Honorary Award for the authors of the scientific edition of Bohuslav Martinů's correspondence

On Wednesday, 19 February, the Metropol cinema in Olomouc hosted a ceremony where the Rector of Palacký University presented honorary mentions to the authors of books that were awarded in the past year. Among the awardees from the Faculty of Education was also a scholarly edition of Bohuslav Martinů's correspondence with cellist Frank Rybka - 

"Dear Frank: I. Letters of Bohuslav Martinů to Frank Rybka from 1941 to 1954".

The award-winning authors are Mgr. Jana Honzíková and prof. Mgr. MgA. Vít Zouhar, Ph.D.

Annotation:
Correspondence between Bohuslav Martinů and Frank Rybka is another volume of the composer's correspondence with his collaborators and friends. It often surprises with its immediacy, openness and the ease with which the composer asked for advice and help and described everyday events. Frank Rybka was a friend of the composer's from his youth and from the 1940s was one of his closest friends. Frank Rybka helped the Martinůs with their new life in the United States after their arrival in March 1941. He arranged their accommodation, transport, books, new contacts, helped negotiate fees and find performers. This first volume of correspondence with Frank Rybka reflects the creation and performance of a number of Bohuslav Martinů's compositions. It documents the complex search for a soloist for the Cello Concerto No. 2, the title of the piece Thunderbolt P-47, Martinů's first suggestions and work on the opera Mirandolina, and his thoughts on a theme based on Dostoevsky's novel Belsi. On a seemingly light surface, many of the dramatic events that accompanied the composer and his wife Charlotte between 1941 and 1954 are played out.

The publication is part of a critically annotated Czech-English edition of Bohuslav Martinů's correspondence. Other titles published in the edition include "Dear Friend. Letters of Bohuslav Martinů to Zdeněk Zouhar", "Dear Friend Bures. Letters of Bohuslav Martinů to Miloslav Bures", "Dear Milos. Letters of Bohuslav Martinů to Miloš Šafránek", "Dear all I - IV. Letters of Bohuslav Martinů to his family in Polička".

The award-winning first volume "Dear Frank" will be followed this year by the second volume, which will also be published by Palacký University.

Congratulations to the authors and we look forward to the continuation of this extensive edition!

More information about the edition on the UP Publishing website.

The titles can be purchased in print or pdf version on the UP Publishing House eshop.