Saša Večtomov
| Saša Večtomov | |
|---|---|
 Memorial plaque on Saša Večtomov's gravestone, contributed by erstwhile students, at Hrbitov Veselí nad Lužnicí, Czech Republic | |
| Born |
Alexander Večtomov December 12, 1930 Prague, Czechoslovakia |
| Died |
December 29, 1989 (age 59) Prague |
| Occupation | cellist |
| Years active | 1945–1989 |
| Spouse(s) | Jana Andrsová (m. 1964–1989, his death) |
| Children | Veronica, Andrea, Johana |
| Parent(s) | Ivan Večtomov, cellist, music pedagogue; Jarmila Večtomov, née Černá, pianist, music pedagogue |
Saša Večtomov (December 12, 1930 – December 29, 1989) was a major Czechoslovakian cellist and music pedagogue.
Večtomov first studied piano and cello with his father, cellist/composer Ivan Večtomov (1902–81), who was a soloist in the Czech Philharmonic, then at Prague Conservatory under the tutelage of his father, and later at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague alongside Mirko Škampa and Josef Chuchro under the tutelage of renowned cellist/pedagogue Ladislav Zelenka, followed by graduate studies at Moscow Conservatory alongside Mstislav Rostropovich under the tutelage of Semen Kozolupov until 1957, and master classes at Accademia Musicale Chigiana under the tutelage of French cellist André Navarra.
In 1951, together with Josef Suk (violin) and Jiří Hubička (piano), Večtomov cofounded the renowned concert ensemble Suk Trio. In 1956 he took over Miloš Sádlo's cello seat in the Czech Trio, in which he continued to concertize and record until his death, i.e., 33 years. He was among the major concert soloists at home and abroad, recording many works on LP and CD as well as for radio and television broadcasts. Concomitantily he performed and recorded with his brother, the guitarist Vladimír Večtomov, as Prague String Duo, phonograph recordings of whom appeared on the Supraphon, Panton, and Melodiya labels. In 2015 the Czech music label Uneventful Records released a CD and digital album of Prague String Duo's archive recordings.[1] In his day Saša Večtomov was considered, along with Sádlo, one of Czechoslovakia's leading classical artists, drawing comparisons in the international press to his Russian contemporary Rostropovich. Večtomov was best known for his inimitably sweet tone. “As the concerto develops, it is clear that Večtomov, so august a member of the Czech Trio, was certainly a big enough concerto soloist, but one who does not seek to impose his personality onto the music. Instead he illuminates it from within.”[2] Of the same recording, Fanfare observed: “I am glad to have discovered Saša Večtomov’s playing, for on this evidence he was a world-class artist … his aristocratic playing deserves a hearing, and the disc should certainly be of interest to cellists and collectors."[3]
Regarding the unusual combination of cello and guitar in Prague String Duo, Večtomov pointed out that a piano absorbs some of a cello's gentler shades of tone, which thus become superfluous; that the guitar can respond more sensitively than the harpsichord to the means of expression of the solo cello; and that it can differentiate all tones and produce vibrato and glissando transitions. Moreover, the cello/guitar combination, he said, is more tender, more sensitive, and better integrated than any other, as the two instruments are also much alike in the technical respect. According to the music historian Ludomír Česenek, "The 'string duet' combination is much more than a novelty in scoring musical compositions. It constitutes an experiment rooted in the tradition of the technique of music, an endeavor to discover the sources of musical expression, a renaissance of an approach which, while overtaken by the past development, has lost nothing of its aesthetic validity or of the potential to ressurect it and develop it in the modern spirit."[4]
As a professor, Večtomov taught at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. Among his many pupils were Michaela Fukačová, Jiří Hošek, Jan Páleníček and Miroslav Petráš. His pedagogical method focused intently on detail, and he was known for his friendly manner.
Večtomov played on two instruments, a 1712 Alessandro Gagliano and a 1754 Giovanni Battista Guadagnini. It is said that in his playing technique he had mastered 30 distinctive glissandi, yet that owing to his untimely end he never attained the stature he deserved.[5]
Accolades
Večtomov was awarded prizes in 14 international contests, including the 1955 Prague Spring International Music Competition 1st prize. Throughout his career he maintained a special relation to the work of Bohuslav Martinů, whose Cello Concerto No. 2 he interpreted as a world premiere as well as his Variations on a Slovak Folk Song. Večtomov recorded ten of Martinů's major works and in 1970 was awarded the Grand Prix du Disque for his 1965 Supraphon recording of Cello Concerto No. 2.
References
- ↑ Prague String Duo, Archive Recordings (Prague: Uneventful Records, 2015).
- ↑ Jonathan Woolf. "Dvořák/Suk, Central Bohemia Symphony Orchestra, 1973, Poděbrady Theatre, Czechoslovakia". musicweb-international.com. Retrieved 2015-06-25.
- ↑ Pomeroy, B. "Recording". orchestralconcertcds.com. Retrieved 2015-06-25.
- ↑ "Pražské strunné duo: Slavné přídavky". supraphonline.cz. Retrieved 2015-06-25.
- ↑ DVladimir. "Teacher Saša Večtomov". cellist.nl. Retrieved 2015-06-25.
External links
- Saša Večtomov discography at Discogs
- Saša Večtomov at Find a Grave