Virtually from the very beginning, Ravitas, which started to operate in Czechoslovakia in 1929, released on the Ultraphon label not only records made by its parent company, Deutsche Ultraphon AG, but also, and predominantly, albums featuring original Czech music. The main shareholders and managers of Ravitas were František and Jan Valentini. At the time, other companies, including Parlophon and Odeon, were operating in Czechoslovakia, yet they could not compete for long, with the only ones that survived being The Gramophone Company, with the Columbia and His Master's Voice labels.

The first Ultraphon gramophone records with pieces from the Czech repertoire appeared in late 1929. They were made at the Berlin studio of the originally Dutch company by popular Prague artists, accompanied by a dance orchestra made up of musicians hailing from all over Europe (and a few American soloists too), conducted by F. A. Tichý. In the wake of the audience’s highly positive response to the first Czech albums, further discs started to be made by commuting German technicians on mobile recording equipment in Prague, at the studio in the National House in Vinohrady, leased by the Odeon company. At the same time, the licensed Czech user of the Ultraphon brand, the company Ravitas, which dealt in electrical, optical and acoustic devices, promptly began constructing its own pressing plant and recording studio in a leased building in the Holešovice quarter of Prague. The first recording sessions probably took place there in August or September 1931.

Germany’s Ultraphon went bankrupt and its assets were bought by Ravitas, which in 1933 started to operate as a publisher under the title Ultraphon. The ensuing Czech joint-stock company for the gramophone industry and retail, based in Prague’s Klimentská street, had the Ultraphon brand registered for Czechoslovakia and, for the first time, the Supraphon trademark for the whole world (with a few exceptions). The firm focused on domestic music and closely collaborated with reputed Czech institutions and organisations. In the 1930s and 1940s, Supraphon records (bearing SUPRAPHON U on the label) particularly contributed to the promotion of Czech classical music abroad. At the time, the company’s extensive catalogue included records systematically mapping the works of Bedřich Smetana, Antonín Dvořák, Leoš Janáček, and other Czech composers of international renown. The albums were recorded by distinguished Czech and foreign artists, chamber ensembles and orchestras led by noted conductors.

The Esta label released recordings featuring the celebrated Slovak opera singer Janko Blaho, who had been collaborating with both Esta and Ultraphon since 1934. He performed on the Slovak National Theatre stage for over four decades, mainly in productions of works by Bedřich Smetana and W. A. Mozart. In the 1930s, he closely collaborated with Esta, making above all recordings of popular and folk music. Janko Blaho often worked with the Harry Harden Orchestra, with whom in 1938 he recorded President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk’s favourite Czech traditional song, “Ach, synku, synku” (Ah, son, son).

Smetana’s My Country has never been played as frequently as during the time of the Nazi occupation of Bohemia and Moravia. Owing to the national manifestations in which its concerts in Prague and dozens of other cities throughout the Protectorate resulted, the occupation authorities soon banned the performance of the piece as a whole (with the sections Tábor and Blaník not being allowed at all). On 11 and 12 February 1941 – upon Joseph Goebbels’s in­struction – the Czech Philharmonic gave concerts in Berlin and Dresden, and Talich duly included the entire My Country in the programme. His venture passed through and, following the performances’ great success in the Reich, Smetana’s cycle could be played in its entirety in the Protectorate too. Nevertheless, the Czech Philharmonic also had to deliver concerts for the Nazi regime: in March 1942, the orchestra played My Country for the Czech National Socialist Union Vlajka (Flag), and in April 1944 they appeared within the gala marking the “55th Birthday of the Führer Adolf Hitler”.

In May 1945, Musica antiqua bohemica, a set of records paying tribute to a significant anniversary of Charles University in Prague, was released. It represented the first relevant attempt at presenting the history of music in Bohemia. At the time, many recordings of Czech early music (Renaissance and early Baroque, in particular) were deemed to be true revelations.

Ultraphon had registered the Supraphon trademark back in 1932 (a label for electrical record-players and, later on, records made for export), yet the well-known logo of a lion with a lyre was only created in 1949, by the designer Václav Zajíček, who won the competition announced on 8 February by the national enterprise Gramofonové závody in Prague. The competition terms included the requirement that the designs had to feature the word “Supraphon” and make it clear that the records were made in Czechoslovakia. The 24-year-old Zajíček submitted eight designs under the name “Václav Ludvík”, and one of them won.

In July 1950, Supraphon completed at the Domovina studio in Prague what would become a famed recording of Antonín Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances, as performed by the Czech Philharmonic, conducted by Václav Talich.

In 1951, Jiří Vinařický assumed responsibility for ensuring international contacts at Supraphon. The complicated political situation and the censorship in Czechoslovakia notwithstanding, he succeeded in establishing fruitful collaboration with prominent Western labels, including Polygram and EMI. Vinařický worked at Supraphon up until the middle of the 1980s.

