Antonín Kubálek (November 8, 1935January 18, 2011) was 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 ...

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

classical pianist.

Life and career

Kubálek was born in Libkovice,

Most District Most District () is a Okres, district in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the city of Most (city), Most. Administrative division Most District is divided into two Districts of the Czech Republic#Municipalities with ...

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

and studied 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 ...

with Czech pianist František Maxián. He emigrated to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

in 1968 and settled in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. During his time in Canada, Kubálek performed in solo, chamber and orchestral concerts. Antonin Kubálek's artistry and musicianship commanded respect and admiration from audiences and critics internationally. He received three

standing ovation A standing ovation is a form of applause where members of a seated audience stand up while applauding, often after extraordinary performances of particularly high acclaim. Standing ovations are considered to be a special honor. Often they are ...

s following his performance in the

Rudolfinum The Rudolfinum is a building in Prague, Czech Republic. It is designed in the neo-Renaissance style and is situated on Jan Palach Square on the bank of the river Vltava. Since its opening in 1885, it has been associated with music and art. C ...

at the 2002

Prague Spring Festival The Prague Spring International Music Festival (, commonly , Prague Spring) is a classical music festival held every year in Prague, Czech Republic, with symphony orchestras and chamber music ensembles from around the world. The first festival ...

. In November 2002, Kubálek was recognized by the Czech Music Council with a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

honorary award. His exceptionally wide repertoire contained Czech and

music, including contemporary pieces; but also romantic works by Chopin,

Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...

, and especially

Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, often set within studied ye ...

, for which he is considered to be one of the foremost performers of recent times. A respected educator, Kubálek served on the faculties of

The Royal Conservatory of Music The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM; ), branded as The Royal Conservatory, is a non-profit music education institution and performance venue headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1886 by Edward Fisher as The Toronto C ...

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

York University York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...

, 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 ...

and the

Prague Academy of Performing Arts 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 ...

. He chaired the Fred Gaviller Memorial Foundation, a Toronto organization whose mission was to sponsor debut recitals of young artists. Kubálek also served as chair of the Advisory Committee of the Kapralova Society in

and participated in the first Canadian documentary on Vítězslava Kaprálová for the

CBC Radio 2 CBC Music (formerly known as CBC FM, CBC Stereo and CBC Radio 2) is a Canadian FM radio network operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It used to concentrate on classical and jazz. In 2007 and 2008, the network transitioned towards a ...

in 2001. In 2003 he established an annual festival in Zlaté Hory in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

, The International Kubalek Piano Courses, for young pianists. Among his most important pupils of that time were Richard Pohl and Birute Bizeviciute. Kubálek was twice nominated for the

Juno Award The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...

in Canada. He died in Prague after surgery for a brain tumour.CBC News, 23 January 2011
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Discography

Kubálek was a best-selling international recording artist, having over a dozen CDs available at the time of his death and two dozen LP titles to his credit. His award-winning CD recordings on the

Dorian Recordings Dorian Recordings was a record label based in Troy, New York, most noted for its extensive series of early music recordings. Dorian made many of its recordings at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, and supported the local all-classical radio stat ...

label won him praise in such publications as the ''American Record Guide'', ''Fanfare Magazine'', ''CD Review'', and ''Gramophone Magazine''.

Glenn Gould Glenn Herbert Gould (; né Gold; 25 September 19324 October 1982) was a Canadian classical pianist. He was among the most famous and celebrated pianists of the 20th century, renowned as an interpreter of the keyboard works of Johann Sebastian ...

made a unique contribution to this Canadian artist's career. Gould's only foray into the role of producer was inspired by Kubálek's playing: the ''Second Piano Sonata'' by

Erich Wolfgang Korngold Erich Wolfgang Korngold (; May 29, 1897 – November 29, 1957) was an Austrian composer and conductor, who fled Europe in the mid-1930s and later adopted US nationality. A child prodigy, he became one of the most important and influential comp ...

was the fruit of this singular musical union.

Notes

References

* Tomáš Knopp: Děti neklidné Evropy (''Children of restless Europe''), 2003, .

External links

Official page
*
Biography in Czech

International Festival - Kubalek Piano Courses
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kubalek, Antonin 1935 births 2011 deaths People from Most District Canadian classical pianists Male classical pianists Czech pianists Academic staff of The Royal Conservatory of Music Czechoslovak emigrants to Canada Academic staff of the Prague Conservatory 20th-century classical pianists 20th-century Canadian pianists 20th-century Canadian male musicians Academic staff of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague