Josef Suk (violinist) Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth and Family

Josef Suk died on 7 July 2011, aged 81, of prostate cancer and was buried in Prague, the Vyšehrad cemetery.

From 1979 to 1986 he was a teacher at the Music College in Vienna.

He held the title of Meritorious Artist and since 1977 the title of National Artist. In 2002 he was awarded the National Order of the Legion of Honour.

In 1974, as a commemoration of the 100th anniversary of birth of his grandfather Josef Suk, he founded the Suk Chamber Orchestra. Suk acted as its leader and conductor till 2000.

In 1961 he was named as soloist of the Czech Philharmonic, playing on many of its tours and recitals. He cooperated, and made numerous recordings, with the world’s best orchestras, conductors and interpreters. He won many prizes for his recordings – Grand Prix du Disque for Debussy’s and Janáček’s sonatas, for the Dumky Trio by Dvořák with Jan Panenka and Miloš Sádlo, for the complete collection of Mozart’s violin concerts with the Prague Chamber Orchestra conducted by Libor Hlaváček, for the Berg Concerto and for the concertos of Martinů.

In 1960 he was lent the violin by Antonio Stradivari called Duc de Camposelice made in 1710. Its former owner was Váša Příhoda, who donated it to the Czechoslovak state shortly before his death. Suk also played the Libon Stradivari and The Prince of Orange violin by Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu. He also used an instrument by Přemysl Špidlen for a long time.

His first significant success was a recital in Prague on 6 November 1954. Shortly after that George Szell invited him to the US to play with the Cleveland Orchestra. In 1958 he performed in Germany, Netherlands and Romania, then also in France and Belgium.

1950-1952 he was the primarius of the Prague quartet, 1953-1955 concert master of the dramatic orchestra of the National theatre in Prague, then till 1957 a soloist of the Army artist company.

Aside from his solo career he focused on chamber music. As a student (1950-1952) he was the primarius of the Prague quartet and in 1951 he founded the Suk Trio, named after his grandfather Josef Suk, together with his friends Jiří Hubička (piano) and Saša Večtomov (cello), later with Jan Panenka (piano, replaced then by Josef Hála) and Josef Chuchro (cello). Suk Trio played many concerts both home and abroad and recorded many compositions. With the trio’s later pianist Jan Panenka Suk recorded the entire collection of Beethoven’s sonatas, and their recording of Shostakovich’s sonata for viola and piano was the very first. As a violist he often cooperated with the Smetana Quartet, mostly as second viola.

During his studies, in 1949, Suk was sent to Paris and Brussels where he represented successfully the young generation of Czech violinists.

Josef Suk was born in Prague, the grandson of the composer and violinist Josef Suk, and great-grandson of the composer Antonín Dvořák. After finishing high school in 1945 he entered the Prague Conservatory (1945-1951), where his teachers were Jaroslav Kocián, Norbert Kubát and Karel Šnebergr.

Josef Suk (8 August 1929 – 7 July 2011) was a Czech violinist, violist, chamber musician and conductor. In his home country he carried the title of National Artist.