Karel Kalaš
Encyclopedia
Karel Kalaš was an Czech opera
tic bass
and film
and television
actor
. He first rose to prominence at the Slovak National Theatre
where he was a member from 1934 through 1939. He left there to join the roster of principal singers at the National Theatre
in Prague
where he worked until his retirement from the opera stage in 1972. He appeared in a handful of films and occasionally on Czech television during his career, notably winning acclaim for his portrayal of a retired opera singer in the 1978 film Kulový blesk.
Kalaš's voice is preserved on a large number of recordings made on the Ultraphon, Esta, Bruno, Multisonic, and Urania labels. He also appeared on a number of complete opera recordings with the Prague National Theatre on the Supraphon
label.
, Austria
to parents of Czech decent, Kalaš initially worked for a printing business in his native city. During this time he began studying singing privately with Ferdinand Pagin. He began his career singing in choirs in Vienna but was unable to land work as a soloist with any of the theatres in the city. Discouraged, he decided that he would try to find employment in his parent's homeland and moved to Czechoslovakia
in 1932 where he eventually became a citizen.
In 1934 Kalaš succeeded in landing a contract with the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava
, where he began to assail mainly roles from the standard Czech repertoire like Kecal in Bedřich Smetana
's The Bartered Bride
and the High priest in Antonín Dvořák
's Vanda
. Renowned conductor Václav Talich
attended several of his performances at the theatre and, impressed with the young bass, poached him for the National Theater in Prague.
Kalaš made his debut at the Prague National Theatre (PNT) as Kecal inn 1939 and became, along with Eduard Haken
, one of the house's most important basses during the 1940 and 1950s. An early major success for him at the theatre was the role of Count Vilém of Harasov in Dvořák's The Jacobin
. Among his signature roles in Prague were Beneš in Dalibor, Dosifey in Mussorgsky's Khovanshchina
, the King in The Love for Three Oranges, Mumlal in The Two Widows
, Paloucký in The Kiss
, Paloucký in The Kiss
, King Philip II in Giuseppe Verdi
's Don Carlos
, Prince Gremin in Eugene Onegin
, and Vodník in Rusalka
.
In 1942 Kalaš sang in the world premiere of František Škroup
's Columbus (composed 1855) at the PNT. He notably toured with the PNT to Russia, Germany, and Belgium, appearing at such houses as the Bolshoi Theatre
(1955), the Berlin State Opera
(1956), and La Monnaie
(1958). In 1963 her retired from the opera stage but continued to sing in concerts for a number of years afterwords. In 1965 he was honored with the title People's Artist of the USSR
and he was awarded a Thalia Award in 1995.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tic bass
Bass (voice type)
A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
and film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He first rose to prominence at the Slovak National Theatre
Slovak National Theatre
The Slovak National Theatre denotes:* the oldest Slovak professional theatre consisting of 3 ensembles ,* a Neo-Renaissance theatre building in the Old Town of Bratislava, Slovakia, which formerly housed two of the theatre's ensembles , and* the theatre's large modern theatre building in...
where he was a member from 1934 through 1939. He left there to join the roster of principal singers at the National Theatre
National Theatre (Prague)
The National Theatre in Prague is known as the Alma Mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of Czech history and art.The National Theatre belongs to the most important Czech cultural institutions, with a rich artistic tradition which was created and maintained by the most distinguished...
in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
where he worked until his retirement from the opera stage in 1972. He appeared in a handful of films and occasionally on Czech television during his career, notably winning acclaim for his portrayal of a retired opera singer in the 1978 film Kulový blesk.
Kalaš's voice is preserved on a large number of recordings made on the Ultraphon, Esta, Bruno, Multisonic, and Urania labels. He also appeared on a number of complete opera recordings with the Prague National Theatre on the Supraphon
Supraphon
Supraphon Music Publishing is a Czech record label, it is oriented mainly towards publishing classical music, with an emphasis on Czech and Slovak composers.- History :...
label.
Biography
Born in ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
to parents of Czech decent, Kalaš initially worked for a printing business in his native city. During this time he began studying singing privately with Ferdinand Pagin. He began his career singing in choirs in Vienna but was unable to land work as a soloist with any of the theatres in the city. Discouraged, he decided that he would try to find employment in his parent's homeland and moved to Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
in 1932 where he eventually became a citizen.
In 1934 Kalaš succeeded in landing a contract with the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
, where he began to assail mainly roles from the standard Czech repertoire like Kecal in Bedřich Smetana
Bedrich Smetana
Bedřich Smetana was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style which became closely identified with his country's aspirations to independent statehood. He is thus widely regarded in his homeland as the father of Czech music...
's The Bartered Bride
The Bartered Bride
The Bartered Bride is a comic opera in three acts by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana, to a libretto by Karel Sabina. The opera is considered to have made a major contribution towards the development of Czech music. It was composed during the period 1863–66, and first performed at the...
and the High priest in Antonín Dvořák
Antonín Dvorák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
's Vanda
Vanda (opera)
Vanda is a grand opera in five acts by Antonín Dvořák. The Czech libretto was written by Václav Beneš-Šumavský and František Zákrejs after a work by Julian Surzycki.-Performance history:...
