Adolf Čech
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Adolf Čech (born Adolf Jan Antonin Tausik; 11 December 184127 December 1903) was a Czech conductor, who premiered a number of significant works by Antonín Dvořák (the 2nd, 5th and 6th symphonies, more than any other conductor; other important orchestral works, four operas, the ''Stabat Mater''),
Bedřich Smetana Bedřich Smetana ( , ; 2 March 1824 – 12 May 1884) was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style that became closely identified with his people's aspirations to a cultural and political "revival." He has been regarded i ...
(''Má vlast'', five operas),
Zdeněk Fibich Zdeněk Fibich (, 21 December 1850 in Všebořice – 15 October 1900 in Prague) was a Czech composer of classical music. Among his compositions are chamber works (including two string quartets, a piano trio, piano quartet and a quintet for pia ...
(two operas) and other Czech composers. He also led the first performances outside Russia of two operas by
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most pop ...
and the Czech premieres of seven operettas by
Jacques Offenbach Jacques Offenbach (, also , , ; 20 June 18195 October 1880) was a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario of the Romantic period. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s to the 1870s, and his uncompleted opera ' ...
. He was also a bass singer and a translator of opera librettos.


Career

Adolf Čech was born in Sedlec-Prčice, south of
Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...
as Adolf Jan Antonin Tausik, the son of a singing instructor. His brother was the singer Karel Čech. He trained as an engineer in Prague before turning to music. From 1862 he was choirmaster and assistant conductor at the Provisional Theatre, where he conducted operas such as
Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...
's ''
Il trovatore ''Il trovatore'' ('The Troubadour') is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto largely written by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play ''El trovador'' (1836) by Antonio García Gutiérrez. It was García Gutiérrez's mos ...
'',
Donizetti Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian composer, best known for his almost 70 operas. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he was a leading composer of the ''bel canto'' opera style duri ...
's '' Belisario'', Rossini's '' Otello'',
Lortzing Gustav Albert Lortzing (23 October 1801 – 21 January 1851) was a German composer, librettist, actor and singer. He is considered to be the main representative of the German '' Spieloper'', a form similar to the French '' opéra comique'', whi ...
's ''
Zar und Zimmermann ''Zar und Zimmermann'' (''Tsar and Carpenter'') is a comic opera in three acts, music by Albert Lortzing, libretto by the composer after Georg Christian Römer's ''Der Bürgermeister von Saardam, oder Die zwei Peter'', itself based on the French p ...
'' (''Tsar and Carpenter''),
Meyerbeer Giacomo Meyerbeer (born Jakob Liebmann Beer; 5 September 1791 – 2 May 1864) was a German opera composer, "the most frequently performed opera composer during the nineteenth century, linking Mozart and Wagner". With his 1831 opera ''Robert le d ...
's ''
Dinorah ''Dinorah'', originally ''Le pardon de Ploërmel'' (''The Pardon of Ploërmel''), is an 1859 French opéra comique in three acts with music by Giacomo Meyerbeer and a libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré. The story takes place near the rura ...
'', and
Flotow Friedrich Adolf Ferdinand, Freiherr von Flotow /flo:to/ (27 April 1812 – 24 January 1883) was a German composer. He is chiefly remembered for his opera ''Martha'', which was popular in the 19th century and the early part of the 20th. Life ...
's ''
Martha Martha (Hebrew: מָרְתָא‎) is a biblical figure described in the Gospels of Luke and John. Together with her siblings Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, she is described as living in the village of Bethany near Jerusalem. She was witness ...
'' and '' Alessandro Stradella''. From 1862 to 1866 he also appeared as a bass singer in smaller solo roles such as Don Basilio in ''
The Barber of Seville ''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( it, Il barbiere di Siviglia, ossia L'inutile precauzione ) is an ''opera buffa'' in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based ...
'', Méru in Meyerbeer's ''
Les Huguenots () is an opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer and is one of the most popular and spectacular examples of grand opera. In five acts, to a libretto by Eugène Scribe and Émile Deschamps, it premiered in Paris on 29 February 1836. Composition history ...
