Vaclav Talich (1883-1961)

Like Furtwangler and Mengelberg, Vaclav Talich remains a controversial figure for his musical activities in German occupied Czechoslovakia.  For him they were a means to enliven the human spirit; for the authorities he was a collaborator.  Imprisoned in 1946, but released within a few weeks, he was forbidden to conduct his beloved Czech Philharmonic Orchestra until the early 1950s when he was allowed to make recordings.  

Unlike other conductors of his generation, Vaclav Talich did not follow an early career path through various opera houses, prior to becoming an orchestral conductor.  A violinist by training, Talich became leader of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Arthur Nikisch.  Inspired by him, Talich spent fifteen years as a journeyman conductor that brought him finally to the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, and the first performance of Josef Suk's Ripening.

Talich would lead the Czech Philharmonic from this point in 1918 until 1941.  He inherited an underfunded, artistically inept and provincial orchestra that he turned into one of the greatest orchestras of all time.  In addition, from 1935 he directed the Prague National Theatre, siting one of his objectives as being to place the operas of Janacek into their core repertory.

Supraphon's Vaclav Talich Special Edition, celebrates this great Czech conductor and his recorded legacy with recordings dating from the late 1930s until 1954.  Alongside this Special Edition is a Supraphon DVD with a documentary - Confidence and Humility - that contains much archive footage and moving recollections from Sir Charles Mackerras who studied with Talich.  Also on the DVD is a Czech Television film, made on 35mm, from 1955 in which Talich conducts the complete Slavonic Dances by Dvorak with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra - the last music he ever conducted.

Photo: BVA