OTAKAR PARIK Tragic Conductor, Furtwangler Assistant signed photo, 1944

Description

Autographed and inscribed 5” x 7” original reverse blind stamped Hanka, Praha photograph, Prague, July, 2, 1944.
Parik (1901-1955) was a productive yet tragic figure in the World of Czech conductors.  He studied with the great Czech pianist Karel Hoffmeister.  He spent a year studying with the organist Bedrich Wiedermann at the Prague Conservatory.  He then went on to study at the German Academy in Prague with the German pianist Conrad Asorge from 1920-1921.  Asorge was Wilhelm Furtwängler’s teacher and he helped the young pianist to be named the conductor’s assistant.  When he returned he joined the fourth iteration of the Czech Trio from 1923-1925.  Paris also acted as an accompanist for Emmy Destinn, Jan Kubelik and Vasa Prihoda among others during his early days. He broke into the world of film as an actor in the 1923 film “Gaigin’s Mysterious Case”.  It was an art form he perfected as a conductor later on.  In 1926 he became one of the early pioneers of Czech Radio both as a pianist and as a conductor.  When they created the Prague Radio Symphony a year later he was a regular conductor, as a matter of fact, when the orchestra went on the air in 1937, he was the first conductor and conducted the ensemble regularly through 1945.   After World War II, the Czech government established a Film Symphony Orchestra with the function of recording soundtracks for Czech films, Parik was made the Chief Conductor. Parik was the Music Director, or conductor for over 60 films made between 1937 and 1955. In 1955 months before his death of a heart attack he was appointed Chief Conductor of the newly established Ostrava Symphony Orchestra.  Today it is known as the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra.
A scarce conductor autograph!
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