'', Pedro in
Conradin Kreutzer Conradin Kreutzer or Kreuzer (22 November 1780 – 14 December 1849) was a German composer and conductor. His works include the operas ''Das Nachtlager in Granada'' and incidental music to ''Der Verschwender'', both produced in 1834 in Vienna. ...
's ''Das Nachtlager in Granada'', and Ruiz in Verdi's ''Il trovatore''. In 1864 he made a Czech translation of
Eugène Scribe Augustin Eugène Scribe (; 24 December 179120 February 1861) was a French dramatist and librettist. He is known for writing "well-made plays" ("pièces bien faites"), a mainstay of popular theatre for over 100 years, and as the librettist of ma ...
's libretto for Halévy's opera '' La Juive'', and led the Czech premiere of Offenbach's ''
Orpheus in the Underworld ''Orpheus in the Underworld'' and ''Orpheus in Hell'' are English names for (), a comic opera with music by Jacques Offenbach and words by Hector Crémieux and Ludovic Halévy. It was first performed as a two-act " opéra bouffon" at the Thé ...
''. In 1865/66 he was deputy conductor at the Czech Theatre in
Olomouc Olomouc (, , ; german: Olmütz; pl, Ołomuniec ; la, Olomucium or ''Iuliomontium'') is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 99,000 inhabitants, and its larger urban zone has a population of about 384,000 inhabitants (2019). Located on t ...
. He returned to the Provisional Theatre in 1867, where he made his name in comic opera. He conducted the Czech premieres of Offenbach's ''
Les brigands ''Les brigands'' (''The Bandits'') is an opéra bouffe, or operetta, by Jacques Offenbach to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy. Meilhac and Halévy's libretto lampoons both serious drama (Schiller's play ''The Robbers'') ...
'' (1870), ''
La princesse de Trébizonde ''La Princesse de Trébizonde'' is an opéra bouffe with music by Jacques Offenbach and text by Étienne Tréfeu and Charles-Louis-Étienne Nuitter. The work was first given in two acts at the Theater Baden-Baden on 31 July 1869 and subsequently ...
'' (1871), ''Snowman'' (1872), ''Les braconniers'', '' Barbe-bleue'' (1874) and ''
La belle Hélène ''La belle Hélène'' (, ''The Beautiful Helen'') is an opéra bouffe in three acts, with music by Jacques Offenbach and words by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy. The piece parodies the story of Helen of Troy, Helen's elopement with Paris (myt ...
'' (1875). In 1873 he conducted the Prague premiere of
Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...
's Symphony No. 3. On 4 April 1875 he conducted the world premiere of
Bedřich Smetana Bedřich Smetana ( , ; 2 March 1824 – 12 May 1884) was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style that became closely identified with his people's aspirations to a cultural and political "revival." He has been regarded i ...
's ''
Vltava Vltava ( , ; german: Moldau ) is the longest river in the Czech Republic, running southeast along the Bohemian Forest and then north across Bohemia, through Český Krumlov, České Budějovice and Prague, and finally merging with the Labe at ...
'' (''The Moldau''). This was one of the six symphonic poems that made up the cycle known as ''
Má vlast ''Má vlast'' (), also known as ''My Fatherland'', is a set of six symphonic poems composed between 1874 and 1879 by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana. The six pieces, conceived as individual works, are often presented and recorded as a single ...
'' (''My Country''), which Čech was also the first to conduct in 1882. On 17 April 1876 he premiered Antonín Dvořák's opera ''
Vanda ''Vanda'', abbreviated in the horticultural trade as ''V.,'' is a genus in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. There are about 87 species, and the genus is commonly cultivated for the marketplace. This genus and its allies are considered to be among ...
''. He introduced Dvořák's Serenade for Strings in E minor on 10 December 1876. At the same concert (or 17 March 1877) he conducted the premiere of Smetana's symphonic poem '' Šarka'', another part of the ''Má vlast'' cycle. He conducted the premieres of Smetana's operas '' The Kiss'' (7 November 1876), '' The Secret'' (18 September 1878), and the revised version of ''
The Two Widows ''The Two Widows'' ( cz, Dvĕ vdovy) is a two-act Czech opera by Bedřich Smetana based on the libretto of Emanuel Züngel. The libretto is based on Jean Pierre Felicien Mallefille's one-act play ''Les deux veuves''. The opera was composed betwe ...
'' (17 March 1878). Dvořák composed his Piano Concerto in G minor during August and September 1876, at the request of the pianist Karel Slavkovský, who gave the premiere in Prague on 24 March 1878, with Adolf Čech conducting. On 25 March 1879 came the premiere of Dvořák's Symphony No. 5 in F major. On 23 April 1879 he led the premiere of Dvořák's "Festival March", Op. 54, B.88. On 16 May he introduced Dvořák's '' Czech Suite''. At the same concert he conducted for the first time the orchestral versions of
Slavonic Dances The ''Slavonic Dances'' ( cs, Slovanské tance) are a series of 16 orchestral pieces composed by Antonín Dvořák in 1878 and 1886 and published in two sets as Op. 46 and Op. 72 respectively. Originally written for piano four hands, t ...
Nos. 1, 2 and 4 (Set I). On 23 December 1880 at the concert of the Association of Musical Artists in Prague, Adolf Čech premiered Dvořák's '' Stabat Mater'', his first work on a religious theme. Dvořák's Symphony No. 6 in D minor had a troubled birth. He dedicated it to Hans Richter, who had commissioned it, and he asked Richter to premiere it with the
Vienna Philharmonic The Vienna Philharmonic (VPO; german: Wiener Philharmoniker, links=no) is an orchestra that was founded in 1842 and is considered to be one of the finest in the world. The Vienna Philharmonic is based at the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria. It ...
in late December 1880. However, events in Richter's personal life and anti-Czech sentiment in Vienna, combined with the fact that Dvořák was virtually unknown there (none of his symphonies had been published at this time), caused its continual postponement. Dvořák responded by asking Adolf Čech to premiere the symphony in Prague on 25 March 1881. Vienna did not see it until 1883, and not under Richter, who conducted it many times, but never in Vienna. The opening of the National Theatre in Prague on 11 June 1881 was celebrated with the world premiere of Smetana's opera '' Libuše'', conducted by Adolf Čech. On 29 October 1882 he led the premiere of Smetana's ''
The Devil's Wall ''The Devil's Wall'' ( cs, Čertova stěna) is a comic-romantic opera in three acts, with music by Bedřich Smetana and libretto by Eliška Krásnohorská, in their third operatic collaboration. The subtext of the plot is a Czech legend of a shee ...
''. The first complete performance of ''Má vlast'' occurred on 5 November 1882. On 28 July 1882, in Prague, Čech conducted the first production outside Russia of any opera by
Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...
, the Czech premiere of '' The Maid of Orleans''.Tchaikovsky Research
/ref> He was appointed chief conductor of the Provisional Theatre in 1883, holding the post until 1900. On 28 March 1884 he led the world premiere of
Zdeněk Fibich Zdeněk Fibich (, 21 December 1850 in Všebořice – 15 October 1900 in Prague) was a Czech composer of classical music. Among his compositions are chamber works (including two string quartets, a piano trio, piano quartet and a quintet for pia ...
's opera ''
The Bride of Messina ''The Bride of Messina'' (german: Die Braut von Messina, ) is a tragedy by Friedrich Schiller; it premiered on 19 March 1803 in Weimar. It is one of the most controversial works by Schiller, due to his use of elements from Greek tragedies (which ...
''. In 1885 came the National Theatre's first performance of
Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...
's ''
Lohengrin Lohengrin () is a character in German Arthurian literature. The son of Parzival (Percival), he is a knight of the Holy Grail sent in a boat pulled by swans to rescue a maiden who can never ask his identity. His story, which first appears in Wolf ...
