Kapralova: Orchestral Works

Featuring

Kenneth Kiesler
Nicholas Phan
Amy I-Lin Cheng
University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra
Vítězslava Kaprálová

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Notable Performances

Kaprálová was the first woman to conduct the Czech Philharmonic in 1937 and the BBC Symphony Orchestra in 1938, performing her Military Sinfonietta.

Recording & Production

This album includes the world premiere recording of the orchestral song 'Smutný večer' ('Sad Evening'), which was discovered in 2006 by Karla Hartl of The Kapralova Society.

Composer Biography

Kaprálová studied composition with notable teachers including her father Václav Kaprál (a pupil of Leoš Janáček), Vítězslav Novák (a pupil of Antonín Dvořák), and Bohuslav Martinů.

Cultural Impact

Despite her early death and being labeled a 'decadent' by communists, Kaprálová's music and persona appeared in two episodes of the American Golden Globe Award-winning television show, 'Mozart in the Jungle' in 2017.

Composition History

The miniature Prélude de Noël was written by Kaprálová in one night for a Christmas Eve 1939 radio broadcast to Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, just six months before her death.

Composer Biography

Vítězslava Kaprálová, a Czech composer, showed every sign of becoming a major musical figure of the 20th century before her death at age 25.

Composition History

Kaprálová's Military Sinfonietta, dedicated to Czechoslovakia's second president Edvard Beneš, earned her international exposure and the prestigious Smetana Foundation award.