Episode 309. Get to Know Věra Soukupová
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As a supplement to my ongoing series on great contraltos, and as a contrast to another outstanding Czech singer, soprano Hana Janků, recently featured on the podcast, I have been actively planning for some time now this episode on Czech contralto par excellence Věra Soukupová, still with us after recently celebrating her 92nd birthday in April. As I dug deeper and deeper into this fascinating artist’s recorded output, I was particularly taken by all the contemporary Czech work that she had sung and recorded and, in many cases, created. In this repertoire in particular, her voice leapt out at me, vivid and present, the musicianship profound, the vowel clarity astonishing, especially for a voice of such natural depth. This music and these performances deserve to be heard by a wider public. On this episode, I present stunning examples of the vocal and musical glory that is Věra Soukupová. I also offer a teaser for this week’s bonus episode, which features the artist in magisterial recordings of song cycles by Mahler and Dvořák, recorded in her prime in the mid-1960s.
RECORDINGS HEARD IN THIS EPISODE
Bohuslav Martinů, Folk text: Rosička [The Dew] (Pisničky na jednu stránku [Songs on One Page], H. 294/1). Josef Páleníček [1970]
Giuseppe Verdi, Salvadore Cammarano [after Antonio García Gutiérrez]: Stride la vampa (Il trovatore). Bohumil Gregor, Orchestra of the Prague National Theatre [1964]
Camille Saint-Saëns, Ferdinand Lemaire: Amour, viens aider ma faiblesse (Samson et Dalila). Bohumil Gregor, Orchestra of the Prague National Theatre [1964]
Zdeněk Fibich, Otakar Hostinský [after Friedrich Schiller]: Vám útlý mládí věk již kalil spor (Nevěsta Messinská [The Bride of Messina]). Vaclav Zítek, Zdenek Košler, Orchestra of the National Theatre in Prague [1984]
Miloslav Kabeláč, Traditional folk poetry: Hají, hají, hajinké (Šest ukolébavek [Six Cradle Songs], Op. 29/3). Martin Turnovský, Instrumental Ensemble [Milan Munclinger, Alois Rybin, Jiří Baxa, Jaroslav Motlík, František Sláma, Zdeněk Benda], Women of the Prague Radio Chorus [1960]
Václav Trojan: Lucká válka [The Battle of Lutsk] (from the film Staré Pověsti České [Ancient Czech Legends]). Bohumil Gregor, Orchestra of the Prague National Theatre [1964]
Bohuslav Martinů, Folk text: Veselá dievča [The Merry Girl] (Nový Špalíček [New Anthology], H. 288/4). Josef Páleníček [1970]
Bohuslav Martinů, Folk text: Prosba [Entreaty] (Nový Špalíček [New Anthology], H.288/2). Josef Páleníček [1970]
Bohuslav Martinů, Folk text: Hlásný [The Night Watchman] (Pisničky na dvě stránky [Songs on Two Pages], H.302/4). Josef Páleníček [1970]
Josef Bohuslav Foerster, Gustav Falke: Und die Kugel traf (Drei Lieder aus der Kriegszeit, Op. 97/1). Jiří Pokorný [1980]
Jan Hanuš, William Shakespeare [Czech translation by Jan Vladislav]: O smrti [On Death] (Sonets, No. 4). Alfréd Holeček [1965]
Petr Eben, text from the Třeboň manuscript, 14th century: Noci milá [Sweet Nights] (Šestero piesní milostných [Six Medieval Love Songs], No. 1). Petr Eben [1965]
Petr Eben, Anna Akhmatova [Czech translation by Marie Marčanová]: Anno Domini MCMXXI (Písně nelaskavé [Loveless Songs], No. 5). Viola section of the Prague Chamber Orchestra [Vladimír Klár, Jan Koutný, Karel Málek, Soběslav Soukup, Jaroslav Motlík, Karel Řehák] [1965]
Tomáš Vačkář, Anonymous student text: Jak rád bych zas věřil slovům [How I’d like to believe in words again] (Tři Dopisy Dívkám [Three Letters to the Girls], No. 3). Jindřich Rohan, Prague Symphony Orchestra [1968]
Jiří Pauer, Gaspara Stampa: Mám, těžký osud, mám [My fate is hard, is hard] (Canto triste, No. 2). Václav Neumann, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra [1972]
Vladimir Sommer, Cesare Pavese: Přijde smrt a bude mít tvé oči [Death will come and he will have your eyes] (Vocal Symphony, Third Movement). Václav Neumann, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra [1964]
Jaroslav Křička, Konstantin Balmont: Albatros (Severní noci [Northern Nights], Op. 19/1). Zdeněk Košler, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra [1979]
Ilja Hurník, Song of Solomon [translated Jaroslav Seifert]: Finale (Šulamit [The Shulamite], No. 5). Martin Turnovský, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra [1965]
Miloš Vacek, Naďa Mauerová: from Hledám tě, kráso [I Seek You, Beauty]
No. 3: Mlčení [Silence]. Bohumír Liška, Pilsen Radio Orchestra [1979]
No. 4: Hledám tě, kráso [I Seek You, Beauty]. Vladimír Válek, Prague Chamber Orchestra [live 03.XI.78]
Antonín Dvořák, Czech translations of Biblical texts from the Kralice Bible: Oblak a mrákota jest vůkol Něho [Clouds and darkness] (Biblické písně [Biblical Songs], Op. 99/1. Ivan Moravec [1967]
Ivan Řezáč, Vítězslav Nezval: Tichá hodina [A Quiet Hour] (Čtyři Písně [Four Songs on Nezval], No. 4). Alfréd Holeček [1973]
