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Zahajovaci koncert a Matine ceskych kvartetu.
Dve z nejvyznamnejsich skladeb ceske mezivalecne hudby, dve "vojenske" (a nadto brnenske) symfoniety Leose Janacka a Vitezslavy Kapralove, jsou naopak dily ryze "casovymi", tedy silne provazanymi se svymi konkretnimi historickymi funkcnimi kontexty. Obe vznikla v dobe povazlive nestability a ohrozeni mladeho statu, hajiciho svou existenci navzdory nepratelum vnitrnim i vnejsim; jsou jeho oslavou a take apelem na jeho uhajeni. V techto obsahovych souvislostech symfoniet - a samozrejme take v bytostne esteticke hodnote - vidim jejich dnesni aktualnost [...] Kapralove Vojenska symfonieta, za jejiz zarazeni patri dramaturgii festivalu muj zvlastni dik, dopadla velmi dobre; Markovicovi se podarilo zprostredkovat jeji specificky patos.
From a review by Milos Zapletal for musicologica.cz, October 31, 2013.

Moravsky podzim v Brne zahajen
Zaradenie obidvoch symfoniet z pier brnenskych skladatelov, dokonca v oboch pripadoch v originalnom nazve nesucich privlastok vojenska, bol dramaturgicky pocin velmi podareny. Konfrontacia jednovetej Vojenskej symfoniety od mladej, ale na jej vek dosti vyzralej skladatelky Vitezslavy Kapralove a Sinfonietty stareho, dva roky pred smrtou, vrcholneho Janacka, je vynikajuci napad. Obidve skladby svojim autorom priniesli znacny uspech a uznanie. Ako prva zaznela kompozicia zenskej predstavitelky. Absolventska praca z Prazskeho konzervatoria pod vedenim Vitezslava Novaka bola interpretovana vynikajuco. Vojenskost bola predovsetkym v pochodovom rytme znatelna a tak bola aj precizne podana. Markovic nie len tu, ale pocas celeho vecera dokazal nalozit s expresivitou, predovsetkym s dynamikou velmi vyvazene, pedantne a efektne.
From a review by Jan Podracky for operaplus.cz, October 28, 2013.

Moravsky podzim zacal i bez Berezovskeho skvele
Na Vltavu ponekud nesourode navazala Vojenska symfonieta Vitezslavy Kapralove. Malo hrana skladba uz byla i na puvodnim programu a behem jejiho provedeni jsem si uvedomil, jak dobre byl dramaturgicky sestaveny. Vsechny ostatni planovane skladby vznikly v kratkem casovem rozmezi (1926-1931) a mohli jsme tak byt postaveni pred konfrontaci zraleho Janacka a Ravela s propukajici genialitou mlade Kapralove, ktera z casu jejich vrcholu vyrustala. Jeji Symfonieta z roku 1937 jeste nezni vyslovene osobite, jsou v ni slyset vlivy Maurice Ravela (jehoz klavirni koncerty jsme neslyseli) i jazzu, je to hudba reflektujici svou dobu a hledajici svoji vlastni cestu. Pritom je ale slyset, ze Kapralova si s velkym orchestrem vedela uz ve svych dvaadvaceti letech rady a byla plna elanu a energie. Filharmonie Brno jeji partituru tlumocila skvele, Markovic hnal orchestr dopredu naplno, zduraznoval dynamicke kontrasty a kompaktni zvuk.
From a review by Boris Klepal for mestohudby.cz, October 28, 2013.

Karla Hartl, Erik Entwistle, eds: The Kapralova Companion. Lexington Books, Lanham, MD, 228 pages (2011). ISBN 978-0-7391-6723-6
The Kapralova Companion is a welcome addition to the body of texts on women composers. Vitezslava Kapralova's music is beautiful, haunting, and distinct, and deserves to be heard more frequently on concert hall stages across the U.S. One hopes that this long-awaited and superbly-written book will provide inspiration and motivation to those who are interested in learning more about Vitezslava Kapralova.
From a review by Michelle Latour, reprinted in Kapralova Society Journal 11, no. 2 (Fall 2013): 10-11.

Kapral, Kapralova, Martinu: Quartetti per archi
Per quanto riguarda l'esecuzione, i tre brani sono affidati al Quartetto skampa, formato da Helena Jirikovska e Daniela Souckova (violini), Radim Sedmidubsky (viola) e Lukas Polak (violoncello), compagine di elevato livello, degna erede del Quartetto Smetana, al quale si ispira, a cominciare dal nome scelto, quello del violista del leggendario ensemble. La compagine, caratterizzata da un perfetto affiatamento, dà vita ad un'interpretazione di grande intensità, che trasferisce all'ascoltatore grandi emozioni, evidenziando nel contempo tutti i particolari e le sfumature di tre composizioni di ottima fattura. [U]no splendido cd che possiede numerosi pregi, fra i quali quello di fornire un ulteriore apporto alla discografia dedicata a Vitezslava Kapralova, ricordare il valore di Martinu e porre in evidenza un autore poco noto come Vaclav Kapral.
From a review by Marco del Vaglio for criticaclassica, August 2013.

