Pešek, Libor
Pešek, Libor
Pešsek, Libor,admirable Czech conductor; b. Prague, June 22, 1933. He received his training at the Prague Academy of Music, graduating in 1956. He was founder-conductor of the Prague Chamber Harmony (1959) and the Prague Sebastian Orch. (1965). From 1969 to 1975 he was music director of the Frysk Orch. in the Netherlands, and also of the Czech State Chamber Orch. in Prague from 1969 to 1977. He was music director of the Overijssels Phil, in the Netherlands as well from 1975 to 1979. In 1981–82 he was conductor of the Slovak Phil, in Bratislava. In 1982 he was made conductor-in-residence of the Czech. Phil, in Prague. He also was principal conductor and artistic adviser of the Royal Liverpool Phil, from 1987 to 1995, which he led on its first tour of the U.S. in 1992. As a guest conductor, he appeared with many of the leading European and North American orchs. He is an especially distinguished interpreter of the 19th- and 20th-century Czech repertoire.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire