Vitezslava Kapralova (1915-1940)

Series

Episode

Title

First
Broadcast

Comments

2015

The Young Artist

20151012

This week, for the first time on Composer of the Week, Donald Macleod explores the life of one of the 20th century's trailblazers, the Czech composer V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက.

Born in 1915 into a musical family, V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက was one of the brightest young composers to emerge in Czech music inbetween the two world wars. You may have come across her name in association with her mentor, the composer Bohuslav Martinu, with whom she later became romantically involved, but irrespective of that link Kaprကlovက achieved considerable success under her own steam, notching up a series of professional achievements that set her apart from her contemporaries. She was the first woman to graduate as a composer from the Brno Conservatory, the first woman to be given the prestigious Smetana award for composition and the first woman to conduct the Czech Philharmonic. Here in the UK Kaprကlovက joined the ranks of British composer Dame Ethel Smyth and Nadia Boulanger in conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra before the Second World War.

There's litte doubt that the turbulence of the times in which Kaprကlovက lived created obstacles in her creative path. She became an exile after the Munich Pact of 1938 and the subsequent onset of the Second World War. Furthermore, like the talented French composer Lili Boulanger some twenty years earlier, Kaprကlovက's life was cut short; she died in France in 1940, at the age of just twenty-five. Nonetheless, she was able to compose quickly and naturally, so a sizeable legacy exists of some fifty works, spread across vocal, chamber, solo piano and orchestral forms. Donald Macleod explores V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက's extraordinary story with Karla Hartl, the founder of The Kaprကlovက Society.

Today Donald Macleod looks at Kaprကlovက's childhood in Brno, where she grew up in a musical family, in the shadow of Janကcek's influence. She began to write music early on, with her earliest compositions, including two song sketches, here specially recorded by Radio 3 New Generation Artist, the Ukrainian soprano Olena Tokar, as well as her best known piano work, 'April Preludes', and the piece with which she made an acclaimed debut in the UK, conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra in her own 'Military Sinfonietta' in 1938.

Cantabile moderato - from Five Compositions for Piano

Virginia Eskin, piano

April Preludes, Op.13

Olena Tokar, soprano

Igor Gryshyn, piano

Navzdy, Op.12

Legend and Burlesque, Op.3

Stephanie Chase, violin

Military Sinfonietta, Op.11

Czech Symphony Orchestra of Brno

Frantiek J퀀lek, conductor.

Donald Macleod on Kapralova's childhood in Brno, where she grew up in a musical family.

2015

Studies In Brno

20151013

V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက's studies in Brno at the academy originally founded by Leo Janကcek expand her musical horizons.

Born in 1915 into a musical family, V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက was one of the brightest young composers to emerge in Czech music inbetween the two world wars. A link with her mentor, the composer Bohuslav Martinu, with whom she later became romantically involved, arguably has unfairly impinged on her posthumous reputation; Kaprကlovက achieved considerable success under her own steam, notching up a series of professional achievements that set her apart from her contemporaries. She was the first woman to graduate as a composer from the Brno Conservatory, the first woman to be given the prestigious Smetana award for composition and the first woman to conduct the Czech Philharmonic. Here in the UK, Kaprကlovက joined the ranks of British composer Dame Ethel Smyth and Nadia Boulanger in conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra before the Second World War.

There's litte doubt that the turbulence of the times in which Kaprကlovက lived created obstacles in her creative path. She became an exile after the Munich Pact of 1938 and the subsequent onset of the Second World War. Furthermore, like the talented French composer Lili Boulanger some twenty years earlier, Kaprကlovက's life was cut short; she died in France in 1940, at the age of just twenty-five. Nonetheless she was able to compose quickly and naturally, so a sizeable legacy exists of some fifty works, spread across vocal, chamber, solo piano and orchestral forms. Donald Macleod explores V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက's extraordinary story with Karla Hartl, the founder of The Kaprကlovက Society.

