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Leoš Janáček

Leoš Janáček

Born: 3rd July 1854, Hukvaldy, Czechia

Died: 12th August 1928, Ostravia, Czechia

Nationality: Czech

Leoš Janáček was a Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian and other Slavic, including Eastern European folk music to create an original, modern musical style.

Until 1895 he devoted himself mainly to folkloristic research. While his early musical output was influenced by contemporaries such as Antonín Dvořák, his later, mature works incorporate his earlier studies of national folk music in a modern, highly original synthesis, first evident in the opera Jenůfa, which was premiered in 1904 in Brno. The success of Jenůfa (often called the "Moravian national opera") at Prague in 1916 gave Janáček access to the world's great opera stages. Janáček's later works are his most celebrated.

Further Reading: Janáček

Recording of the Week, Simon Rattle conducts Janáček's Jenůfa

Continuing their survey of Janáček's operas, Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra bring out the tenderness present throughout much of the score, alongside exceptional performances by Agneta Eichenholz, Nicky Spence, Aleš Briscein, and Katarina Karnéus.

Interview, Kateřina Kněžíková on Strauss and Janáček

The Czech soprano discusses her new recording of the 'Vier letzte Lieder' with her friend Jakub Hrůša, and reflects on her recent transition into more dramatic repertoire - beginning with Káťa Kabanová at Glyndebourne in 2021.

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