In the early 1950s, the first unbreakable LP records started to be sold in Czechoslovakia. Made in a factory in Loděnice, their initial quality was poor, yet Supraphon ultimately succeeded in improving them to such a degree that Czechoslovak discs were of a good enough standard to compete on markets abroad.

In 1953, the 28-year-old Jaroslav Šeda, who until 1949 worked at the Gramofonové závody, was appointed Supraphon’s di­rector. He would hold the post for 25 years! In those turbulent times, Šeda was able to steer a course amidst the political pressures, while managing to maintain a high quality of Supraphon production. Even though, naturally, ideologically “suitable” works had to be recorded, during his tenure virtually every good composer was afforded some scope too. At the time, Supraphon’s dis­cography also included sacred pieces and historical music, as well as opuses in line with the modern compositional trends. What is more, Supraphon under Šeda went on to establish licence trading with foreign labels, among them such large multinationals as EMI, Polygram, Sony and others. In 1974, for political reasons, Šeda had to leave Supraphon, yet the edition plans he had set years in advance continued to be adhered to afterwards.

On 6 November, the violin virtuoso Josef Suk gave his first solo concert at the Rudolfinum hall in Prague. Subsequently, the artist entered into an exclusive recording contract with Supraphon, with which, with a few exceptions, he would collaborate for over 50 years. A musician who attained great international acclaim, Suk’s Supraphon recordings, which were exported to 47 countries, received such prestigious accolades as France’s Grand Prix du Disque de l’Academie Charles Cros, the Netherlands’ Edison Award, and the Wiener Flötenuhr of the Mozart Society in Vienna. Moreover, Suk received a Columbia Gold Disc (1977), a Supraphon Gold Disc (1986) and Diamond Disc for 1,112,000 records sold (1999).

On 13 March 1959, one of Supraphon’s very first stereophonic recordings was made at the Domovina studio in Prague! The album contains a performance of Leoš Janáček’s opera Katya Kabanova, featuring the singers Ludmila Komancová, Zdeněk Kroupa, Beno Blachut, Viktor Kočí and Drahomíra Tikalová, and the National Theatre Orchestra, conducted by Jaroslav Krombholc.

In November 1959, Supraphon made at the Domovina studio a recording of Bedřich Smetana’s opera The Bartered Bride, as performed by Prague’s National Theatre Orchestra, conducted by Zdeňek Chalabala, and featuring the superlative singers Drahomíra Tikalová, Jaroslava Dobrá, Jarmila Pechová, Ivo Žídek, Jaroslav Kovář, Rudolf Vonásek, Jiří Joran, Eduard Haken, Jaroslav Horáček and Václav Bednář. The complete album was released in the middle of 1960.

In the 1960s, Supraphon ran several recording studios in Prague. The oldest of them was the one in Strahov, mainly made use of for making albums of popular music. Another, somewhat newer, studio was located in Dejvice. Records featuring the spoken word were produced at the specialised studio at the Lucerna, in the centre of Prague. Classical music was recorded in the excellent premises at the Rudolfinum. In the 1970s, Supraphon built a state-of-the-art studio, mainly designed for popular music, at the Mozarteum in Jungmannova street, in Prague 1. Some records were made at the Smetana Theatre. Later on, a new studio was built in Hrnčíře.

The development of the recording industry brought about specialities, which took the form of recordings being presented on a variety of materials. Songs were pressed on postcards and PVC foils, which were mostly attached as supplements to magazines. POP magazine in the UK, for instance, presented on such flexi discs samples of new records and interviews with musicians and singers. Supraphon too embraced this trend, and went on to produce several sets of postcards with audio recordings, which were sold in a special envelope bearing the label’s iconic logo – a lion with a lyre.

In the autumn of 1967, Panton released the very first LP made by the gifted Czech violinist Václav Hudeček, only 17 years old and a pupil of the celebrated David Oistrakh, featuring Niccolò Paganini’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra. At the age of 15, Hudeček had triumphed at a concert in London, at which he appeared opposite the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Supraphon’s archive contains 1,430 minutes of music recorded by Hudeček. His 1992 album of Vivaldi’s Le quattro stagioni, made with Virtuosi di Praga and the conductor Pavel Kogan, was awarded a Platinum Disc and is one of Hudeček’s most successful Supraphon projects.

On 25 March 1969, the Supraphon set “Anthology of the Authentic Folk Forms (Authentic Bohemian, Moravian and Slovak Folklore)” won the Prize of The Art Festival in Tokyo.

