The Smetana Trio
The Smetana Trio was founded in the 1930's by a pianist Josef Páleníček, since 1945 it is called the Czech Trio. The ensemble belongs to the most prestigious from contemporary Czech groups, it is regularly invited to reputable festivals (the Prague Spring, Janáček´s May, the Moravian Autumn, Prague Chamber Festivities) and to domestic and foreign stages (France, Germany, Switzerland, the Great Britain). In May 2005 they performed with a great success in Japan.
The Trio cooperates with notable conductors, Jiří Bělohlávek, Libor Pešek, Michael Boder, Tomáš Hanus or Stanislav Vavřínek, and with both domestic and foreign orchestras, let us mention for instance Bamberger Symphoniker, Orchestre Lugano, the Prague Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra, the Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra of Pardubice or the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra of Olomouc.
The Smetana Trio released during their activity a great number of CDs for various recording companies. The last but one record for Supraphon company with pieces of B. Smetana, J. Suk and V. Novák (2005) won a prestigious award of French magazines Diapason and Le Mode de la musique and British BBC Music Magazine has awarded this record the best record of the month of August 2005 in the section of chamber music. The second record for Supraphon from pieces of A. Dvořák (2006) got even greater success. In addition to the CD of the month in the BBC Music Magazine in September 2006 it also got a French CD record award DIAPASON D'OR. Reviews of this CD appeared among others in Sunday Times, The Telegraph or Classics today.
Jitka Čechová - piano
After graduation at the Prague Conservatory and at the Academy of Musical Arts in Prague she continued studying firstly in Paris and then in Freiburg in Germany. At that time she has been the laureate of a number of international competitions. As a soloist she is highly evaluated by critiques in many European countries and also in the South Africa, South America or Japan, where she cooperates with notable orchestras and performs with solo and chamber programmes. She is regularly invited to great music scenes and festivals (the Prague Spring, Graz, Paris, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Baden - Baden, Bodensee Festival, Český Krumlov, Edinburgh, Bamberg, Janáček´s May, Ticino Musica). Her discography includes records of piano concerts with both Czech and foreign orchestras, as well as solo and chamber records. Presently she realizes a complete record of piano pieces of Bedřich Smetana (7CDs) for Supraphon publishing.
Jana Vonášková-Nováková - violin
Graduated at the Prague Conservatory and at the Royal College of Music in London. Won a number of international competitions (Talent of the year in Prague 2000, the international competition of K. Lipinsky and H. Wieniawsky in Polish Lublin 2000, Young Concert Artists Trust in London 2002). During studies Jana Vonášková Nováková participated in masterclasses of Robert Szreder, Sherban Lupu, Joshua Epstein and others. She performed as a soloist on many prestigious concert stages home and abroad (i.a. Wigmore Hall, Bridgewater Hall, Harewood Hall, Kettles Yard - Cambridge), and on festivals the Prague Spring, in Bath, Thaxted, Chester and others. The CD of Dvořák's violin concert a moll op. 53 recorded in cooperation with the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra of Olomouc belongs to her most significant records.
Jan Páleníček - violoncello
A notable Czech soloist and a chamber player, a holder of great family music tradition, established by the pianist and composer Josef Páleníček, the founder of the Smetana Trio. Studied at the conservatory and at the Academy of Musical Arts in Prague under the two best professors Alexander Vechtomov and Miloš Sádlo. Then he studied a chamber music under Josef Vlach, the leader of the Vlach Quartet. Meeting with Paul Tortellier, the world known French violoncellist, was the top of Páleníček´s artistic maturing. He is a laureate of a number of international competitions. As a soloist he is often invited by notable Czech orchestras and festivals. He concerted in most European countries, but also in Japan and America. Páleníček recorded more then 20 CDs, at the top of them is the recording of Dvořák's Concert h moll and Tchaikovsky´s Rococo Variations. From the chamber section the record of complete work of S. Rachmaninoff and B. Martinů got an international acknowledgement. He taught for a number of years at Prague Conservatory and the Academy of Musical Arts.
