Josef Suk: In Memoriam

This past week violinist Josef Suk passed away at the age of 81. He was a great violinist in his own right but he also had a stellar pedigree. His grandfather was the composer Josef Suk and the elder Suk had married Dvorak's daughter. This means that the violinist was the great grandson of Antonin Dvorak.

Suk was a highly-respected violinist and conductor in his native Czechoslovakia and developed a major international career as well. He made his American debut playing the Dvorak Violin Concerto with George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra in 1964. In our video Suk is seen playing the slow movement from this concerto with Vaclav Neumann and the Czech Philharmonic.

Suk made numerous recordings of all the major concertos and solo pieces for his instrument. He also devoted much of his time to chamber music. He formed a trio with pianist Julius Katchen and cellist Janos Starker and together they recorded a wide repertoire for Decca. With Katchen he also recorded the complete Brahms sonatas.

Paul E. Robinson