Czech composer Václav Nelhýbel emigrated from Europe to the United States in 1957. Becoming a United States citizen in 1962, he fully embraced the unique American experiment in publicly funded music education for all.
Nelhýbel is best known as a composer of works for wind band, likely because school band directors excitedly embraced his work. However, his catalog includes many works for all types of ensembles, instruments and voices, for beginning to professional musicians. His listing of orchestral works is comprised of nearly 100 pieces, many of which remain unpublished.
Album cover artwork by Vaclav Nelhybel
“What a moving experience it was for me to listen live to your premiere of the Concerto for Clarinet! From the beautiful, dark, even ominous opening of the work to the quiet sadness of the last movement, you and your players expressed so well the melancholy and tender emotions of the Concerto”
~ Dorothea Nelhybel
Having previously only known Danza for string orchestra, I discovered Music for Orchestra in the files of the Music Department at the University of New Hampshire. It looked like a fabulous work for our group! Researching a recording of it led me to the composer’s widow, Dorothea Nelhýbel. She helped me learn more about his work and granted access to the Nelhýbel Archives at the University of Scranton (PA). The UNH Orchestra has performed several of his works, including the premiere of the orchestral version of the powerfully moving Concerto for Clarinet, dedicated to the loss of his dear friend and colleague, Frank Stachow. Our album of Nelhýbel’s orchestral works, published and sold by Mark Custom, can be found on popular streaming platforms. My performing editions of several orchestral works are available for purchase at Star Music Publishing.
Featured on the CD are Movement for Orchestra, Con brio (ed. D. Upham), Danza for string orchestra, Music for Orchestra, Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra (Elizabeth Gunlogson, clarinet, and Bist du bei mir, after J.S. Bach (Deborah Rentz-Moore, mezzo-soprano)
Con brio is a brief, upbeat work that works well as a concert opener or character piece, performable by a group of varied ability levels.
This “recital” version of the Concerto, for piano and clarinet soloist, was complied from the composer’s original manuscript and a reduction for a single pianist created by the editor.