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PRAGUE (AP) – Czech classical music conductor Libor Pešek, best known for leading the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic for a decade, has died. He is 89 years old.
Pešek died on Sunday, Jan Hasenöhrl, conductor of the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, said Pešek served as the orchestra’s chief conductor until 2019.
Pešek has performed with various orchestras at home and abroad. He was a huge supporter of the music of Czech composers, especially Joseph Dvorak’s pupil and son-in-law Joseph Suk. His recordings and concerts with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra made Suker’s music world famous.
“It’s mainly because now is the time to show unknown works in the UK, even Czech ones, and it’s still the right time to make some recordings,” he said in an interview with Czech Public Radio.
Pesek was Liverpool’s chief conductor from 1987-97 and has since become the conductor’s laureate. Under his direction, the Northern Orchestra of England is known as “the best Czech orchestra on this side of Prague”.
During Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to Prague in 1996, he was appointed Knight Commander of the British Empire.
Born in Prague on June 22, 1933, Pešek studied conducting, piano, cello and trombone at the Prague Academy of Music and Arts before embarking on an international conducting career spanning more than 50 years.
He led several Dutch orchestras in the 1970s and headed the Slovak Philharmonic and was resident conductor of the Czech Philharmonic in the 1980s. He later became the principal guest conductor of the Prague Symphony Orchestra.
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