Václav Smetáček

Václav Smetáček is a hautboïste, Leader and Czech pedagog , born with Brno the September 30th 1906 and died with Prague the February 18th 1986

Biography

He works the oboe with Ladislav Skuhrovsky, the composition with Jaroslav Kricka and the direction of orchestra with Metod Dolezil and Pavel Dedecek with the Conservatoire of Prague (1922-30). He also follows courses of musicology to the Université Charles of Prague.

Thanks to remarkable results, he becomes prize winner of the price Schubert with the final examination of the Conservatoire of Prague (class of oboe). The direction of the Academy offers to him, moreover, a splendid instrument of a French factor Cabart of which he plays, at once, in orchestra.

After having been the assistant of Josef Deda, first oboe solo, with the Czech Philharmonic society, the presence with the desk of maestros of the scale of Václav Talich, Frantisek Stupka or guests prestigious like Bruno Walter, Erich Kleiber and Alexander von Zemlinsky encourages it to embrace, in its turn, the vocation of leader.

What by no means prevents it from founding with some of his/her comrades the Wind quintet of Prague (1929). The activities of this unit lasted twenty-seven years and made it possible Smetacek to affirm its immense talent of hautboïste. It, moreover, will write a method of training of the instrument which still makes authority.

In 1942, it is named first leader FOK of Prague, which will become Symphony orchestra of Prague in 1952. Smetacek will direct it until 1972.

Re-elected and repertory

Much less famous than its compatriots Karel Ančerl and Rafael Kubelík, Smetacek is therefore less talented and its specific gifts point out those of another great figure of the direction of orchestra, Rudolf Kempe.

One owes in Smetacek the redécouverte of the Concerto for oboe (in major F, COp 37) of Franz Krommer or of the symphonies of Josef Mysliveček.

External bonds

Biography

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