Profiting from the expansion of Czech-speaking culture, the five years V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက spent studying at the Brno Conservatory proved to be formative to the development of her musical language. Having entered at the age of fifteen in 1930, she spent those years experimenting with impressionistic and expressionistic idioms, leading to some of her most striking compositions, including some of her most memorable songs and her most substantial work for solo piano to date. Presented by Donald Macleod with Karla Hartl, founder of The Kaprကlovက Society.

Tempo di menuetto - from Five Compositions for Piano

Virginia Eskin, piano

Leden

Dana Bureovက, soprano

Timothy Cheek, piano

Magda Cကslavovက, flute

Herold Quartet

Sonata appassionata, Op.6

Sparks from the Ashes, Op.5

Suite en miniature, Op.1

Brno Philharmonic

Jir퀀 Pinkas, conductor.

Donald Macleod explores the five years Kapralova spent studying at the Brno Conservatory.

2015

Prague

20151014

V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက, moves to Prague, a vibrant city buzzing with ideas, where the twenty-year-old brilliant young composition student expands her musical horizons with some astonishing results.

Born in 1915 into a musical family, V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက was one of the brightest young composers to emerge in Czech music inbetween the two world wars. A link with her mentor, the composer Bohuslav Martinu, with whom she later became romantically involved, arguably has unfairly impinged on her posthumous reputation; Kaprကlovက achieved considerable success under her own steam, notching up a series of professional achievements that set her apart from her contemporaries. She was the first woman to graduate as a composer from the Brno Conservatory, the first woman to be given the prestigious Smetana award for composition and the first woman to conduct the Czech Philharmonic. Here in the UK Kaprကlovက joined the ranks of British composer Dame Ethel Smyth and Nadia Boulanger in conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra before the Second World War.

There's litte doubt that the turbulence of the times in which Kaprကlovက lived created obstacles in her creative path. She became an exile after the Munich Pact of 1938 and the subsequent onset of the Second World War. Furthermore, like the talented French composer Lili Boulanger some twenty years earlier, Kaprကlovက's life was cut short; she died in France in 1940, at the age of just twenty-five. Nonetheless she was able to compose quickly and naturally, so a sizeable legacy exists of some fifty works, spread across vocal, chamber, solo piano and orchestral forms. Donald Macleod explores V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက's extraordinary story with Karla Hartl, the founder of The Kaprကlovက Society.

V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက arrived in Prague with a considerable reputation; she had graduated from Brno Conservatory as a prize-winning student, with a piano concerto that she conducted herself. Now in Prague she furthered her studies and also made good use of the broader cultural activities available in that vibrant city. With Donald Macleod and Karla Hartl, the founder of The Kaprကlovက Society.

Grotesque Passacaglia

Tomကs V횀ek, piano

Apple from the Lap, Op.10

Dana Bureovက, soprano

Timothy Cheek, piano

String Quartet, Op.8 (1st movement, Con brio)

kampa Quartet

Piano Concerto in D Minor, Op.7

Alice Rajnohovက, piano

Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic Orchestra

Tom  Hanus, conductor

Vteriny (excerpt), Op.18

Olena Tokar, soprano

Igor Gryshyn, piano.

Donald Macleod details Kapralova's move to Prague.

2015

Paris

20151015

V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက wins an award to study in Paris with Charles Munch, and is mentored by fellow Czech Bohuslav Martinu.

There's litte doubt that the turbulence of the times in which Kaprကlovက lived created obstacles in her creative path. She became an exile after the Munich Agreement of 1938 and the subsequent onset of the Second World War. Furthermore, like the talented French composer, Lili Boulanger some twenty years earlier, Kaprကlovက's life was cut short; she died in France in 1940, at the age of just twenty-five. Nonetheless she was able to compose quickly and naturally, so a sizeable legacy exists of some fifty works, spread across vocal, chamber, solo piano and orchestral forms. Donald Macleod explores V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက's extraordinary story with Karla Hartl, the founder of The Kaprကlovက Society.

The opportunity to study in Paris marked a personal turning point in the life of the young Czech composer V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက. She arrived there in 1938, as the terms of the Munich Accord, which gave part of Czechoslovakia to Germany, were being thrashed out. A year later the Germans invaded her homeland. For Kaprကlovက this had a profound result. She would remain in exile for the rest of her life. Her life became increasingly complicated. Money was hard to come by and her relationship with her composition mentor, Bohuslav Martinu, deepened emotionally. Presented by Donald Macleod, with Karla Hartl, founder of The Kaprကlovက Society.

Smutny vecer (Sad Evening)

Olena Tokar, soprano

Igor Gryshyn, piano

Waving Farewell

Czech Symphony Orchestra of Brno

Vil退m Pribl, tenor

Frant퀀sek J퀀lek, conductor

String Quartet, Op.8 (3rd movement: Allegro con variazioni)

kampa Quartet

Martinu: Koleda milostnက (Love Carol) for voice & piano

Kaprကlovက: Koleda milostnက (Love Carol) for voice & piano

Lenka kornickovက, soprano

J퀀tka Drob퀀lkovက, piano

Variations sur le carillon

Virginia Eskin, piano

Suita rustica

Brno Philharmonic

Jir퀀 Pinkas, conductor.

Donald Macleod details Kapralova's move to Paris to study with Charles Munch.

2015

05 LAST

The War Years

20151016

There's litte doubt that the turbulence of the times in which Kaprကlovက lived created obstacles in her creative path. She became an exile after the Munich Agreement of 1938 and the subsequent onset of the Second World War. Furthermore, like the talented French composer Lili Boulanger some twenty years earlier, Kaprကlovက's life was cut short; she died in France in 1940, at the age of just twenty-five. Nonetheless she was able to compose quickly and naturally, so a sizeable legacy exists of some fifty works, spread across vocal, chamber, solo piano and orchestral forms. Donald Macleod explores V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက's extraordinary story with Karla Hartl, the founder of The Kaprကlovက Society.

Now living in exile in Paris, V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက finds her life increasingly insecure. Encouraged by her mentor Martinu, with whom she's been having an affair, she tries unsuccessfully to secure a place at New York's Juilliard School. After breaking off her relationship with Martinu, she decides to marry the Czech writer J퀀r퀀 Mucha, although she remains conflicted. On the morning of her wedding, one biographer claims she called on Martinu. On her deathbed, her last words were 'That's Julietta', a reference to the three note calling card she and Martinu had taken from his opera.

Presented by Donald Macleod, with Karla Hartl from the Kaprကlovက Society.

Elegy

Stephanie Chase, violin

Virginia Eskin, piano

Sung into the Distance, Op.22

Dana Bureovက, soprano

Timothy Cheek, piano

Concertino for Violin, Clarinet and Orchestra, Op.21 (3 movements)

Brno Philharmonic Orchestra

Lukကs Danhel, clarinet

Pavel Wallinger, violin

Olga Machonovက Pavlu, conductor

Partita, Op.20

J퀀r퀀 Skovajsa, piano

Czech Symphony Orchestra of Brno

Frantisek Jilek, conductor

Ritornel, Op.25

Ivan Merka, cello

Jaroslav Smýkal, piano.

Donald Macleod looks at Kapralova's final years, living in Paris an exile.

Episodes

Series	Episode	Title	First Broadcast	Comments
2015	01	The Young Artist	20151012	This week, for the first time on Composer of the Week, Donald Macleod explores the life of one of the 20th century's trailblazers, the Czech composer V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက. Born in 1915 into a musical family, V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက was one of the brightest young composers to emerge in Czech music inbetween the two world wars. You may have come across her name in association with her mentor, the composer Bohuslav Martinu, with whom she later became romantically involved, but irrespective of that link Kaprကlovက achieved considerable success under her own steam, notching up a series of professional achievements that set her apart from her contemporaries. She was the first woman to graduate as a composer from the Brno Conservatory, the first woman to be given the prestigious Smetana award for composition and the first woman to conduct the Czech Philharmonic. Here in the UK Kaprကlovက joined the ranks of British composer Dame Ethel Smyth and Nadia Boulanger in conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra before the Second World War. There's litte doubt that the turbulence of the times in which Kaprကlovက lived created obstacles in her creative path. She became an exile after the Munich Pact of 1938 and the subsequent onset of the Second World War. Furthermore, like the talented French composer Lili Boulanger some twenty years earlier, Kaprကlovက's life was cut short; she died in France in 1940, at the age of just twenty-five. Nonetheless, she was able to compose quickly and naturally, so a sizeable legacy exists of some fifty works, spread across vocal, chamber, solo piano and orchestral forms. Donald Macleod explores V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက's extraordinary story with Karla Hartl, the founder of The Kaprကlovက Society. Today Donald Macleod looks at Kaprကlovက's childhood in Brno, where she grew up in a musical family, in the shadow of Janကcek's influence. She began to write music early on, with her earliest compositions, including two song sketches, here specially recorded by Radio 3 New Generation Artist, the Ukrainian soprano Olena Tokar, as well as her best known piano work, 'April Preludes', and the piece with which she made an acclaimed debut in the UK, conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra in her own 'Military Sinfonietta' in 1938. Cantabile moderato - from Five Compositions for Piano Virginia Eskin, piano April Preludes, Op.13 Olena Tokar, soprano Igor Gryshyn, piano Navzdy, Op.12 Legend and Burlesque, Op.3 Stephanie Chase, violin Military Sinfonietta, Op.11 Czech Symphony Orchestra of Brno Frantiek J퀀lek, conductor. Donald Macleod on Kapralova's childhood in Brno, where she grew up in a musical family.
2015	02	Studies In Brno	20151013	V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက's studies in Brno at the academy originally founded by Leo Janကcek expand her musical horizons. Born in 1915 into a musical family, V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက was one of the brightest young composers to emerge in Czech music inbetween the two world wars. A link with her mentor, the composer Bohuslav Martinu, with whom she later became romantically involved, arguably has unfairly impinged on her posthumous reputation; Kaprကlovက achieved considerable success under her own steam, notching up a series of professional achievements that set her apart from her contemporaries. She was the first woman to graduate as a composer from the Brno Conservatory, the first woman to be given the prestigious Smetana award for composition and the first woman to conduct the Czech Philharmonic. Here in the UK, Kaprကlovက joined the ranks of British composer Dame Ethel Smyth and Nadia Boulanger in conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra before the Second World War. There's litte doubt that the turbulence of the times in which Kaprကlovက lived created obstacles in her creative path. She became an exile after the Munich Pact of 1938 and the subsequent onset of the Second World War. Furthermore, like the talented French composer Lili Boulanger some twenty years earlier, Kaprကlovက's life was cut short; she died in France in 1940, at the age of just twenty-five. Nonetheless she was able to compose quickly and naturally, so a sizeable legacy exists of some fifty works, spread across vocal, chamber, solo piano and orchestral forms. Donald Macleod explores V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက's extraordinary story with Karla Hartl, the founder of The Kaprကlovက Society. Profiting from the expansion of Czech-speaking culture, the five years V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက spent studying at the Brno Conservatory proved to be formative to the development of her musical language. Having entered at the age of fifteen in 1930, she spent those years experimenting with impressionistic and expressionistic idioms, leading to some of her most striking compositions, including some of her most memorable songs and her most substantial work for solo piano to date. Presented by Donald Macleod with Karla Hartl, founder of The Kaprကlovက Society. Tempo di menuetto - from Five Compositions for Piano Virginia Eskin, piano Leden Dana Bureovက, soprano Timothy Cheek, piano Magda Cကslavovက, flute Herold Quartet Sonata appassionata, Op.6 Sparks from the Ashes, Op.5 Suite en miniature, Op.1 Brno Philharmonic Jir퀀 Pinkas, conductor. Donald Macleod explores the five years Kapralova spent studying at the Brno Conservatory.
2015	03	Prague	20151014	V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက, moves to Prague, a vibrant city buzzing with ideas, where the twenty-year-old brilliant young composition student expands her musical horizons with some astonishing results. Born in 1915 into a musical family, V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက was one of the brightest young composers to emerge in Czech music inbetween the two world wars. A link with her mentor, the composer Bohuslav Martinu, with whom she later became romantically involved, arguably has unfairly impinged on her posthumous reputation; Kaprကlovက achieved considerable success under her own steam, notching up a series of professional achievements that set her apart from her contemporaries. She was the first woman to graduate as a composer from the Brno Conservatory, the first woman to be given the prestigious Smetana award for composition and the first woman to conduct the Czech Philharmonic. Here in the UK Kaprကlovက joined the ranks of British composer Dame Ethel Smyth and Nadia Boulanger in conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra before the Second World War. There's litte doubt that the turbulence of the times in which Kaprကlovက lived created obstacles in her creative path. She became an exile after the Munich Pact of 1938 and the subsequent onset of the Second World War. Furthermore, like the talented French composer Lili Boulanger some twenty years earlier, Kaprကlovက's life was cut short; she died in France in 1940, at the age of just twenty-five. Nonetheless she was able to compose quickly and naturally, so a sizeable legacy exists of some fifty works, spread across vocal, chamber, solo piano and orchestral forms. Donald Macleod explores V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက's extraordinary story with Karla Hartl, the founder of The Kaprကlovက Society. V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက arrived in Prague with a considerable reputation; she had graduated from Brno Conservatory as a prize-winning student, with a piano concerto that she conducted herself. Now in Prague she furthered her studies and also made good use of the broader cultural activities available in that vibrant city. With Donald Macleod and Karla Hartl, the founder of The Kaprကlovက Society. Grotesque Passacaglia Tomကs V횀ek, piano Apple from the Lap, Op.10 Dana Bureovက, soprano Timothy Cheek, piano String Quartet, Op.8 (1st movement, Con brio) kampa Quartet Piano Concerto in D Minor, Op.7 Alice Rajnohovက, piano Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic Orchestra Tom  Hanus, conductor Vteriny (excerpt), Op.18 Olena Tokar, soprano Igor Gryshyn, piano. Donald Macleod details Kapralova's move to Prague.
2015	04	Paris	20151015	V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက wins an award to study in Paris with Charles Munch, and is mentored by fellow Czech Bohuslav Martinu. Born in 1915 into a musical family, V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက was one of the brightest young composers to emerge in Czech music inbetween the two world wars. You may have come across her name in association with her mentor, the composer Bohuslav Martinu, with whom she later became romantically involved, but irrespective of that link Kaprကlovက achieved considerable success under her own steam, notching up a series of professional achievements that set her apart from her contemporaries. She was the first woman to graduate as a composer from the Brno Conservatory, the first woman to be given the prestigious Smetana award for composition and the first woman to conduct the Czech Philharmonic. Here in the UK Kaprကlovက joined the ranks of British composer Dame Ethel Smyth and Nadia Boulanger in conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra before the Second World War. There's litte doubt that the turbulence of the times in which Kaprကlovက lived created obstacles in her creative path. She became an exile after the Munich Agreement of 1938 and the subsequent onset of the Second World War. Furthermore, like the talented French composer, Lili Boulanger some twenty years earlier, Kaprကlovက's life was cut short; she died in France in 1940, at the age of just twenty-five. Nonetheless she was able to compose quickly and naturally, so a sizeable legacy exists of some fifty works, spread across vocal, chamber, solo piano and orchestral forms. Donald Macleod explores V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက's extraordinary story with Karla Hartl, the founder of The Kaprကlovက Society. The opportunity to study in Paris marked a personal turning point in the life of the young Czech composer V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက. She arrived there in 1938, as the terms of the Munich Accord, which gave part of Czechoslovakia to Germany, were being thrashed out. A year later the Germans invaded her homeland. For Kaprကlovက this had a profound result. She would remain in exile for the rest of her life. Her life became increasingly complicated. Money was hard to come by and her relationship with her composition mentor, Bohuslav Martinu, deepened emotionally. Presented by Donald Macleod, with Karla Hartl, founder of The Kaprကlovက Society. Smutny vecer (Sad Evening) Olena Tokar, soprano Igor Gryshyn, piano Waving Farewell Czech Symphony Orchestra of Brno Vil退m Pribl, tenor Frant퀀sek J퀀lek, conductor String Quartet, Op.8 (3rd movement: Allegro con variazioni) kampa Quartet Martinu: Koleda milostnက (Love Carol) for voice & piano Kaprကlovက: Koleda milostnက (Love Carol) for voice & piano Lenka kornickovက, soprano J퀀tka Drob퀀lkovက, piano Variations sur le carillon Virginia Eskin, piano Suita rustica Brno Philharmonic Jir퀀 Pinkas, conductor. Donald Macleod details Kapralova's move to Paris to study with Charles Munch.
2015	05 LAST	The War Years	20151016	Born in 1915 into a musical family, V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက was one of the brightest young composers to emerge in Czech music inbetween the two world wars. You may have come across her name in association with her mentor, the composer Bohuslav Martinu, with whom she later became romantically involved, but irrespective of that link Kaprကlovက achieved considerable success under her own steam, notching up a series of professional achievements that set her apart from her contemporaries. She was the first woman to graduate as a composer from the Brno Conservatory, the first woman to be given the prestigious Smetana award for composition and the first woman to conduct the Czech Philharmonic. Here in the UK Kaprကlovက joined the ranks of British composer Dame Ethel Smyth and Nadia Boulanger in conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra before the Second World War. There's litte doubt that the turbulence of the times in which Kaprကlovက lived created obstacles in her creative path. She became an exile after the Munich Agreement of 1938 and the subsequent onset of the Second World War. Furthermore, like the talented French composer Lili Boulanger some twenty years earlier, Kaprကlovက's life was cut short; she died in France in 1940, at the age of just twenty-five. Nonetheless she was able to compose quickly and naturally, so a sizeable legacy exists of some fifty works, spread across vocal, chamber, solo piano and orchestral forms. Donald Macleod explores V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက's extraordinary story with Karla Hartl, the founder of The Kaprကlovက Society. Now living in exile in Paris, V퀀tezslava Kaprကlovက finds her life increasingly insecure. Encouraged by her mentor Martinu, with whom she's been having an affair, she tries unsuccessfully to secure a place at New York's Juilliard School. After breaking off her relationship with Martinu, she decides to marry the Czech writer J퀀r퀀 Mucha, although she remains conflicted. On the morning of her wedding, one biographer claims she called on Martinu. On her deathbed, her last words were 'That's Julietta', a reference to the three note calling card she and Martinu had taken from his opera. Presented by Donald Macleod, with Karla Hartl from the Kaprကlovက Society. Elegy Stephanie Chase, violin Virginia Eskin, piano Sung into the Distance, Op.22 Dana Bureovက, soprano Timothy Cheek, piano Concertino for Violin, Clarinet and Orchestra, Op.21 (3 movements) Brno Philharmonic Orchestra Lukကs Danhel, clarinet Pavel Wallinger, violin Olga Machonovက Pavlu, conductor Partita, Op.20 J퀀r퀀 Skovajsa, piano Czech Symphony Orchestra of Brno Frantisek Jilek, conductor Ritornel, Op.25 Ivan Merka, cello Jaroslav Smýkal, piano. Donald Macleod looks at Kapralova's final years, living in Paris an exile.