Jaroslav Krcek
Jaroslav Krcek (also Krecek) is an important contemporary Czech composer and conductor. Most listeners familiar with his name are more likely to know him as a conductor from his numerous recordings on Naxos, Supraphon, Panton, and other labels. Krcek's compositions are eclectic and often contain folk elements meshed with older musical styles as well as modern techniques, sometimes performed on newly designed instruments fashioned after the composer's specifications. Krcek, like Bartók, is also well known for his many arrangements of folk tunes. He has produced a large body of original compositions across a range of genres, including chamber, orchestral and choral music, concertos, and stage works.
Krcek was born in the southern Bohemian town of Ctyri Dvory. Though his family had a musical background (his grandfather was accomplished on several instruments and his mother was an amateur singer), Krcek did not begin music studies until age 14. His first lessons were on the accordion, but he switched to the cello when he studied at the Jaremias School of Music in Ceske Budejovice, Czechoslovakia. He later enrolled at the Prague Conservatory, where his primary teachers were Miloslav Kabelác (composition) and Bohumír Liska (conducting).
After his 1962 graduation Krcek, already the author of several orchestral works, worked briefly as a music editor at the Pilsen-based Czechoslovak Radio Studio and, until 1973, for the recording label Suprahon. He was busy composing during this first decade of his career, too, turning out such works as the Piano Quartet and Variations for Symphony Orchestra, both from 1965. He also co-founded the instrumental ensemble Chorea Bohemica in 1967.
In 1975 Krcek was named artistic director of Musica Bohemia, a group he would lead in numerous recordings in the 1980s and '90s. Among the more popular recordings was the 1995 CD Bohemian Christmas Songs on Supraphon. Since the early '90s Krcek has written few new compositions. Among his last major works was the 1991 Czech Mass, for soloists, choir, and chamber orchestra. Krcek has, however, remained active as a conductor, both in the concert hall and recording studio. Most of Krcek's later recordings were made for Naxos with the Capella Istropolitana ensemble, among them a DVD of Handel's Messiah. A fair number of Krcek's older recordings have been given a second life in the new century, like the 2006 Supraphon reissue of Brixi's rarely performed oratorio Judas Iscariot with Musica Bohemia.
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Discography
16 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Corelli: Concerti Grossi, Op. 6, Nos. 1-6
Anna Holbling, Quido Holbling, Ludovit Kanta, Capella Istropolitana, Daniela Ruso, Jaroslav Krcek
Classical - Released by Naxos on 12 Dec 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Concerti Grossi Op. 1, Nos. 7-12
Capella Istropolitana, Jaroslav Krcek
Classical - Released by Naxos on 5 Jul 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Italian Concerti Grossi
Capella Istropolitana, Jaroslav Krcek
Classical - Released by Naxos on 23 Feb 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas Concertos
Capella Istropolitana, Jiri Stivin, Jaroslav Krcek
Classical - Released by Naxos on 20 Nov 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Concerti Grossi Op. 1, Nos. 1- 6
Capella Istropolitana, Jaroslav Krcek
Classical - Released by Naxos on 29 Apr 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Krček: Instrumental Music
Gabriela Krckova, Lenka Koubková-Torgersen, Slowakisches Kammerorchester, Musica Bohemica, Jaroslav Krcek, Bohdan Warchal
Classical - Released by ArcoDiva on 16 Feb 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vivaldi: Wind and Brass Concertos
Jiri Valek, Gabriela Krckova, Miroslav Kejmar, Frantisek Herman, Capella Istropolitana, Jaroslav Krcek
Concertos - Released by Naxos on 28 May 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Suk / Dvorak: Serenades for Strings
Capella Istropolitana, Jaroslav Krcek
Classical - Released by Naxos on 1 Mar 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
TCHAIKOVSKY / DVORAK: Serenades for Strings
Wiener Kammerorchester, Capella Istropolitana, Philippe Entremont, Jaroslav Krcek
Classical - Released by Naxos on 23 Jul 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vánoční koledy
Malá muzika Čs. rozhlasu Plzeň, Jaroslav Krcek
Miscellaneous - Released by SUPRAPHON a.s. on 30 Nov 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Czech Folk Songs
Jaroslav Krcek, Musica Bohemica
Classical - Released by Supraphon a.s. on 1 Jan 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Benda: Ariadne auf Naxos
Jitka Molavcová, Alfréd Strejcek, Ludmila Mecerodová, Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice, Jaroslav Krcek
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by ArcoDiva on 1 Sep 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Krček: Suita semplice, Concerto for Oboe, Harp and Chamber Orchestra - Málek: Six Letters for Elina Makropulos
Jaroslav Krcek, Musica Bohemica
Classical - Released by Supraphon a.s. on 28 Apr 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Krcek: The One who is
Edita Adlerová, Roman Janál, Alfréd Strejcek, Philharmonischer Chor Prag, Pilsen Philharmonic Orchestra, Jaroslav Krcek
Choral Music (Choirs) - Released by ArcoDiva on 26 Mar 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Radujme se, veselme se... The Months in Bohemian Folk Sayings and Songs
Musica Bohemica, Jaroslav Krcek
Pop - Released by SUPRAPHON a.s. on 2 Dec 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Krecek: Stones to Bread - Symphony No. 4
Alfréd Strejcek, Edita Adlerová, Richard Samek, Pilsen Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jaroslav Krcek
Classical - Released by ArcoDiva on 1 Sep 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo