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The Czech violinist, violist, chamber musician and conductor Josef Suk, was the grandson of the composer and violinist Josef Suk, and and the great-grandson of the composer Antonín Dvořák. After finishing high school in 1945 he entered the Prague Conservatory (1945-1951), where his teachers were Jaroslav Kocián, Norbert Kubát and Karel Šnebergr. The most important of all his teachers was Jaroslav Kocián, who started teaching him privately when Suk was 7 years old. Led by him, Suk mastered the violin art drawing from the spectacular interpretative art of his teacher, who was specific with his noble technique of tone formation. During his studies, in 1949, Suk was sent to Paris and Brussels where he represented successfully the young generation of Czech violinists. After leaving the Prague Conservatory, he spent four terms at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (AMU) with the professors Marie Hlouňová and Alexandr Plocek. However, before finishing his studies he was suspended for political reasons.
From 1950-1952 Josef Suk was the primarius of the Prague quartet; from 1953 to 1955 concert master of the dramatic orchestra of the National theatre in Prague; then till 1957 a soloist of the Army artist company. His first significant success was a recital in Prague on November 6, 1954. Shortly after that George Szell invited him to the USA to play with the Cleveland Orchestra. In 1958 he performed in Germany, Netherlands and Romania, then also in France and Belgium.
In 1960 Josef Suk was lent the violin by Antonio Stradivari called Duc de Camposelice made in 1710. Its former owner was Váša Příhoda, who donated it to the Czechoslovak state shortly before his death. He also played the Libon Stradivari and The Prince of Orange violin by Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu. He also used an instrument by Přemysl Špidlen for a long time.
In 1961 Josef Suk was named as soloist of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, playing on many of its tours and recitals. He cooperated, and made numerous recordings, with the world's best orchestras, conductors and interpreters. He won many prizes for his recordings - Grand Prix du Disque for Debussy's and Janáček's sonatas, for the Dumky Trio by Dvořák with Jan Panenka and Miloš Sádlo, for the complete collection of W.A. Mozart's violin concertos with the Prague Chamber Orchestra conducted by Libor Hlaváček, for the Alban Berg concerto and for the concertos of Martinů. He was also a violist and he recorded the Sinfonia Concertante by W.A. Mozart, playing both parts of violin and viola. With the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, he recorded Harold en Italie by Hector Berlioz. His violin art was characterized by a rotund and rich tone, glass-clear intonation and an idiomatic interpretation. Suk was one of the world's best interpreters of J.S. Bach, W.A. Mozart and L.v. Beethoven. His recordings of Dvořák's Violin Concerto are exemplary.
Aside from his solo career, Josef Suk focused on chamber music. As a student (1950-1952) he was the primarius of the Prague quartet and in 1951 he founded the Suk Trio, named after his grandfather Josef Suk, together with his friends Jiří Hubička (piano) and Saša Večtomov (cello), later with Jan Panenka (piano, replaced then by Josef Hála) and Josef Chuchro (cello). Suk Trio played many concerts both home and abroad and recorded many compositions. With the trio's later pianist Jan Panenka Suk recorded the entire collection of L.v. Beethoven's sonatas and their recording of Dmitri Shostakovich's sonata for viola and piano was the very first. As a violist he often cooperated with the Smetana Quartet, mostly as second viola. Another remarkable partnership was with the harpsichordist prof. Zuzana Růžičková. They were close friends and within many concerts they made many recordings, for example Bach's and Händel's sonatas. They were also dedicated a sonata by Zuzana Růžičková's husband, Viktor Kalabis. Suk also collaborated with Julius Katchen and János Starker when recording Johannes Brahms' trios and sonatas.
In 1974, as a commemoration of the 100th anniversary of birth of his grandfather Josef Suk, he founded the Suk Chamber Orchestra. Suk acted as its leader and conductor till 2000.
From 1979 to 1986 Josef Suk was a teacher at the Music College in Vienna. He held the title of Meritorious Artist and since 1977 the title of National Artist. In 2002 he was awarded the National Order of the Legion of Honour. Josef Suk died on July 6/7, 2011, aged 81, of prostate cancer and was buried in Prague, the Vyšehrad cemetery. |
