{"title":"Rak, Stepan","description":"\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0023\/1718\/9173\/files\/IMG_5973_240x240.jpg?v=1579039566\" alt=\"Stepan Rak\" style=\"margin-right: 012px; margin-bottom: 012px; float: left;\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStepan Rak\u003c\/strong\u003e (b.1945) is one of the luminaries of the classical guitar world, enjoying global renown as a virtuoso performer and composer.  He studied a Fine Arts School in Prague before specialising in guitar at the Prague Conservatory; he later returned to study, taking composition at the Prague Academy of Arts.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eAs well as performing and composing, Rak is revered as a teacher.  When, in 2000, he took up his current chair at the Academy of Performing Arts, Prague, Rak became the first ever Professor of Guitar in the Czech Republic. The title was bestowed upon him by President Vaclav Havel.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eRak has performed in over 70 countries around the world, including Europe, the Americas, China and Japan. In 2001, he was the first guitarist ever invited to perform solo at the famed P.I. Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow. Returning by invitation the following year, he also performed at the Moscow Fall Festival. Other extraordinary concerts have included a collaboration with actor Alfred Strejček celebrating Czech philosopher Jan Amos Komensky, which included events in Mexico and Italy; his “Ode to Tea” concert in Beijing; and his premier performance of his composition “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” at an international guitar festival in California.   \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eIn 2006, Rak was presented with a one-of-a-kind stone guitar carved for him by sculptor Jan Řeřich. This guitar possesses extraordinary, resonating properties that Rak uses in his work KYTAROTERAPIE (“Guitarotherapy”).\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eRak is also a published author: KYTARA, MÁ LÁSKA (“Guitar, My Love”), co-authored with Jaroslava Urbanova, was published in 2003.  \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eRak’s virtuoso playing and magnetic performances have been widely recorded and uploaded, and his compositions and arrangements are performed by a wealth of other artists (although much of his output requires advanced playing skills).\u003c\/span\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"rak-tombeau-for-sabrina","title":"Rak, Tombeau for Sabrina","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \u003cspan class=\"fontstyle0\"\u003eŠtěpán Rak, Tombeau for Sabrina\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor solo guitar and for guitar duet.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAllan Bergmann, chairman of the association ‘Bergmann Edition’, writes:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“On 17th January 2019 guitarist Sabrina Vlaškalić was killed in a tragic traffic accident in Groningen. It was only a few days before the second Guitar Concerto Competition and Festival in Groningen was due take place, with Sabrina as its driving force.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI never met Sabrina in person, but we were often in contact - because Bergmann Edition supported the first festival in 2018 and we were going to help the second festival as well. We were in touch even the day before she died, and only later I understood why she suddenly wasn’t answering my e-mails.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEverybody who knew her reacted with horror and shock to the accident - even those in the guitar world, like me, who had been only peripherally acquainted with her.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMore than one composer for the guitar has written a piece in memory of Sabrina Vlaškalić. And they include the legendary Stepan Rak, who has contributed with his \"Tombeau for Sabrina\". \u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAll contestants at the upcoming second festival in Groningen in 2020 will get a copy of this publication.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRak’s composition, which you can see here, is a profoundly-felt lament and meditation on mortality. With its slow tempo and striking final long descending cadences, this beautiful piece captures the essence of grief.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eProduct:\u003c\/strong\u003e Digital PDF or Print-on-demand\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 12\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLevel:\u003c\/strong\u003e Advanced\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOrder Number:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cspan class=\"fontstyle0\"\u003eBE-200103\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"fontstyle0\"\u003eISMN 979-0-706813-61-5\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"1195\" height=\"672\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/U-Q4V9VA9SY\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BERGMANN EDITION","offers":[{"title":"Self-Print (PDF)","offer_id":31376321871955,"sku":"BE-200103","price":8.5,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"Print on Demand","offer_id":31376321904723,"sku":"BE-200103p","price":15.63,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0023\/1718\/9173\/products\/Rak_Tombeau_for_Sabrina_Page1_0.jpg?v=1579043044"},{"product_id":"rak-paleceks-cry","title":"Rak, Paleček´s Cry","description":"\u003ch2\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"fontstyle0\"\u003eŠtěpán Rak, Paleček´s Cry\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"fontstyle0\"\u003eFor solo guitar.