Richard Novak: Portrait
Sheet Music

SKU: NX.SU4206-2

By Brno Janacek Opera Choir, Brno Janacek Opera Orchestra, Brno Philharmonic, Frantisek Jilek, Gerhard Zeller, Jan Å tych, Jarosla, Jaroslav Kyzlink, Miroslav Honka, Prague Philharmonia, Richard Novak, and Tomas Hanus. By Antonin Dvorak, Franz Schubert, Giuseppe Verdi, Hugo Wolf, Jacques Offenbach, Jaroslav Kricka, Leos Janacek, Mikhail Glinka, Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Richard Wagner, Simone Bocanegra, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Country of Origin: Czech Republic. Classical. CD (2 discs). Published by Supraphon Music Publishing (NX.SU4206-2).

UPC: 099925420628.

Backed up by the Czech Philharmonic, the 85-year-old Richard Novak sings the part of the Forester from the Cunning Little Vixen in a way that leaves you gaping in admiration. His performance is a witness not only to his singing skill, but also his life experience. The fact that he was lucky to find great music teachers has combined with persistence and hard work on his part. He was not afraid to interrupt his singing career at its apparent height when he felt his voice was losing inner support, and start anew. In 1961 he won second place in a singing competition in Toulouse (with Jose van Dame taking the first place) and became a laureate in the competition held in the Dutch city of Hertogenbosch in 1962. Dvorak, Verdi and Janacek represent the three supporting pillars of his repertoire and at the same time his three major musical loves. Novak sang as a guest in Teatro Colon, at the Salzburg Festival under Claudio Abbado and also appeared on prestigious stages in Paris, Madrid and Venice. He has collaborated with many outstanding conductors, having sung oratorios under Ancerl and Neumann and recorded the Glagolitic Mass with both Mackerras and Chailly. One must not forget to mention his beloved song repertoire including works by Schubert, Schumann, Wolf, Kricka, and, first and foremost, Dvorak's Biblical Songs.