Miloslav Kabeláč (1908-1979)
Overture No. 1 for orchestra, Op. 6 (1939)
Symphony No. 2 in C major, Op. 15 (1942-46)
Overture No. 2 for orchestra, Op. 17 (1947)
ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra/Jakub Hrůša
rec. live, 14-16 June 2023 & 17 June 2024, Konzerthaus, Radio Kulturhaus, Vienna
Capriccio C5546 [55]
Prague-born Miloslav Kabeláč studied at the Conversatory there, his teacher of composition being Erwin Schulhoff. During the German occupation, his career was ended and his life put at risk, because of his refusal to divorce his Jewish wife. Things improved after the end of the war, but he, like most artists, occasionally fell foul of the Communist regime. He wrote eight symphonies, which have been recorded by Supraphon (rather surprisingly not reviewed on MWI on release in 2016). My colleague Hubert Culot was very impressed by a 2024 Capriccio release of Kabeláč’s complete chamber music (review). This is the first I have heard of his music.
The first Overture is dominated by march rhythms, which one would have to think were influenced by the growing inevitability of war. Towards the end, the strings play a waltz-like theme, which is interrupted by martial brass and percussion, perhaps signifying the impending destruction of “polite society”. For me, it is the most effective of the three works presented here. The nine minutes pass quite rapidly with plenty of variety in the writing, and it doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Symphony No. 2 was begun in the depths of the war, but not completed until the year after it was over. Set in three movements across thirty-seven minutes, it is unsurprisingly gloomy and peppered with conflict. The booklet notes, which are quite informative, make absolutely no mention of Shostakovich, but it seems very hard to believe that Kabeláč didn’t know some of the Russian’s symphonies, especially the Fifth and Seventh. There are fingerprints of Shostakovich throughout, even down to the piccolo shrieks, but Kabeláč is more restrained, less wracked and anguished. The first movement is most effective in its quieter sections, which have drama but not bombast. The second movement is described as an elegy in the notes, and while the sombre and quiet opening and close fit that description, the middle section is impassioned and loud. The final movement includes a Scherzo with creepy pizzicato, which morphs into the Finale, closing with a grand, but very martial, flourish. I don’t think there is enough material to fill the thirty-seven minutes.
It seems logical to compare Kabeláč’s symphony with those of his fellow countryman Martinů (who wrote his first five symphonies over the same time period as Kabeláč took over just his Second). There are very obvious differences, firstly that Kabeláč certainly could not be described as neo-Classical, but also that Martinů’s are much more distinctive, varied and also concise. Kabeláč’s feels rather drab in comparison, but then again he had to suffer through the war in central Europe, while Martinů had flown the coop to the US. But Shostakovich suffered even worse travails, and his wartime symphonies cannot be described as drab.
The second Overture, written after the war and Communist takeover, is much more grim and militaristic than its predecessor. There is some of the agitation that one hears in wartime Shostakovich, again without quite the level of angst.
These are live recordings, only identifiable from the booklet information, certainly not by the very quiet audiences. The performances seems to me to be very good; I listened to some samples of the symphony from the Supraphon recording, which features a Czech orchestra, and didn’t hear a great deal of difference. If you do already own the Supraphon recordings, it will be the overtures that will be of most interest, I suspect.
My first exposure to Kabeláč’s music is probably best described as interesting, but not enthralling. His gift for melody is somewhat limited, and there is quite a degree of repetition through all three works. Am I encouraged to track down the Supraphon set? No, I think if I want to listen to mid-century angst, I will stick with DDS, but for those interested in 20th century Czech symphonies, Kabeláč is certainly worth a listen.
David Barker
Other review: Jonathan Woolf (October 2025)
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