Zbyněk Vostřák

Zbynek Vostřák ( born June 10, 1920 in Prague; † August 4, 1985 in Strakonice ) was a Czech composer.

Life

Vostřák studied from 1939 to 1943 at the Prague Conservatory conducting with Pavel Dědeček and adopted at the same time ( 1938-1945 ) private composition lessons with Rudolf Karl. He was also from 1943 to 1945 Percussionist of the Radio Symphony Orchestra.

From 1945 to 1948 he taught at the Prague Conservatory and was ( 1946-47 ) professor of score reading at the Art Academy. Later he worked as a conductor at the opera of Ústí nad Labem and the National Theatre in Prague. From 1963 until the dissolution in 1973, he led the ensemble Musica viva Pragensis, with which he introduced contemporary Czech music at international festivals.

1965 and 1966 took part in Vostřák the Darmstadt Summer Courses. At the World Music Days of the International Society for Contemporary Music in Hamburg in 1969, he participated as a juror and conductor of his own works. After his ensemble Musica viva was disbanded and his works were banned by the official cultural policy in Prague as " mysterious ," said Vostřák retired and devoted himself entirely to composition. For the Witten Festival of New Music 1980 and 1985, he received commissions of the WDR.

Since the early 1960s Vostrak began in his works use the twelve-tone and serial techniques. From the late 1960s he also devoted himself to electroacoustic music and musique concrète. Mid-1970s, he developed his own compositional technique in dealing with Daniel Brozáks concept of interval keys and structural harmony.

Works

• Stage Works Petrklíče, ballet by Svatopluk Čech
• Rohovín čtverrohý, comic opera, libretto by Josef Václav Kliment Bachtík after Klicpera
• Filozofska history, ballet, libretto by Jan Reye after Alois Jirásek
• Viktorka, dance ballad by J. Reye by Bozena Nemcova
• Králův mincmistr, opera, libretto by J. Bachtík by Josef Tyl Kajetán
• Sněhurka, ballet, libretto by J. Reye after the brothers Grimm
• Pražské nokturna, libretto by Jan Little by František Kubka
• Rozbitý džbán, comic opera, libretto by Karl Jernek by Heinrich von Kleist
• Veseli vodníci, Ballet

• Bedtime, song cycle for soprano and piano by František Halas
• Dva japonské madrigaly for female choir
• Tři Shakespearovy sonety for bass and chamber orchestra
• Kantata on a text by Franz Kafka

• Kontrasty for String Quartet
• Krystalizace for twelve wind instruments
• Rekolekce for Solo Violin
• Tři eseje for Piano
• Afekty for seven instruments
• Elementy for String Quartet
• Cosmogony for String Quartet
• Krasna Zahradnice for five brass
• OBET svíce for three instrumental groups and three ring modulators
• Fair play for harpsichord and six instruments
• Smyčcový kvartet č.4

• Zrození Měšice
• Metahudba for large orchestra
• Tajemství elipsy
• Parabola for orchestra and tape
• Katedrála
• Kapesní Vesmír for flute, dulcimer and string orchestra
• Sinfonia

• Váhy světla
• Dvě ohniska
• Azote
• Jedno ve všem