To my friends and colleagues ...

As you may know, the public performance part of my career has

now ended. I have allowed myself to look back on my work with
a measure of satisfaction - a satisfaction tempered by the reality
that no further newly-recorded contributions will be added to the
collection of recordings which must now represent my art.
However, I have a number of recorded performances in my personal archives
which are not available outside my own listening room. These include live recitals,
radio broadcast performances, and LP’s which were not released on CD. In my
opinion, many of these are worthy of wider availability.
Therefore, I’ve started a modest effort to release some of these recordings, both for
digital download and as physical CD’s. You can read about the first fruits of this
effort in this brochure.
I’m sending this to you for two reasons ...
Ÿ For your own interest, and in the event that you feel an irresistible impulse to
purchase one or more of these items.
Ÿ To suggest that you send this brochure to others who might be interested.
Thank you, and all the best ...

Antonín Kubálek
June 2010
 Covers for these recordings
The cover art for each recording is a
reproduction of a painting by Joseph
Drapell. These covers give this series
of CD’s a coherent and distinct
identity.
Joseph Drapell has exhibited around
the world and is considered one of
the major visual innovators of the last
30 years.
I’m pleased to extend my gratitude to
Joseph, not for the first time in my
career. While his artwork is originally
many times the size of these CD
covers, the resulting impact is
gratifyingly reminiscent of the days
when LP covers reflected as much
mastery on the outside as the inside.
For information about his art and life, see www.drapell.com.
Availability
These recordings are available both as downloads and as physical CD’s.
Ÿ For those in the Toronto area who would like CD’s, see Atelier Grigorian.
Ÿ For downloads or CD’s, see my page at CD Baby, which is the hub for both
download and physical distribution. (The link will take you to the overall Kubálek
page. From there, you can click on any album cover to see more information about
that album.)
Ÿ Downloads and CD’s will become available from Amazon, iTunes, and other on-
line retailers as they are distributed out from CD Baby.

For further information

For sound samples, ordering information, notes and more, click on the “more info”
link on each of the following pages.
 This recording was to have been Volume III in my Dorian Brahms series. Recording
was complete, I had made detailed editing notes ... and then Dorian suspended
operations. After Dorian’s catalogue was purchased, I was able to negotiate for the
rights to this recording. I engaged David Walters (with whom I had worked at Dorian)
to complete the editing; and I’m delighted that this recording finally sees the light of
day.
It contains two of Brahms’ masterworks, as well as two lesser-known pieces that
deserve to be heard more often.

AK 01 Sonata #1 in C Major, Op. 1 31:40

1. Allegro 12:17 1

2. Andante 5:38 2

3. Scherzo - Allegro molto a con fuoco 6:14 3

B
4. Finale - Allegro con fuoco 7:28 4

Ballades, Op. 10 23:19

rahms Kubálek - Brahms Piano Music, Volume III

1. Andante
2. Andante - espressivo e dolce
4:02
6:19
5

6
Volume III
3. Allegro 3:51 7

4. Andante con molto 9:07 8

Antonín Variations on an Hungarian song, Op. 21, #2 7:11 9

Kubálek Scherzo, Op. 4 9:12 10

Piano Total: 71:22

About Kubálek’s Brahms:
“The music making is ravishing. The sound he achieves is mellow
and haunting in many places. The performance is one of profound
maturity and confidence, and deserves to be heard many times over.”
(Music Magazine)

Cover reproduction: Jan Hus - Burnt at the Stake (© Joseph Drapell 1995, 36 x 39 in.)
Used with the kind permission of The Museum of New New Painters, Toronto

More info about this recording

 This recording contains two masterworks of the chamber repertoire with piano. They
were recorded in the mid-70’s with the two leading Canadian chamber ensembles - the
Orford Quartet and the Vaghy Quartet.
The notes include some fascinating details. Example - at the conclusion of the premiere
of the Franck Quintet, the pianist (no less than Camille Saint-Saens) stalked away
leaving the score on the piano. This was apparently a reaction to the overtly passionate
nature of the music. And Franck’s wife wasn’t pleased either.

Ernest Chausson
AK 02

C
Concerto for piano, violin & string quartet in d major, Op. 21 38:42
Calme 14:05 1
Sicilienne 4:07 2

hausson Grave 9:44 3

Très animé 10:46 4

Antonín Kubálek, piano

F
Andrew Dawes, violin solo
Otto Armin, first violin
Members of the Orford Quartet
ranck Kenneth Perkins, violin
Terence Helmer, viola
Marcel St. Cyr, cello
Andrew César Franck
Dawes Quintet for piano & string quartet in f minor, M. 7 32:53
I. Molto moderato 14:39 5
& the II. Lento 9:28 6

Orford III. Allegro non troppo

Antonín Kubálek, piano
8:46 7

Quartet Vaghy String Quartet

Deszo Vaghy, first violin and leader
Vaghy David George, second violin
Tibor Vaghy, viola
Quartet Robert Dodson, Cello
Total: 71:35
Antonín
Cover reproduction: Realism Meets Idealism (© Joseph Drapell 2009, detail)
Kubálek Used with the kind permission of The Museum of New New Painters, Toronto.
Piano

More info about this recording

 These sonatas are curiously neglected. I played them in public several times, and
always got a good audience response (as can be heard on this recording). And yet I’m
not aware of anyone else other than Gregory Oh and Walter himself playing them.
These live performances were recorded by the CBC for broadcast. With the assistance
of the Canada Council and the Ontario Arts Council, I had commissioned #2-3-4, and
the performances captured here were the premieres. Why was I not involved with #1?
Well, Walter had the poor timing to write it in 1967, the year before I came to Canada.

