Lucký, Štěpán

Lucký, Štěpán, Czech composer; b. Žilina, Jan. 20, 1919. He was a student at the Prague Cons. (1936–39). During the Nazi occupation, he became active in the resistance and was imprisoned in Budapest before being sent to the concentration camps in Auschwitz and Buchenwald. Following the liberation in 1945, he resumed his training at the master school of the Prague Cons, (graduated, 1947). He also studied musicology and aesthetics at the Charles Univ. in Prague (graduated, 1948; Ph.D., 1990). From 1954 to 1959 he served as artistic director of music broadcasting of Czech-TV. He taught television opera directing at the Prague Academy of Music from 1964 to 1969. In 1972 he was made a Merited Artist by the Czech government. A progressive eye disease hampered his activities from about 1985. His music is couched in a pragmatic contemporary style without circumscription by any particular doctrine or technique.

Works

(all first perf. in Prague unless otherwise given):dramatic: Půlnoční překvapení (Midnight’s Surprise), opera (1958–59; May 15,1959); 40 feature film scores and over 100 short film scores; incidental music for plays, radio, and television. orch.: Cello Concerto (1946; Dec. 11, 1947); Piano Concerto (Dec. 16, 1947); Violin Concerto (1965; Mariánské Lázně, Feb. 17, 1967); Ottetto for Strings (1970; March 6, 1972); Double Concerto for Violin, Piano, and Orch. (1971; Jan. 24, 1974); Nenia for Violin, Cello, and Orch. (1974–75; May 21, 1976); Concerto for Orchestra (Suhl, Germany, May 4, 1976); Fantasia concertante for Bass Clarinet, Piano, and Orch. (1979–84; March 23, 1984). chamber: 2 wind quintets: No. 1 (1946; April 10,1947) and No. 2, Deliciae Suhlenses (1982; Suhl, June 5, 1983); Sonata brevis for Violin and Piano (Nov. 3,1947); Elegia for Horn and Piano (1965; Nov. 30, 1966); Sonata for Solo Violin (1967–69; March 3,1970); Tre pezzi di Due Doemi for Bass Clarinet and Piano (1969–70; Biberach, Germany, June 26,1970); Double Sonata for 2 Violins (1971; March 29, 1974; Duo concertante for Violin and Guitar (1972; March 12, 1973); Flute Sonata (1973; March 9, 1975); Divertimento for Wind Quintet (1974; April 1, 1977); Pastorale for Oboe and Piano (1975; March 1, 1976); Preludio e scherzino for Clarinet (1975; N.Y., Nov. 29, 1976); Balada for Cello (1976; Brno, April 21,1977); Invence pro Sonatori for Flute, Bass Clarinet, Piano, and Percussion (May 25, 1977); Arietta for Alto Flute or Bass Clarinet and Piano (1977; Stade an der Elbe, Germany, March 6, 1979); Introduzione e capriccio for Bassoon and Piano (1977; March 9, 1978); Concertino for Bass Clarinet, Piano, and Strings (1979; April 15, 1980); Musica collegialis for 10 Instruments (1980; March 10, 1982); String Quartet (1984; March 13,1986); Wind Quartet (1985; Suhl, Sept. 23, 1986); Sonatina for 2 Guitars (1986; Jan. 18, 1988). keyboard: piano: Sonatina (1945; May 7, 1947). harpsichord: Toccata (Biberach, April 11, 1973). organ:Rapsodia (1981; Feb. 24,1986). vocal:Stesk (Nostalgia), song cycle for Soprano and Piano (1940; Feb. 1,1946); Nedopě;né písně (Unsong Songs), song cycle for Soprano and Piano (1944; Jan. 14,1947); Jak se hladí kočička (How to stroke a cat) for Children’s Chorus (1983–84; Nov. 23, 1986).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire