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The Croatian pianist, Stjepan Radić was born in Zagreb in 1928; the same year in Belgrade, was killed his famous grandfather, after him he was named. Stjepan Radić, already as a six year old pupil of Professor Margita Matz, first performed in public before a Zagreb audience (1934). His piano teachers were then Petar Dumičić, Ivo Maček and ultimately Svetislav Stančić. In 1953, Radić won first prize in musical competitions in Yugoslavia, and two years later (1955) graduated from the Music Academy in Zagreb as the best student. He completed his postgraduate studies in 1959 at the Santa Cecilia Academy in Rome in the class of the great pianist and conductor Carlo Zecchi.
Although Stjepan Radić made numerous appearances at home and in fifteen countries around the world, however, the most favourite place was the recital hall of his Croatian Music Institute. In the same building, the artist was a student and then Professor at the Zagreb Music Academy, where he spent (with a five-year suspension) a full half-century from 1940 to 1995. He began his pedagogical work in 1961 as an assistant of Professor Svetislav Stančić; a decade later he earned the title of full professor. From 1988 to 1992 he served as head of the piano department. As an experienced educator, who raised some thirty piano teachers, Radić was often a jury member in the Croatian and international piano competitions.
Stjepan Radić’s repertoire included over twenty piano concerts in a wide stylistic range from J.S. Bach to contemporary composers, and so was he gave the Croatian premiere of demanding score by Dmitri Shostakovich, Igor Stravinsky and Jean Francaix. Radić successfully collaborated with the most prominent Croatian and foreign renowned conductors (Mladen Bašić, János Ferencsik, Igor Gjadrov, Milan Horvat, Antonio Janigro, Paul Kletzki, Berislav Klobučar, Jean Martinon, Lovro von Matačić, Boris Papandopulo, Stjepan Šulek, Pančo Vladigerov, Carlo Zecchi…). He also played with chamber music ensembles. He appeared in Austria, the German Democratic Republic, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, the Soviet Union, the USA, the People’s Republic of China, the Netherlands, Finland, Denmark, Italy, etc. His interpretation of piano concertos by D. Shostakovich and I. Stravinsky were recorded by Philips.
In the 1970’s, Stjepan Radić initiated and led the organisation of public performance and studio recording of L.v. Beethoven's piano sonatas, which was successfully and fully realised in co-operation with the most prominent Croatian pianist of the time (Darko Lukić, Ranko Filjak, Melita Lorković, Jurica Murai, Zvjezdana Bašić, Pavica Gvozdić and Vladimir Krpan). The giant concert venture, which was rounded off by an integrated performance and recording of J.S. Bach's complete Well-Tempered-Clavier (BWV 846-869 & BWV 870-893), was also kind of tribute to the greatest Croatian piano teacher Svetislav Stančić. In October 1995, at the gala concert to mark the centenary of the birth Svetislav Stančić, Stjepan Radić, after a full six decades, performed his farewell concert. For his artistic achievements he won the City of Zagreb Award, Milka Trnina Award, and Vladimir Nazor Award for Lifetime Achievement.
In his mature years, Stjepan Radić - after a half-century career as concert pianist and educator - turned to politics. As a member and vice president of the Croatian Peasant Party, Radić worked as a Member of Parliament (1995-2002) and Vice President of the Croatian Parliament (1995-2000), in 2000. was appointed honorary president of HSS. |
