These are the letters of a great love story. In 1917, the Czech composer Leos JanA A A ek met Kamila StA

sslovA while on holiday at LuhaA A ovice, a spa resort in Moravia. He was sixty-three and locked in a loveless marriage; she was twenty-six, the wife of an antique dealer frequently away from home. After the holiday, JanA A A ek began writing to StA

sslovA . Undeterred by her lack of interest in his work and her spasmodic replies, he continued to send her letters until his death eleven years later. An extraordinarily self-revealing portrait emerges of an isolated artist at the height of his creative powers and the beginning of his international fame. It is also a portrait of a lonely man who, as the years went by, came to fantasize about StA

sslovA as his true "wife"--the inspiration for many of the works of his old age.

Most of these letters were suppressed until changing conditions in Czechoslovakia allowed their full publication in 1990. John Tyrrell has edited and translated a comprehensive selection, concentrating on the almost daily letters of the final eighteen months. Supported by a diary of meetings between JanA A A ek and StA

sslovA, a decoding of the erotic references in the letters, and a selection of mostly unknown photographs, this remarkable book breathes life into the story one of the greatest of operatic composers and provides vital clues to the nature of his creative genius.

Originally published in 1994.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905."

Janacek wrote regular articles for the Brno daily paper and in these he expressed his attitude and feelings towards the everyday things in nature and human situations which had commanded his attention. The sounds he heard, especially the human voice, he annotated with musical sketches and these appear in this book in his own words and serve to illuminate the works which this great composer produced. The thirty-odd articles are grouped under Memories of Youth, The Sounds of Music, Travel, Birds, while included under Operatic Studies is a fascinating account of the origins of The Cunning Little Vixen. The book also contains some rare photographs and music examples, many in Janacek's own hand.

These are the letters of a great love story. In 1917, the Czech composer Leos Janacek met Kamila Stosslova while on holiday at Luhacovice, a spa resort in Moravia. He was sixty-three and locked in a loveless marriage; she was twenty-six, the wife of an antique dealer frequently away from home. After the holiday, Janacek began writing to Stosslova. Undeterred by her lack of interest in his work and her spasmodic replies, he continued to send her letters until his death eleven years later. An extraordinarily self-revealing portrait emerges of an isolated artist at the height of his creative powers and the beginning of his international fame. It is also a portrait of a lonely man who, as the years went by, came to fantasize about Stosslova as his true "wife"--the inspiration for many of the works of his old age. Most of these letters were suppressed until changing conditions in Czechoslovakia allowed their full publication in 1990. John Tyrrell has edited and translated a comprehensive selection, concentrating on the almost daily letters of the final eighteen months. Supported by a diary of meetings between Janacek and Stosslova, a decoding of the erotic references in the letters, and a selection of mostly unknown photographs, this remarkable book breathes life into the story one of the greatest of operatic composers and provides vital clues to the nature of his creative genius. Originally published in 1994. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Václav Neumann conducts the Czech Philharmonic in this live performance recorded at Prague's Smetana Hall in 1986. The concert features Antonín Dvorák's 'The Wild Dove' and Leos Janácek's 'Taras Bulba'.

Seiji Ozawa leads the orchestra and chorus in Laurent Pelly's production of Janácek's fantasy opera, recorded live at Florence's Teatro Comunale in 2009. Armenian/Canadian soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian takes the lead role as the vixen, with American Quinn Kelsey as the gamekeeper.

Seiji Ozawa leads the orchestra and chorus in Laurent Pelly's production of Janácek's fantasy opera, recorded live at Florence's Teatro Comunale in 2009. Armenian/Canadian soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian takes the lead role as the vixen, with American Quinn Kelsey as the gamekeeper.

Mariss Jansons leads the Chor and Symphonieorches des Bayerischen Rundfunks in performances of Brahms' 'Symphony No.2 in D Major, Opus 73' and Janácek's 'Glagolitic Mass', recorded live at the KKL Concert Hall, Lucerne in 2012. The soloists are Tatiana Monogarova, Marina Prudenskja, Ludovit Ludha and Peter Mikulás.

Recorded live at the Verbier Festival in 2011, German pianist Lars Vogt plays a selection of works by Janácek, Schubert, Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart and Chopin. Gábor Takács-Nagy conducts. The works featured are: Janácek: In the Mists; Schubert: Piano Sonata in G major, D. 894; Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111; Brahms: Intermezzo, Op. 117 No. 1; Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 16 in D major, K. 451 and Chopin: Nocturne No. 20, Op. posth.

Václav Neumann conducts the Czech Philharmonic in this live performance recorded at Prague's Smetana Hall in 1986. The concert features Antonín Dvorák's 'The Wild Dove' and Leos Janácek's 'Taras Bulba'.

Mariss Jansons leads the Chor and Symphonieorches des Bayerischen Rundfunks in performances of Brahms' 'Symphony No.2 in D Major, Opus 73' and Janácek's 'Glagolitic Mass', recorded live at the KKL Concert Hall, Lucerne in 2012. The soloists are Tatiana Monogarova, Marina Prudenskja, Ludovit Ludha and Peter Mikulás.

The Zürcher Ballett performs three ballets by the renowned Swiss choreographer Heinz Spoerli. The works are set to three string quartets played by The Hagen Quartet: Leos Janácek's 'Intimate Letters', Antonín Dvorák's 'American Quartet' and Franz Schubert's 'Death and the Maiden'. The soloists include Seh Yun Kim, Arsen Mehrabyan, Sarah-Jane Brodbeck and Tigran Mikayelyan.

A Cycle of Love Songs Translated by the Nobel Laureate

"Dappled woodland light,
Spring well chill and bright,
Eyes like stars at night,
Open knees so white.
Four things death itself won't cover,
Unforgettable forever."

In 1917, while reading his local newspaper, Leos Janacek discovered the poems that he was to set to music in his song cycle Diary of One Who Vanished. Written by Ozef Kalda and published anonymously, they tell the story of a farmer's boy who abandons his home because he has fallen in love with a Gypsy. These new English versions by Seamus Heaney were commissioned by the English National Opera for a series of international performances, which opened in Dublin in October 1999.

English soprano Amanda Roocroft takes the lead role in this production of Janacek's opera, recorded live at the Teatro Real in October, 2009. Ivor Bolton conducts, and other leading performances come from Miroslav Dvorsky, Deborah Polaski, Mette Ejsing and Nikolai Schukoff.

Donald Runnicles conducts the Deutsche Oper Berlin Orchestra and Chorus in this production of Leos Janácek's opera, recorded in 2014. Michaela Kaune stars in the title role with Jennifer Larmore as Kostelnicka Buryjovka, Will Hartmann as Laca Klemen, Ladislav Elgr as Steva Buryja and Hanna Schwarz as Grandmother Buryjovka.

Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts this 2011 Salzburg Festival production by Christoph Marthaler of Leos Janácek's opera on the follies and foibles of eternal life. The mysterious, sexually irresistible Emilia Marty is a prima donna who's done it all and has been living for 337 years. Part grotesque human comedy, part profound personal tragedy, this opera examines the eternal mystery of human existence with uniquely life-enhancing vision.