Looking back on the twentieth century it is striking how the ever

Looking back on the twentieth century it is striking how the ever-increasing
commercialisation of the "music industry" tend to a scarcity of truly great conductors and in
their place an abundance of "kapellmeisters", propped up by the hype of their publicity
machines, whose efficiency in converting notes into sounds could not be disputed. However,
there is a distinction between reproducing a score and recreating it. Only great conductors
possess the talent to delve behind the notes to discover the inner life and soul, the humanity,
the philosophy that lies at the heart of a work of art, and then to convey this to the listener so
that the music becomes a vital experience rather than a dull museum exhibit.
Such a conductor was Rafael Kubelík, a man of strong convictions, unquestionable artistic
integrity, enormous energy and great charisma. To meet him was to be struck by his immense
warmth and sincerity, and to find oneself immediately counted as a friend. His was the
humility of the truly great artist. Completely dedicated to his work, he loathed the "star
system" and never employed an aggressive publicity machine to further his career. Instead, he
preferred to build up a democratic rather than autocratic relationship with his fellow
musicians and, though uncompromising in his demands on them, he nevertheless became
universally popular."
Patrick Lambert - excerpt from sleeve of Dvořák Symphonies 7&9 - Decca.
Some conductors make the reviewer's job extremely easy. Toscanini, Szell, Furtwangler and
Stokowski all moulded their performances very much in their own image - which is not to say
that they misrepresented the music (Toscanini, in particular, usually kept to the written text)
but, rather, that their outsize personalities facilitated instant recognition and typecast
description. You knew where you stood; you invariably knew what to expect, and you were
habitually either stimulated or disenchanted, depending on your personal preferences or
prejudices. The 'trouble' with a Kubelík performance is that the composer is always in charge
- which means that the main focal point is the music, and not the interpreter. Kubelík's
Schumann unfolds with the ease and unselfconsciousness of a spontaneous improvisation,
with no excessive drilling, no preoccupation with sound for its own sake and only the subtlest
degree of point-making. Of course various 'interventionist' trends can, if employed with
conviction, enhance an interpretation, but Kubelík's method was to nudge rather than push,
liberate the phrase, let it unfold, breathe, sing and take flight. The body of alone chord lay not
in its initial attack, but in the weight of its centre: like Furtwangler, Kubelík's chords
invariably growl rather than bark.
From Robert Cowan - Gramophone:
Obituary Rafael Kubelik, the great Czech conductor, died on August 11th in Switzerland,
aged 82. Robert Cowan writes: He was one of the great re-creative musicians of the post-war
era - a composer nourished by the masters he conducted, and a conductor fired by the urge to
compose. In 1942 Kubelik succeeded Talich as Principal Conductor of the Czech
Philharmonic; he conducted the Brno Opera from 1939 to 1941, helped found the Prague
Spring Festival in 1946 and spent a controversial term at the Chicago Symphony between
1950 and 1953. Kubelik's tenure as Musical Director of the Royal Opera House (1955-8)
witnessed ground-breaking productions of Janacek and Berlioz, and he made a notable series
of recordings with the Vienna Philharmonic during the same period. However, the bulk of
Kubelik's discography celebrates an 18-year stint as Chief Conductor of the Bavarian Radio
Symphony Orchestra (1961 until his retirement in 1979). Next in line of importance, at least
in recent years, was his 1990 return to Prague and the resulting live recordings of
Dvorak,Smetana and Mozart (Supraphon and Denon).
Kubelik was a strongly principled man who left Communist Czechoslovakia and, in 1968
(after the Russian invasion and the fall of Dubcek), personally wrote to 40 colleagues asking
them not to perform there until the Russians had withdrawn their troops. Kubelik's
cosmopolitan leanings were poignantly expressed during the 1970s with a uniquely
'international' set of Beethoven symphonies that employed the talents of nine different
orchestras from London, Germany (Berlin and Munich), France, Holland, Israel, Austria and
America (Cleveland and Boston).
