Viktor Kalabis

Life

Born in Červený Kostelec, a town in the Czech Republic, on 27 February 1923, Kalabis was an important 20th-century Czech composer. Viktor was interested in music from a young age, but due to the Nazi occupation of Prague during the Second World War, he was unable to study music in Prague. After the end of the war, Kalabis studied at the Prague Conservatory and at the Academy of Music and Charles University. In 1952, Kalabis married Zuzana Růžičková, who became a famous harpsichord player. They both refused to join the Communist party, making the beginning of their music careers difficult. Eventually, Kalabis got work in the children's music section at Prague Radio. It was in this post that he established the now internationally known Concertino Praga competition for young musicians.

He established himself as an international composer when in 1957, Manuel Rosenthal performed Kalabis' Concert for violoncello op. 8 at the Orchestre de Paris at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. Many of his works were commissioned, for example, by the Czech Philharmony, the Dresden Philharmony, Camerata Zurich, Josef Suk, The Suk Trio, János Starker, Maurice André, The Prague Spring Festival and many others. His composition Sinfonia pacis is one of the world's most-played Czech contemporary music compositions.

Although most of the works of Viktor Kalabis are symphonic, concertante or chamber compositions, his composed several vocal works such as the cantata Canticum Canticorum, the chamber cantata Vojna (The War), song cycles and choruses. For stage he was written the Fable for chamber orchestra and the two-part ballet score Two Worlds, inspired by Lewis Carroll's book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The video recording of this ballet was given the "Parents' Choice Award" of 1993 in the United States. In 1967, he received the Prize of the Czechoslovak Music Critics and in 1969 he was awarded the State Prize.

In an interview with Ales Brezina, a close friend of Kalabis, he described Viktor's musical influence.

"I would place his music not only in the Czech context but also in the European one, because he was a well educated man who spoke several languages fluently and was interested in everything that happened – also in philosophy and other things. And I would say that his music started where the masters of neo-classicism stopped. His beginnings in the fifties and in the early sixties were deeply influenced by people like Stravinsky and Hindemith, and Honegger and Bartók – and Martinů of course."

Eventually, Kalabis became President of the Bohuslav Martinů Foundation. Here he established the Bohuslav Martinů Institute for studies and information, launched the Martinů Festival and competition, and created a dynamic base from which Bohuslav Martinů's work has become far better known.

Kalabis died on 28 September 2006. The Viktor Kalabis & Zuzana Růžičková Foundation was established in his memory. Růžičková is the President of the Board of Directors for the Foundation and is dedicated to promoting Kalabis' music throughout the world.

Works

The Viktor Kalabis and Zuzana Růžičková Foundation has the following list of musical compositions.

Ballets

Symphonies

Symphonic music

Instrumental concertos

Compositions for chamber orchestra

String quartets

Piano quartet

Nonets

Compositions for wind instruments

Duos with piano

Duos with harpsichord

Duos for other instrumentation

Piano

Harpsichord

Violoncello

Flute

French horn

Guitar

Organ

Vocal Compositions

Songs with orchestral accompaniment

Mixed choirs

Children choirs