' (op. 11, No. 6) * ''Hora - Romanian dance'' (op. 11, No. 9) * ''Danza Mauretana'' (op. 11, No. 10) * ''Slunce'' (op. 15) * ''Andante, Vzpomínka na léto'' * ''Hiroshima'' (op. 16a) * ''Small nocturno'' (op. 18) * ''Suite for guitar'' (op. 23) * ''Partita semplice'' (op. 24) * ''Finská pověst'' (op. 28) * ''Český chorál'' (op. 29) * ''Sbohem Finsko'' (op. 30) * ''Romance'' (op. 34) * ''Homanaje á Tárrega'' (op. 35) * ''Renaissance suite (Pavana, Saltarello, Renesanční pokušení)'' (op. 31) * ''Suite-etude (Bagatella, Palečkův pláč, Palečkův smích)'' (op. 33) * ''Decem. partita per chitara No. 2'' (op. 41) * ''Rozmary'' (op. 42) * ''Poslední diskotéka'' (op. 44) * ''Variation on theme by Nikita Koshkin'' (op. 45) * ''První láska'' (op. 52) * ''Vzpomínka na Prahu'' (op. 36) * ''Voces de profundis'' (op. 56) * ''Five Concert Etudes'' (op. 57) * ''Minutová sóla'' (op. 58)

Orchestra

* ''Vodní znamení (Concerto for guitar and orchestra)'' (op. 12) * ''Hiroshima (Two movements for orchestra)'' (op. 16) * ''Český sen (Ricercar pro velý dechový orchestr, varhany a bicí nástroje)'' (op. 21) * ''Concerto for guitar and orchestra in C-major'' (op. 26) * ''Rennaisance concerto for marimba, string orchestra and tympani'' (op. 60) * ''

Comenius John Amos Comenius (; ; ; ; Latinization (literature), Latinized: ''Ioannes Amos Comenius''; 28 March 1592 – 15 November 1670) was a Czech Philosophy, philosopher, Pedagogy, pedagogue and Theology, theologian who is considered the father of ...

(Concerto for guitar and orchestra)'' (op. 60a)

Selected discography

* ''Remembering Prague'' (1988) * ''The Guitar Of Štěpán Rak'' (1990) * ''Dedications'' (1989) * ''Terra Australis'' (1994) * ''Teskně Hučí Niagara'' (1994) * ''Hledání Lásky'' (1997) * ''Song For David'' (2010) * ''Chvála Čaje'' (2011)

Family

His son Jan-Matěj Rak is a folk musician.

Works

Stepan Rak’s "Tracy" (1994): A Transcription and Commentary
Thesis by Reza Khota (2006)

References

External links

Official HomepageMyspace Page
1945 births 20th-century Czech classical composers Composers for the classical guitar Czech male classical composers Czech classical guitarists Czech male guitarists Living people 20th-century guitarists 20th-century Czech male musicians Prague Conservatory alumni Academic staff of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague {{Classical-guitarist-stub