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"fontstyle0\"\u003e\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"fontstyle1\"\u003ePaleček ́s Cryis\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"fontstyle0\"\u003e\" is a virtuoso study, especially for the exercise of the thumb of the right hand.\u003cbr\u003eI composed it for the guitar solo and the Prague marimba trio group. There is a tiny little historical parallel with Czech Knight Jan Paleček from 15. century who was a Court Jester of Czech king George of Podebrady- diplomat king who dreamed of an establishment of United Europe. It has been described in a historical novel by František Kupka Palečkův pláč (Cry) and Palečkův smích (Laugh).\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"fontstyle3\"\u003eŠtěpán RAK\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eProduct:\u003c\/strong\u003e Digital PDF or Print-on-demand\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 12\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLevel:\u003c\/strong\u003e Advanced\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOrder Number:\u003c\/strong\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"fontstyle0\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBE-220612\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan class=\"fontstyle0\"\u003eISMN 979-0-706824-51-2 \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"BERGMANN EDITION","offers":[{"title":"Self-Print (PDF)","offer_id":40303874474067,"sku":"BE-220612","price":8.5,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"Print on Demand","offer_id":40303874506835,"sku":"BE-220612p","price":15.63,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0023\/1718\/9173\/products\/Rak_Paleckuvplac_Page1_1.jpg?v=1663617187"},{"product_id":"rak-dance-around-a-linden-tree","title":"Rak, Dance Around a Linden Tree","description":"\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan class=\"fontstyle0\"\u003eŠtěpán Rak, Dance Around a Linden Tree\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor solo guitar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"fontstyle0\"\u003e This piece was inspired by an ancient Celtic ritual - dancing around a linden tree in the mid-summer until the exhausted dancers fell down on the ground. The piece is to be played in an extremely frenetic manner from beginning to the end to express that ancient ritual. \u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"fontstyle3\"\u003eŠtěpán RAK\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eProduct:\u003c\/strong\u003e Digital PDF or Print-on-demand\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 16 pages (8 pages with music)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLevel:\u003c\/strong\u003e Advanced\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOrder Number:\u003c\/strong\u003e  \u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" class=\"fontstyle0\"\u003eBE-211102\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan class=\"fontstyle0\"\u003e ISMN 979-0-706820-78-1\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"BERGMANN EDITION","offers":[{"title":"Self-Print (PDF)","offer_id":40324209770579,"sku":"BE-211102","price":10.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"Print on Demand","offer_id":40324209803347,"sku":"BE-211102p","price":18.75,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0023\/1718\/9173\/products\/Rak_DanceAroundaLindenTree_Page1_0.jpg?v=1664449597"},{"product_id":"rak-hora","title":"Rak, Hora","description":"\u003ch2\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"fontstyle0\"\u003eŠtěpán Rak, Hora\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"fontstyle0\"\u003eRomanian dance for solo guitar. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"fontstyle0\"\u003eThis piece's main inspiration was the Romanian folk dance “hora”. Its introduction was initially composed as a virtuoso study for the left hand only. Still, over the years, I have considerably reduced the left-hand section and begun to play Romanian Dance as an encore. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"fontstyle3\"\u003eŠtěpán RAK\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eProduct:\u003c\/strong\u003e Digital PDF or Print-on-demand\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 12 (four with music)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLevel:\u003c\/strong\u003e Advanced\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOrder Number:\u003c\/strong\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"fontstyle0\"\u003eBE-210838\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan class=\"fontstyle0\"\u003eISMN 979-0-706820-43-9\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"fontstyle0\"\u003eListen to Mateusz Kowalski playing Hora:\u003cbr\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"808\" height=\"455\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9RlmjAl6FXc\" title=\"Štěpán Rak's \u0026quot;Hora\u0026quot; performed by Mateusz Kowalski on a Cordoba Luthier Select Series \u0026quot;Friederich\u0026quot;\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BERGMANN EDITION","offers":[{"title":"Self-Print (PDF)","offer_id":49780439155032,"sku":"BE-210838","price":8.5,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"Print on Demand","offer_id":49780439187800,"sku":"BE-210838p","price":15.63,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0023\/1718\/9173\/files\/Rak_HORA_Page1_0.jpg?v=1724416622"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0023\/1718\/9173\/collections\/IMG_5973.jpg?v=1579039613","url":"https:\/\/bergmann-edition.com\/en-jp\/collections\/rak-stepan.oembed","provider":"BERGMANN EDITION","version":"1.0","type":"link"}