Jiří Bělohlávek facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jiří Bělohlávek
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Bělohlávek in 2013
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| Born | 24 February 1946 |
| Died | 31 May 2017 (aged 71) |
| Occupation | Conductor |
Jiří Bělohlávek (born February 24, 1946 – died May 31, 2017) was a famous Czech conductor. A conductor is someone who leads an orchestra or choir. He was known for performing Czech classical music.
Bělohlávek became the main conductor of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra twice. He led them from 1990 to 1992 and again from 2012 until his death in 2017. He also led the BBC Symphony Orchestra in London for six years, from 2006 to 2012. He was very famous around the world for his performances of music by Czech composers like Antonín Dvořák and Bohuslav Martinů. People called him "the most important supporter of Czech orchestral music."
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Early Life and Training
Jiří Bělohlávek was born in Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic. His father was a lawyer and a judge.
When he was young, Jiří studied the cello, which is a string instrument. He later went to the Prague Conservatory and the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. These are special schools for music and art. After finishing his studies, he spent two years learning how to conduct from a famous teacher named Sergiu Celibidache.
Work in Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic
In 1970, Bělohlávek won a competition for young conductors in the Czech Republic. He then worked as an assistant conductor for the Czech Philharmonic for two years.
From 1972 to 1978, he was the conductor of the Brno Philharmonic orchestra. After that, he became the main conductor of the Prague Symphony Orchestra until 1989. During this time, the government in power did not allow him to travel to certain places like Berlin and Israel.
After the Velvet Revolution in 1989, which was a peaceful change in government, Bělohlávek became the main conductor of the Czech Philharmonic again in 1990. However, in 1991, the orchestra decided to choose a new main conductor, Gerd Albrecht. Bělohlávek then left the orchestra in 1992.
In 1993, Bělohlávek started a new orchestra called the Prague Philharmonia. He did this after the government offered money to train 40 young musicians. Bělohlávek chose the musicians for the orchestra. The next year, the government stopped the funding, but Bělohlávek found private money to keep the orchestra going. He was their first music director.
The Prague Philharmonia performed for the first time in 1994. They then made recordings and played concerts all over the world. Bělohlávek led the Prague Philharmonia at their first performance at the BBC Proms in London in 2004, which was shown on TV. In 2005, he stepped down from his main role with the Prague Philharmonia. He became their "conductor laureate," which is an honorary title meaning he still worked with them sometimes. He conducted his last concert with the Prague Philharmonia on May 7, 2017.
In 1997, Bělohlávek became a professor of conducting at the Prague Academy of Music. The next year, he became the main guest conductor for the opera company at the Národní divadlo (Prague National Theatre). He was also the chairman of the Prague Spring International Music Festival, a big music event. Some conductors who studied with Bělohlávek include Tomáš Netopil and Jakub Hrůša.
In December 2010, Bělohlávek was asked to be the main conductor of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra again. He started this role in the 2012–2013 season. In January 2017, the Czech Philharmonic announced that he would stay in this role until the 2021–2022 season. He continued to lead the orchestra until he passed away on May 31, 2017.
International Career
From 1995 to 2000, Bělohlávek was the main guest conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBC SO) in the United Kingdom. In February 2005, he was chosen to be their twelfth main conductor, starting in July 2006. He was the first person who had been a guest conductor for the BBC SO to become their chief conductor.
His time as chief conductor of the BBC SO began with the first night of the 2006 Proms, a famous music festival. He conducted the Last Night of the Proms in 2007. He was the first conductor of the Last Night who was not a native English speaker. In September 2007, Bělohlávek extended his contract with the BBC Symphony until 2012. He conducted the Last Night of the Proms again in 2010 and 2012.
When he finished his role as chief conductor in 2012, he was given the title of conductor laureate with the BBC SO. In April 2012, he received an honorary CBE award for his contributions to music. As conductor laureate, he continued to perform with the BBC SO until a month before his death. His last concert with them was conducting Dvořák's Requiem.
Bělohlávek also conducted operas. He led performances of Jenůfa, Tristan und Isolde, and Rusalka at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera. He made his first appearance at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City on December 17, 2004, conducting Káťa Kabanová. He returned to the Met in 2007 for Jenůfa and again in 2009 for Eugene Onegin and Rusalka.
Bělohlávek first conducted the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra (RPhO) in the Netherlands as a guest in 1994. In April 2012, the RPhO announced that Bělohlávek would be their next main guest conductor, starting in the 2012–2013 season. He held this position until his death.
Jiří Bělohlávek made many recordings for various music labels. His performances of Dvořák's music are available on several DVDs. These include his 1993 performances with the Prague Symphony Orchestra and his 2014 performances of all nine Dvořák Symphonies with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. The 2014 DVDs also include interviews with him about each symphony.
Personal Life
Jiří Bělohlávek married Anna Fejérová in 1971. They had two daughters. He passed away from cancer on May 31, 2017, at the age of 71. His wife and daughters survived him.
See also
In Spanish: Jiří Bělohlávek para niños