AK 03 CD1: Sonata #1   “Dzwięki” (Sounds) 14:55

Sonata #2 “Sonata de Cameron” 25:38
I Allegro vivace 7:41
II Improvisation 3:51
III Scherzo 3:49

B
IV Adagio 3:32
V Finale 6:46

uczynski CD2: Sonata #3

Sonata #4
“Textures”
23:22
20:05

Sonatas 1-2-3-4 I Fantasia I 4:08

II Scherzo I 3:39
III Fantasia II 4:14
Antonín IV Adagio 3:25
V Scherzo II 3:05
Kubálek VI Finale 4:51
Piano Total: 84:00

Cover reproduction: Eve's Apple (© Joseph Drapell 2009, 114 x 108 in.)
Used with the kind permission of the Museum of New New Painters, Toronto.

© 2010 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Live Performances
More info about this recording
 Paderewski’s star has faded, largely because he was always more successful as a
performer than as a composer. He was a fascinating and multi-faceted man, whose
character we tried to capture in the notes for the original LP issue (reprinted for this
CD).
These two works for piano represent him at his peak as a composer. They were written
during an extended and self-imposed “leave of absence” from his public life. Neither
work is easy for the performer; both offer significant rewards for the attentive listener.

AK 04

P aderewski
Sonata Op. 21
Variations & Fugue Op. 23
Sonata in e flat minor, Op. 21
1. Allegro con fuoco
2a. Andante ma non troppo
2b. Allegro vivace

Variations & Fugue, Op. 23

11:00
x:xx
x:xx

27:21
1

Antonín
Total: 51:03
Kubálek
Piano

From Citadel LP CT-7001 (1975)

Producer: Tony Thomas
Recording Engineer: Lester Remsen

Cover reproduction: Daughter of Granite (© Joseph Drapell ???)

Used with the kind permission of the Museum of New New Painters, Toronto.

More info about this recording

 This recording - and the necessary task of setting the piano arrangements - was
suggested to me as a somewhat light-hearted project in the US bicentennial year of
1976. There are many piano arrangements of Sousa’s music for amateur performance,
but few of these give full scope to his musical ideas and the sheer panorama of his
compositions. I became interested in some of Sousa’s lesser-known pieces, which seem
to have been unfairly neglected.
As an appendix, the recording contains side by side recordings of the same piece, first
for full band and then in my own arrangement.

AK 05
The Bride Elect 2:28 1

The Summer Girl 4:14 2

Mother Hubbard 2:34 3

La Reine de la Mer 6:56 4

The Charlatan 3:05 5

Nymphalin 4:19 6

S
The Red Man 3:39 7

Coquette 4:17 8

ousa The Triumph of Time 2:47 9

Appendix: La Reine de la Mer - compare & contrast!

Arrangements
The United States Marine Band 1 7:29 10
for
11
Piano Arrangement for Piano by Kubálek 6:56

Total: 51:03
Antonín

Kubálek
1 This track (and others) are available for free download at
marineband.usmc.mil, the web site of
“The President’s Own” United States Marine Band.
Piano
Arrangements for piano by Antonín Kubálek (unpublished).

Cover reproduction: Canadian Glory (© Joseph Drapell 1990 acrylic on canvas (detail) 62" x 88")
Used with the kind permission of the Museum of New New Painters, Toronto.

More info about this recording

 The Mozart, Beethoven, and Janáček items constituted my first recordings done in
Canada. The Hindemith, however, is from my very first recording made after I left
what was then Czechoslovakia. It was done in the US.
During an upcoming stay in the Czech Republic, I will be searching for pre-1968
recordings in the Supraphon and Prague Radio archives.

AK 06 Mozart Rondo in A minor, K. 511 9:26 1

Beethoven Sonata #22 in F major, Op. 54 8:38

E
In tempo d’un Menuetto 5:12 2
Allegretto 3:26 3

arly Janáček On an overgrown path 26:24

R
Our Evenings (Moderato) 2:55 4
A Blown Away Leaf (Andante) 2:55 5
Come With Us! (Andante) 1:28 6

ecordings The Madonna of Frydeck (Grave)

They Chattered Like Swallows (Con moto)
3:30
1:53
7
8
Words Fail! (Andante) 2:21 9
Antonín Good Night! (Andante) 3:04 10

Kubálek Unutterable Anguish (Andante)

In Tears (Larghetto)
2:34
2:31
11
12
Piano The Barn Owl Has Not Flown Away! (Andante) 3:17 13

Hindemith “1922” Suite for Piano 20:24

I. March 1:32 14
II. Shimmy 3:20 15
III. Nachtstück 7:04 16
IV. Boston 6:16 17
V. Ragtime 2:12 18

Total 64:52

Cover reproduction: Renewal (© Joseph Drapell 2009, 114 x 108 in.)

Used with the kind permission of the Museum of New New Painters, Toronto.

More info about this recording