Vladimír Franz

Biography

Vladimír Franz is a “Renaissance” artist, active both in the visual arts and music. He studied composition (with Miroslav Raichl and Vladimír Sommer), music history (with Jaromír Kincl) and art history (with Jaromír Homolka), as well painting (with Karel Souček and Andrej Belocvetov). Between 1981 and 1984 he was the co-founder, set designer, painter and composer of the Kytka theatre. He is also a doctor of law (1982). He is a senior lecturer at the Academy of Performing Arts (AMU) in Prague, teaching dramaturgy with a focus on stage music (second doctorate: On stage music). At AMU he was also the Chairman of the Academic Senate (1996–99). Since 1992 he has been a pedagogue at the Theatre Faculty (since 1995 head of the stage music department) and he also gives lectures at the Film Faculty of AMU. In addition to composing stage music and music for film and television projects, he also intensively devotes to free creation. He is the author of monumental and chamber music works, including several scenic oratorios, a singspiel, cantatas, songs and madrigals. His most highly acclaimed works to date are the operas Ludus Danielis and War with the Newts, the symphony Písně o samotách (Songs about Solitudes) and the music for the ballet Goldilocks. Vladimír Franz’s paintings range from symbolistically developed elementary natural motifs and watercolour impressions to large-format expressive-orphic variations on musical themes and large “altar” pictures. He has won the Alfred Radok Award (1998, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007) and the Divadelní noviny Prize (2001).