Suk, Váša (Václav; Viacheslav Ivanovich)

views updated

Suk, Váša (Václav; Viacheslav Ivanovich)

Suk, Váša (Václav; Viacheslav Ivanovich), noted Russian conductor and composer of Czech parentage; b. Kladno, Nov. 16, 1861; d. Moscow, Jan. 12, 1933. He studied violin at the Prague Cons, and composition privately with Fibich. He was concertmaster of the Kiev Opera orch. (1880-82) and a violinist in the Bolshoi Theater orch. in Moscow (1882-87); in 1885 he launched a conducting career, and subsequently appeared throughout Russia; was a conductor of the Bolshoi Theater (1906-32) and principal conductor of the Stanislavsky Opera Theater in Moscow (from 1927). He was appreciated in Russia for his thoroughness in drilling the singers and the orch.; achieved a fine reputation as an operatic conductor. He wrote an opera, Lord of the Forests, which he conducted in Kharkov on Feb. 16, 1900, a symphonic poem, Jan Huss (Moscow, March 12, 1933); a Serenade for String Orch., piano pieces, and songs.

Bibliography

I. Remezov, V.l. S.(Moscow and Leningrad, 1951).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire