in chronological order (the latest review at the top)
Martinu-Kapralova-Suk. Kapralova Quartet. ARCO DIVA UP0085-2 131.
Vital, gripping and relentlessly present music-making counter-balanced by yielding tenderness in the wonderful Martinu and Kapralova.
Rob Barnett, Recordings of the Year 2006, Music Web International
Vitezslava Kapralova: Pisne. Zpev a klavir. Souborne vydani. Amos Editio Praha 2005, 146 stran. ISMN M-66057-046-3.
Vitezslava Kapralova: Leden. Pisen na slova Vitezslava Nezvala pro sopran (nebo tenor), fletnu, dvoje housle, violoncello a klavir. Amos Editio Praha 2005, 11 stran. ISMN M-66057-044-9.
Vitezslava Kapralova se narodila v nedeli a po cely zivot verila (ci - kdyz ji bylo nejhure - chtela verit), ze "nedelnatka maji stesti".
V necem se tato lidova moudrost jednoznacne naplnila, i kdyz nikoli za skladatelcina zivota, ale dlouha desetileti po jeji smrti: vznikem The Kapralova Society v kanadskem Torontu se vytvorila platforma
pro soustredene a soustavne propagovani dila teto skladatelky po celem svete a vysledky cinnosti teto mezinarodni spolecnosti jsou uz dnes, necele desetileti od jejiho vzniku, impozantni, nebot uvadeji
Kapralovou do nejlichotivejsich souvislosti svetoveho hudebniho deni.
Iniciatorem, dusi a hybatelem cele spolecnosti je jeji predsedkyne Karla Hartl, absolventka Univerzity Karlovy a Univerzity v Torontu,
ktera stala u zrodu rady vyznamnych projektu.
Pripomenme z nich alespon premierova uvadeni del Kapralove v Kanade ci USA, vydani CD s kompletem pisni v Supraphonu, nebo pravidelne vydavani
Kapralova Society Journal s originalnimi prispevky z pera svetovych muzikologu a s vycerpavajici dokumentaci dila Kapralove (Karla Hartl v ni postupuje doslova den po dni a ke vsemu dokaze "sehnat"
patricnou dokumentaci: takovou publicitu nema lecktery z "hvezdnych" svetovych autoru!).
K temto aktivitam se v soucasne dobe radi i snaha vydat tiskem dilo Vitezslavy Kapralove pokud mozno v kompletnosti.
Jejimi vysledky v neprilis davne dobe bylo vydani Concertina a Ritornelu v Editio Bärenreiter.
Pokracovani teto linie nyni predstavuje souborne vydani pisnoveho dila Vitezslavy Kapralove, v nakladatelstvi Amos Editio. Vydani je vzorove.
Z rukopisu v hudebnim oddeleni Moravskeho muzea pripravil vsechny skladby k tisku Timothy Cheek, pianista a pedagog univerzity v Michiganu, tentyz, ktery se uz podilel na realizaci zvukove nahravky
techto pisni v Supraphonu a ktery jim venoval opakovane pozornost i jako muzikolog (je mimo jine i autorem spisu Singing in Czech: A Guide to Czech Lyric Diction and Vocal Repertoire,
k nemuz predmluvu napsal Sir Charles Mackerras).
Dvojjazycne cesko-anglicke vydani opatril Cheek zasvecenou predmluvou a podrobnymi edicnimi poznamkami a k ceskym textum pisni pripojil i vlastni anglicke preklady.
Totez lze zopakovat i v pripade samostatne vydane pisne Vitezslavy Kapralove Leden pro hlas, fletnu, dvoje housle, violocello a klavir (samostatny sesit byl prirozene nutny kvuli partiture a
jednotlivym partum). Opet prikladna prace muzikologicka i editorska, opet puvabna, dobove stylizovana obalka Daniely Zichove. Kapralova - "nedelnatko" - ma v soucasne dobe stesti.