. Renowned conductor Václav Talich
Václav Talich
Václav Talich was a Czech conductor, violinist and pedagogue.- Life :Born in Kroměříž, Moravia, he started his musical career in a student orchestra in Klatovy. From 1897 to 1903 he studied at the conservatory in Prague with Otakar Ševčík...
attended several of his performances at the theatre and, impressed with the young bass, poached him for the National Theater in Prague.
Kalaš made his debut at the Prague National Theatre (PNT) as Kecal inn 1939 and became, along with Eduard Haken
Eduard Haken
Eduard Haken was a Czech operatic bass who had a lengthy career at the National Theatre in Prague during the 20th century. Although he mostly performed within his own nation, Haken did appear at a number of important international music festivals and opera houses in Europe while traveling with the...
, one of the house's most important basses during the 1940 and 1950s. An early major success for him at the theatre was the role of Count Vilém of Harasov in Dvořák's The Jacobin
The Jacobin
The Jacobin is an opera in three acts by Antonín Dvořák to an original Czech libretto by Marie Červinková-Riegrová. Červinková-Riegrová took some of the story's characters from the story by Alois Jirásek, "At the Ducal Court", but devised her own plot around them. The first performance was at the...
. Among his signature roles in Prague were Beneš in Dalibor, Dosifey in Mussorgsky's Khovanshchina
Khovanshchina
Khovanshchina is an opera in five acts by Modest Mussorgsky. The work was written between 1872 and 1880 in St. Petersburg, Russia. The composer wrote the libretto based on historical sources...
, the King in The Love for Three Oranges, Mumlal in The Two Widows
The Two Widows
The Two Widows is a two-act Czech opera by Bedřich Smetana based on the libretto of Emanuel Züngel. The libretto is based on Jean Pierre Felicien Mallefille's one-act play "Les deux veuves." The opera was composed between June 1873 and January 1874, with its first première on March 27th, 1874 at...
, Paloucký in The Kiss
The Kiss (opera)
The Kiss is an opera in two acts, with music by Bedřich Smetana and text by Eliška Krásnohorská, based on a novel by Karolina Světlá. It received its first performance in Prague on November 7, 1876.- Roles :- Act I :...
, Paloucký in The Kiss
The Kiss (opera)
The Kiss is an opera in two acts, with music by Bedřich Smetana and text by Eliška Krásnohorská, based on a novel by Karolina Světlá. It received its first performance in Prague on November 7, 1876.- Roles :- Act I :...
, King Philip II in Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
's Don Carlos
Don Carlos
Don Carlos is a five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French language libretto by Camille du Locle and Joseph Méry, based on the dramatic play Don Carlos, Infant von Spanien by Friedrich Schiller...
, Prince Gremin in Eugene Onegin
Eugene Onegin (opera)
Eugene Onegin, Op. 24, is an opera in 3 acts , by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto was written by Konstantin Shilovsky and the composer and his brother Modest, and is based on the novel in verse by Alexander Pushkin....
, and Vodník in Rusalka
Rusalka (opera)
Rusalka is an opera by Antonín Dvořák. The Czech libretto was written by the poet Jaroslav Kvapil based on the fairy tales of Karel Jaromír Erben and Božena Němcová. Rusalka is one of the most successful Czech operas, and represents a cornerstone of the repertoire of Czech opera houses...
.
In 1942 Kalaš sang in the world premiere of František Škroup
František Škroup
František Jan Škroup was a Czech composer and conductor. His brother Jan Nepomuk Škroup was also a successful composer and his father, Dominik Škroup, and other brother Ignác Škroup were lesser known composers.- Biography :At the age of eleven he moved to Prague where he supported himself as a...
's Columbus (composed 1855) at the PNT. He notably toured with the PNT to Russia, Germany, and Belgium, appearing at such houses as the Bolshoi Theatre
Bolshoi Theatre
The Bolshoi Theatre is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by architect Joseph Bové, which holds performances of ballet and opera. The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are amongst the oldest and most renowned ballet and opera companies in the world...
(1955), the Berlin State Opera
Berlin State Opera
The Staatsoper Unter den Linden is a German opera company. Its permanent home is the opera house on the Unter den Linden boulevard in the Mitte district of Berlin, which also hosts the Staatskapelle Berlin orchestra.-Early years:...
(1956), and La Monnaie
La Monnaie
Le Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie , or the Koninklijke Muntschouwburg is a theatre in Brussels, Belgium....
(1958). In 1963 her retired from the opera stage but continued to sing in concerts for a number of years afterwords. In 1965 he was honored with the title People's Artist of the USSR
People's Artist of the USSR
People's Artist of the USSR, also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to citizens of the Soviet Union.- Nomenclature and significance :...
and he was awarded a Thalia Award in 1995.