Jiří Bělohlávek, former chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic, has died, aged 71, after a long illness, the Czech Philharmonic said on Thursday.
“It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of Jiří Bělohlávek, chief conductor and music director of the Czech Philharmonic … following his brave struggle with a serious disease,” the orchestra said on its Facebook page.
Born in Prague in 1946, Bělohlávek was a leading interpreter of Czech music, particularly of work by composers such as Antonín Dvořák, Bedřich Smetana and Bohuslav Martinů. He led several Czech orchestras – including the Brno Philharmonic and Prague Symphony Orchestra – from 1972 to 1989, before taking the helm at the Czech Philharmonic for the first time in 1990-92.
In 1995, Bělohlávek was named the BBC Symphony Orchestra’s chief guest conductor, and in 2006 he became its chief conductor, a post he held for six years. He was the first non-native English speaker to conduct the Last Night of the Proms, in 2007, and also led the closing night’s festivities in 2010 and 2012. In April 2012, Bělohlávek was awarded an honorary CBE “for services to music”, and he continued to work with the BBC orchestra as their conductor laureate, most recently appearing with them in April, conducting Dvořák’s Requiem.
Bělohlávek guest-conducted many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic and Boston Symphony Orchestra, and worked at the world’s top opera houses, such as Covent Garden in London, the Bastille in Paris and New York’s Metropolitan Opera.
In 2012, he rejoined the Czech Philharmonic as their chief conductor and in January had signed a new six-year contract with the Prague-based orchestra. “Jiří Bělohlávek’s restoration of his Czech Philharmonic to its former glory will be one of his finest achievements, and, if the whooping and cheering of this audience is matched elsewhere on this British tour, he will also have felt the warmth of the esteem in which he is still held in the UK,” wrote the Guardian of his appearance with the orchestra, as part of a seven-date tour, in April 2015.
Paul Hughes, BBC Symphony Orchestra’s general manager, paid tribute to ‘an extraordinary man.’
“Jiří Bělohlávek’s last concert with his beloved BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus was Dvorak’s mighty Requiem Mass and a more fitting tribute to the music making of this extraordinary man it would be hard to imagine. His relationship with the BBCSO spanned 20 years there are so many memories, but I would single out the pride with which he brought the orchestra to the Prague Spring Festival, and the award-winning performances and recordings of Czech operas and Martinu symphonies. There was always a sense of family with Jiří, we were his musical family and his family were our family.”
Alan Davey, Controller of BBC Radio 3, BBC Proms and BBC Orchestras added:
“Bělohlávek was a much loved conductor and his BBCSO work will be remembered as a golden period, where he brought the orchestra to new discoveries, particularly of Czech music. He charmed audiences with the warm humanity he brought to the music he gave us. We have so much for which to thank Jiří, and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time.”
Roger Wright, Chief Executive Snape Maltings and the former head of the BBC proms and Radio 3, said: “It was an enormous pleasure to work with Jiří Bělohlávek. His personal warmth was always evident and it is that character and quality which so infused his music making. I remember him and his hugely successful tenure at the BBC with enormous affection ... he brought his deep musicianship, in particular a glowing string sound, to everything that he conducted. He will be hugely missed.”
- Audio: Smetana’s Overture – The Bartered Bride, performed at the BBC Proms with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by former chief conductor Jiří Bělohlávek (1946–2017).