'' (he also conducted their first performance of '' The Mastersingers of Nuremberg'' in 1894). On 15 June 1887 he conducted the premiere of the revised version of Dvořák's opera '' King and Charcoal Burner''. On 2 November 1887 he led a concert celebrating the centenary of the world premiere in Prague of Mozart's '' Don Giovanni''. In March 1888, Adolf Čech conducted the world premiere of Dvořák's Symphony No. 2 in B-flat major, which had been written in 1865 and subject to various revisions in the intervening years. It was the sole performance of the work in the composer's lifetime. Adolf Čech premiered more of Dvořák's symphonies than anyone else (he conducted the first performances of Nos. 2, 5 and 6; the composer premiered Nos. 7 and 8; Smetana led Nos. 3 and 4;
Anton Seidl Anton Seidl (7 May 185028 March 1898) was a famous Hungarian Wagner conductor, best known for his association with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City and the New York Philharmonic. Biography He was born in Pest, Austria-Hungary, where ...
conducted No. 9; and
Milan Sachs Milan Sachs (28 November 1884 – 4 August 1968) was a Czech-Croatian opera conductor and composer, who was long associated with the Zagreb Opera in Croatia, where he conducted some important local premieres, including Wagner's ''Parsifal'', an ...
premiered No. 1). Čech prepared the orchestra for the first Czech performance of Tchaikovsky's ''
Eugene Onegin ''Eugene Onegin, A Novel in Verse'' (Reforms of Russian orthography, pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform rus, Евгений Оне́гин, ромáн в стихáх, p=jɪvˈɡʲenʲɪj ɐˈnʲeɡʲɪn, r=Yevgeniy Onegin, roman v stikhakh) is ...
'' on 6 December 1888 (the first production of that opera outside Russia; it was sung in Czech in a translation by Marie Červinková-Riegrová). Tchaikovsky himself conducted the premiere. On 12 October 1892 he conducted the Czech premiere of '' The Queen of Spades'' (also sung in Czech) at the National Theatre, in the presence of the composer. In 1893 he was involved in the very successful Berlin premiere of Smetana's opera ''
The Bartered Bride ''The Bartered Bride'' ( cz, Prodaná nevěsta, links=no, ''The Sold Bride'') is a comic opera in three acts by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana, to a libretto by Karel Sabina. The work is generally regarded as a major contribution towards the ...
''. Fibich's opera '' Šárka'' was premiered on 28 December 1897 on the stage of the National Theatre in Prague with Adolf Čech conducting. On 19 June 1898 he premiered the revised version of Dvořák's opera ''
The Jacobin ''The Jacobin'' (''Jakobín'' in Czech), Op. 84 (B. 159), is an opera in three acts by Antonín Dvořák to an original Czech libretto by Marie Červinková-Riegrová. Červinková-Riegrová took some of the story's characters from the story by A ...
''. On 6 August 1898 he premiered Josef Suk's incidental music for
Julius Zeyer Julius Zeyer (26 April 1841 – 29 January 1901) was a Czech prose writer, poet, and playwright. Personal life Zeyer was born on 26 April 1841 in Prague. His mother, Elisabeth Eleonora (née Weisseles), came from a German Jewish-turned-Catholic ...
's melodrama ''
Radúz and Mahulena ''Radúz and Mahulena'' is an 1898 stage play by Czech novelist Julius Zeyer. It was made into a film in 1970, directed by Petr Weigl. Story Zeyer's dramatic poem is a love story, combining classical fairy-tale motifs with mythological refere ...
'' (Suk later extracted the suite '' A Fairy Tale'' from the complete score). On 23 April 1899 he conducted the world premiere of Dvořák's opera ''
The Devil and Kate ''The Devil and Kate'', Op. 112, B.201, (''Čert a Káča'' in Czech) is an opera in three acts by Antonín Dvořák to a Czech libretto by Adolf Wenig. It is based on a farce by Josef Kajetán Tyl, and the story also had been treated in the ''F ...
''. He died in Prague in 1903, aged 62, and is buried at the Olšanské Cemetery.


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cech, Adolf 1841 births 1903 deaths Czech conductors (music) Male conductors (music) 19th-century Czech male opera singers Operatic basses Czech translators 19th-century conductors (music) 19th-century Czech singers 19th-century translators 20th-century conductors (music) People from Příbram District 20th-century translators