Review by Jindra Bartova, December 2006.
Jagthuis Festival
[...] Of the too early died Vitezslava Kapralova, his pupil in Paris for some time, we heard ten songs.
Besides, there was instrumental chamber music of both composers [...].
From Kapralova we could hear her Legenda, op. 3a, from 1932 and an Elegie, both for violin and piano. It was fascinating to hear the differences in sound language and it was striking (for me at least)
how Martinu did not put his stamp on the composing Kapralova.
From a review by Gert Floor for the Bohuslav Martinu Newsletter 3 (December 2006): 11.
CD Kapralova Quartet: Martinu, Kapralova, Suk. ArcoDiva, Praha 2006, TT 53:31.
Srovnani obou kvartetu neni nemozne, jak by se na prvni pohled mohlo zdat. Presto, ze Kapralove bylo v dobe
vzniku kvartetu pouhych jedenadvacet let, stezi bychom je popsali jako studentskou praci. Kvartet se svoji invenci i hloubkou citu
vice nez vyrovna kvartetu Martinu. Bohuzel nelze souhlasit s ponekud zkratkovitymi tezemi autora bookletu Rafaela Broma, ktery pise, ze "[kvartet]
stylove zapada do novoromantickeho ovzdusi brnenske pedagogiky, protkane ohlasy polyfonniho zpracovani
temat, jejich lapidarnosti ci charakteristickymi rytmy zprostredkovanymi uz otcem, ktery byl zakem
jak Vitezslava Novaka, tak Leose Janacka." Uz prvni takty kvartetu evokuji tvurci ovzdusi blizke skupine Manesa.
Melodie podlozena rytmizovanymi kvartovymi akordy a hrou col legno jiste neni tim, co bychom nazvali dedictvim Janackovy
nebo Novakovy skoly. Ani dalsi poslech pak prilis neopravnuje vyse uvedene tvrzeni. [...]
Nove CD Kapralova quartetu je zkratka znamenitym dramaturgickym
i interpretacnim pocinem. [...] Byl-li Martinu opravdu jednou z "podivnych lasek" Vitky Kapralove, jak o nich pise Jiri Mucha, pak v uskutecneni tohoto projektu
oba nalezli blizkost, ktera jim byla za jejich zivota odpirana.
From a review by Martin Flasar for Opus Musicum nos. 2-3 (2006): 83.
Kapralova Quartet (ARCO DIVA UP0085-2 131)
Kapralova's first quartet stands as a monument to her vast
talent. It is an assured, masterful, beautiful and joyful work. The
playing throughout by the eponymous group is exemplary. I believe I can confidently predict that the
Kapralova work will be taken up by many more groups as a result of
this recording. A truly tremendous CD and
one to which I shall frequently return.
Peter Herbert, Bohuslav Martinu Discussion Group, March 22, 2006.
Martinu-Kapralova-Suk. Kapralova Quartet. ARCO DIVA UP0085-2 131.
[...] This is followed by Kapralova’s deeply affecting and astonishingly moving quartet. Its emotional anchor is the long central lento which speaks directly and in hushed accents.
It radiates enchantment in a Tippett-like web of cantilena. The introspection is not cast off completely in the finale. It is as if the beauty of the lento compels the pilgrim to turn from activity
back to the land of lost content and become lost in the vision. There is a hint of Rozsa’s Middle-European accent about this. I wonder if the music critic Christopher Palmer ever heard this work.
It’s my guess he would have been completely captivated and would have become one of Kapralova’s most persuasive and enthusiastic advocates. I would also add that the Kapralova (Quartet)’s performance
out-points the Janacek Quartet on a valuable all-Kapralova CD (Studio Matous MK 0049-2 011). The work registered favourably but in a rather generalised way with the Janacek. In the present case it
leaves the listener in no doubt that this is a special piece of music.
From a review by Rob Barnett for MusicWeb, March 6, 2006.