Václav Zahradník

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Václav Zahradník (born January 29, 1942 in Prague ; † June 28, 2001 there ) was a Czech conductor, composer and arranger.

Live and act

Zahradník first attended engineering school before continuing his studies at the Prague Conservatory. There he studied composition with František Kovaříček and Zdeněk Hůla and conducting with František Hertl . During his student days he worked as a pianist and musical director in Jiří Wolker's theater . He also played in the ensemble Quax of Petr Kotik . He became known to a wider public as the songwriter and arranger of the Czech rock band The Rebels , who recorded the album Šípková Růženka in 1968 . Zahradník was also involved in numerous jazz projects as a big band leader and arranger. In 1969 he recorded the album Jazz Goes to Beat with a studio big band he directed . With his orchestra, which also included Western European musicians like John Surman or Americans like Barre Phillips and Stu Martin for studio productions , he also accompanied Karel Gott and later Josef Plíva ( Fairy-Tales in Beat , 1975).

Between 1973 and 1990 he was chief conductor of the orchestra of Czechoslovak TV , with which he mainly participated in musical entertainment programs. He also composed and recorded the music for numerous films, for example for the feature film Snowmen with a Heart (S tebou mě baví svět, 1982) by Marie Poledňáková and for television films. He also wrote jazz compositions and musicals such as Mazlíčkové (1974) and Babylónská věž (1975). He also arranged film scores for the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and other symphony orchestras.

His son Jakub Zahradník is also active as a jazz musician.

Discographic notes

Filmography

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personal data
SURNAME Zahradník, Václav
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Czech conductor, composer and arranger
DATE OF BIRTH January 29, 1942
PLACE OF BIRTH Prague
DATE OF DEATH June 28, 2001
Place of death Prague