Stylistically, Kubelik is usually aligned with his Czech nea rcontemporaries (Talich, Sejna,
Ancerl) though I would say that his closest musical soul-mate was Wilhelm Furtwangler - not
in terms of 'sound', or specific interpretative ideas, or any personal similarities, but more
through a shared belief in the redeeming potential of music, its spiritual properties and the
importance of reading 'between the lines' of a score. Kubelik's best recordings suggest
freedom, fire and spontaneity (a white-hot BPO Dvorák Seventh is the Czech-repertory
equivalent of Furtwängler's equally volatile Bruckner Eighth) although some critics have
confused Kubelik's lightness of touch with a lack of weight and substance. This is patent
nonsense, as anyone who has really listened to (rather than merely 'heard') Kubelik conduct
Janácek's Sinfonietta, Mahler's Fifth, Bruckner's Eighth, Wagner's Die Meistersinger or
Beethoven's Ninth will readily confirm. His recording achievements seemed to grow in
stature, and there can be little doubt that, in terms of artistic maturity and vision, his DG and
Orfeo legacies are especially significant.
Kubelik's DG Mahler cycle remains among the greatest available (the Seventh is perennially
modern-sounding); his Schumann symphonies (Sony) are incomparably poetic; his Janácek
(DG) vies with Ancerl's for catalogue supremacy, his Suk Asrael (Panton) with Talich's
classic reading, and his Bruckner (Sony and Orfeo) provides a highly animated alternative to
the more formal statements of, say, Karajan or Wand. Recent live releases include repertory
that Kubelik never recorded commercially - a superb Missa solemnis, a notable Debussy
Pelléas et Mélisande (both Orfeo) and a fascinating disc of KubelIk's own music (Panton).
Certain of Kubelik's earlier discs have of late enjoyed something of a revival, including
various EMI recordings from London and Vienna, Philharmonia Dvoibk symphonies
(Testament -reviewed on page 52), wartime and post-war Czech Philharmonic Smetana and
Foerster (Supraphon or Lys) and the Deeca Md viasi (Belart). However, Kubelik's greatest
years as an interpreter were in Munich and it is my sincere hope that DG, Orfeo or some
other enterprising company will pull out all the stops for a commemorative edition, hopefully
featuring previously unissued material from the Bavarian Radio Archives. No conductor of
the last 50 years is more deserving of discographical recognition than Rafael Kubelik
Gramophon - Orbituary 1996
Si l'on considère le XX' siècle dans son ensemble, on ne peut qu'être frappé de voir à quel
point le développement commercial de " l'industrie musicale" est allé de pair avec la
raréfaction des chefs d'orchestre de très grande stature, et avec leur remplacement par une
pléthore de "kapellmeister", subsistant grâce à un grand battage médiatique et dont l'efficacité
à convertir les notes en sons ne fait aucun doute. Il existe cependant une distinction entre le
fait de reproduire une partition et celui de la recréer.
Seuls les grands chefs possèdent le talent de fouiller au-delà des notes pour en découvrir la
vie intérieure, l'âme, l'humanité, la philosophie qui résident au cœur de l'œuvre d'art, puis de
les transmettre à l'auditeur de manière à faire de la musique une expérience vitale, et non un
terne objet de musée.
Raphaël Kubelík appartenait à cette race de chefs. C'était un homme empli de solides
convictions, doté d'une honnêteté artistique incontestable, d'une énergie formidable et d'un
charisme considérable. Ceux qui ont pu le rencontrer furent frappés par la chaleur et la
sincérité qu'il dégageait, et comptèrent immédiatement au nombre de ses amis. Son humilité
était celle des artistes vraiment hors du commun. Entièrement dévoué à son travail, il
répugnait à se mêler au "star system" et ne s'appuya jamais sur des campagnes publicitaires
agressives pour promouvoir sa carrière. Il préférait au contraire entretenir des relations
démocratiques plutôt qu'autocratiques avec ses collègues musiciens, et, tout en demeurant
inflexible quant à ses exigences à leur égard, il acquit cependant une renommée universelle."
Patrick Lambert - extrait de la pochette du CD des symphonies 7 & 9 de Dvořák chez Decca.