Jaroslav Řídký

Jaroslav Řídký (August 25, 1897, Reichenberg, now Liberec – August 14, 1956, Poděbrady) was a Czech composer, conductor, harpist, and music teacher.

Life

In 1919-1923 Řídký studied at the Prague Conservatory with Josef Bohuslav Foerster, Karel Boleslav Jirák, and Jaroslav Křička. Besides teaching at the Conservatory from 1924 to 1949, he also played the harp for the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra between 1924 and 1938, and conducted the Philharmonic choir from 1925 to 1930.

In 1928 Řídký attended as a conductor the premiere of Leoš Janáček´s chamber composition Capriccio.

Style

He composed seven symphonies and one sinfonietta, one string serenade, concertos for violin (1), piano (1), and cello (2), chamber music, pieces for piano, cantatas, and also prepared his own arrangements of folk songs. His work is composed rather in traditional style, first compostitions are influenced by romanticism, later he composed in traditional, neo-classical style. His oeuvre contains 47 numbered opuses, both in chamber and orchestral instrumentation. Řídký composed also violin, piano and two violoncello concertos. In 1954 he was awarded National Prize for his Piano Concerto Op. 46.

Selected works

Chamber
*"Quintet A-Dur for Clarinet and Strings" Op. 5 (1926)
*"String Quartet No. 1." Op. 6. (1927)
*"Nonet No. 1." Op. 32 (1934-35)
*"Piano Trio" Op. 44 (1951)
*"Capriccio" Op. 21 (1931-34)

Orchestral
*"Symphony No. 1" Op. 3 (1924)
*"Symphony No. 3" Op. 8 (1927-28)
*"Symphony No. 7" Op. 47 (1955)
*"Symfonieta" Op. 41 (1945-46)
*"Violin Concerto" Op 7. (1927-28)
*"Piano Concerto" Op. 46.

References

*"Čeští skladatelé současnosti."Praha: Panton, 1985

External links

* [http://www.ridky.ic.cz/ Commemorative website (in Czech)]