KAPRAL String Quartet in C Minor / KAPRALOVA String Quartet op 8 / MARTINU String Quartet No. 5. Radioservis CRO 618-2.
This disc will particularly interest those intrigued by the links between the three composers. The disc opens with a quartet by Vaclav Kapral, a pupil of Janacek whose influence is apparent in this engaging work. Martinu's 5th Quartet is already well represented in the catalogues but this new recording brings us a fresh interpretation from the admirable Skampa Quartet. Kapralova's own quartet pre-dates her meeting with Martinu. It has been recorded before but this performance presents a more authentic edition of the score, restoring previous cuts. It shows that at the time of its composition in 1936, Kapralova's idiom had evolved beyond the influence of her father and was developing a distinctive and appealing voice of its own.
From a review by Greg Terian for Martinu Revue 8, no. 1 (January-April 2013).

Jewish Music and Poetry Project Premieres. Old First Concerts.
Tsang-Hall performed Osvaldo Golijov's lovely and romantic Zz's Dream (2008) and Vitezslava Kapralova's spicier Grotesque Passacaglia (1936). The latter cried for the full tones and force of the Steinway.
From a review by Jason Victor Serinus for San Francisco Classical Voice, April 5, 2013.

Kapral - Kapralova - Martinu: String Quartets.
skampa Quartet: Daniela Souckova, Helena Jirikovska - violins, Radim Sedmidubsky - viola, Lukas Polak - violoncello. Recorded: 2012, Czech Radio. Released: 2012. TT: 67:43. DDD. 1 CD Radioservis CR0618-2.
The three composers also came very close together in these works intellectually - to the point that the way their quartets are performed and combined on this recording gives an impression of a "through-composed" triptych. This triptych culminates with Martinu's Fifth, one of the most important works of the twentieth-century quartet literature. But while the other two composers have not achieved the fame of Martinu, their fine compositions provide dignified companionship to his acclaimed work; be it the highly individual quartet of Kapral or the youthful string quartet of Kapralova, which enchants the listener from the first measures by its freshness and vitality. The Skampa Quartet also lives up to its reputation as one of the most renowned Czech quartets; theirs is a highly sophisticated and sensitive performance that attests to their extraordinary musical imagination.
From a review by Veroslav Nemec for Czech Music Quarterly 1/2013, 39-40.

Kapral - Kapralova - Martinu: Smyccove kvartety. Skampovo kvarteto. Radioservis CRO618-2 (2012).
Z poslechu kvarteta Vitezslavy Kapralove bychom jiste nehadali, ze ho zkomponovala ve dvaceti letech a uprostred studii, nebot skladba pusobi vyzrale. Ma na tom bezesporu svuj podil take naprosto presvedciva interpretace protagonistu CD, kterymi jsou Helena Jirikovska - prim, Daniela Souckova - sekund, Radim Sedmidubsky - viola a Lukas Polak - violoncello. Jejich pojeti ma v sobe jak vyrazovou nalehavost (napr. v krasne vystavenych dlouhych frazich v pomale vete), tak brilanci ve zvladani nemalych technickych naroku dila a v neposledni rade svezest a vtip, ktery je pro skladatelku tak typicky. [...] Milovnici kvartetni hudby by si toto CD, ktere je navic vydareno i z hlediska grafiky a urovne textu bookletu, rozhodne nemeli nechat ujit.
From a review by Alice Rajnohova for Opus Musicum 45, no. 1 (2013).

Kapral - Kapralova - Martinu: Smyccove kvartety. TIP HARMONIE.
skampovo kvarteto: Daniela Souckova, Helena Jirikovska - housle, Radim Sedmidubsky - viola, Lukas Polak - violoncello. Nahrano: 2012, Cesky rozhlas. Vydano: 2012. TT: 67:43. DDD. 1 CD Radioservis CR0618-2.
Vsichni tri skladatele maji k sobe v techto dilech zjevne blizko i myslenkove, a to tak dalece, ze spolecne provedeni jejich kvartetu na tomto CD budi az dojem "prokomponovaneho" triptychu. Tento triptych pochopitelne vrcholi zavaznym 5. kvartetem B. Martinu, jednim z nejvyznamnejsich del kvartetni literatury 20. stoleti. Ale predchozi dve skladby - ac jejich autori nedosahli vehlasu Martinu - tvori tomuto slavnemu dilu dustojne spolecenstvi, a to jak osobity Smyccovy kvartet Vaclava Kaprala, oscilujici mezi pozdnim romantismem a janackovskou reflexi moravskeho folkloru, tak i mladistvy Smyccovy kvartet Vitezslavy Kapralove, ktery okouzli posluchace uz od prvnich taktu svou svezesti a vitalitou. skampovo kvarteto nezustalo na teto nahravce nic dluzno svemu renome. Jeho hra se vyznacuje obdivuhodnou kultivovanosti, emotivnosti a neobycejnou hudebni fantazii. Interpreti nejenze bezpochyby vnimali skrytou programnost vsech tri skladeb, ale dokazali onen "program" tlumocit posluchacum do nejjemnejsich vyrazovych zachvevu. Uz jen pro tuto "programnost" se poslech vsech tri kvartetu stava temer dobrodruznou vypravou - a rozhodne stoji za to se na ni s Kapralovymi a s Martinu vydat.
From a review by Veroslav Nemec for Harmonie 3/2013, 54.