Vladimír Válek

Vladimír Válek, a prominent Czech conductor, was born on September 2, 1935, in Nový Jičín.

He studied trombone and viola at the Pavel Josef Vejvanovský Conservatory in Kroměříž (1953–1958) and conducting at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava with Dr. Ludovít Rajter (1958–1959) and at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague with Alois Klíma and Robert Brock (1959–1962), earning the MgrA title.

From 1966 to 1974, Válek served as chief conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of the Army Art Ensemble Vít Nejedlý in Prague and the North Czech Symphony Orchestra in Teplice (1969–1971). He was a conductor for the Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK from 1975 to 1987. On September 1, 1985, he became chief conductor of the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra (formerly the Czechoslovak Radio Symphony Orchestra) in Prague and, since 1996, has been a conductor with the Czech Philharmonic. He also led the Studio Orchestra of Czechoslovak Radio (1968–1977). In 1970, Válek founded and led the Dvořák Chamber Orchestra, composed primarily of Czech Philharmonic members, performing extensively in Prague and internationally and recording numerous works.

Since 2002, Válek has been a guest professor in the conducting department at the Prague Academy of Performing Arts.

In February 1968, Válek replaced Natan Rakhlin with the Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK in a program featuring Richard Strauss’s Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D major (soloist Igor Oistrakh), and Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 7. He continued to collaborate with the orchestra as a freelance conductor, participating in foreign tours before joining as a conductor alongside Jiří Bělohlávek in 1975. Válek premiered works by contemporary composers and conducted with all major Czech and most Slovak symphony orchestras, as well as international ensembles, including the Israel Philharmonic, the Great Broadcasting Orchestra in Leipzig, the Vienna Tonkünstler Orchestra, the ORF Orchestra, the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Yomiuri Symphony Orchestra. He worked with musicians such as Henryk Szeryng, Igor Oistrakh, Nikita Magaloff, Heinrich Schiff, Misha Maisky, Gabriela Beňačková, Josef Suk, and Václav Hudeček.

As chief conductor of the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra from 1985, Válek introduced ten-part subscription cycles, expanded its repertoire, and increased its concert schedule. He focused on Czech composers such as Dvořák, Suk, Martinů, and Janáček, as well as international composers including Mahler, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, and Bartók. He also premiered works by Czech composers such as Jiří Jaroch and Jindřich Feld. The orchestra toured internationally, performing in Germany, Greece, the USA, Japan, and other countries, and participated in notable events like the Prague Spring Festival, including a performance of Smetana’s My Country in 2002.

Source: Musicologica.cz