The Supraphon album featuring Olivier Messiaen’s Oiseaux exotiques, La Bouscarle and Réveil des oiseaux, as performed by Yvonne Loriod and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Václav Neumann, was awarded the 1969 Prix Edison de la Critique Hollandaise du Disque. Subsequently, the prestigious award went to another two Supraphon recordings: of Jacob Obrecht’s Missa super “Maria Zart” (1970), and of Arthur Honegger’s Jeanne d’Arc au buche (1978).

So as to meet the growing demand for stereophonic records, in 1972 the Gramofonové závody in Loděnice procured an ORTOFON device. In 1974, the factory further modernised its equipment by purchasing and installing a NEUMANN VMS 70 machine, possessing completely transistor electronics. The following years saw the heyday of gramophone records, with their annual production soaring to approximately 10 million in 1974, and to almost 13.5 million in 1985.

In the autumn of 1974, after having served as director for 25 years, Jaroslav Šeda left Supraphon for political reasons. He was succeeded in the post by the then director of the Gramofonové závody, Viktor Kašák, who would remain at the helm of Supraphon until 1980.

In 1976, Supraphon produced a number of quadraphonic recordings and released them on vinyl. As it did in the past, upon the accession of stereophony, it also put on to the market an adjustment test record. The quadraphonic recordings mainly contained symphonic music, with a small number featuring operas.

Supraphon representatives attended in February the announcement of the 1977 Grammy Awards at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles. Its album of Antonín Dvořák’s String Quartet in F major and String Quartet in A flat major, made by the Prague Quartet, was nominated in the Best Chamber Music Performance category (the Grammy Award in the Pop Music category went to Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life, released by Motown Records).

Supraphon’s com­plete album of Antonín Dvořák’s String Quartets, recorded by the Prague Quartet between 1973 and 1976, received Austria’s High Fidelity International Record Critics Award 1978. The Czech label implemented the project in co-production with Polydor International GmbH.

Supraphon’s re­cording of Leoš Janáček’s opera From the House of the Dead, made by the National Theatre Orchestra in Prague, the conductor Bohumil Gregor and the soloists Beno Blachut, Jaroslav Horáček, Ivo Žídek, Helena Tattermuschová and others, won the Grand Prix du Disque de l'Académie du Disque Français 1978. During the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, Supraphon received the prize for another six albums.

In February 1979, Supraphon received in the USA the Stereo Review’s Record of the Year Award for an album of Robert Schumann’s Concerto in A minor for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 54, as performed by Ivan Moravec, accompanied by the Czech Philharmonic, conducted by Václav Neumann.

In February 1981, Supraphon won its seventh Prize of the Art Festival Tokyo, for the recording of Bedřich Smetana’s My Country, made by the Czech Philharmonic, conducted by Václav Smetáček.

In 1982, three Supraphon recordings received the Grand Prix Audiovisuel de l'Europe de l´Academie du Disque Français: one containing Leoš Janáček’s opera From the House of the Dead, as performed by the Czech Philharmonic, conducted by Václav Neumann; another with Bohuslav Martinů’s The Greek Passion, rendered by the Brno State Philharmonic, under Sir Charles Mackerras; and the third featuring Arthur Honegger’s Con­certino for Piano and Orchestra, as interpreted by Boris Krajný and the Prague Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Stanislav Macura.

In 1983, the Supraphon recording of Bedřich Smetana’s The Bartered Bride, featuring Gabriela Beňačková, Peter Dvorský and the Czech Philharmonic, conducted by Václav Neumann, was awarded the prestigious Deutscher Schallplattenpreis from the Deutsche Phono-Akademie.

On 20 March 1985, Supraphon representatives received in Paris the prestigious Orphée d'Or de l'Académie du Disque Lyrique Prix Fondation Jacques Ibert for its 1984 recording of Leoš Janáček’s Gla­golitic Mass, made by the Czech Philharmonic, conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras, and featuring the singers Drahomíra Drobková, Richard Novák and Elisabeth Söderström, and the Prague Philharmonic Choir, headed by Lubomír Mátl. From the 1960s to the 1980s, seven Supraphon releases were awarded the Orphée d'Or de l'Académie du Disque Lyrique – in addition to operas, they included the 1970 recording of Old European Carols, performed by the Prague Madrigalists, led by Miroslav Venhoda.

In 1986, Supraphon placed on to the Czechoslovak market its first video cassettes – five original titles, among them a 50-minute recording of Pavel Šmok’s ballet production, to Bedřich Smetana’s and Leoš Janáček’s string quartets, as performed by the Smetana Quartet. In 1987, Supraphon released 18 new titles, in 1988, some 20 video cassettes. A newly established special enterprise, Video Supraphon, focused on the production of video recordings, above all of concerts, intended for export, and the creation of video clips.

On 14 December 1989, the Smetana Hall of the Municipal House in Prague played host to the legendary Concert for the Civic Forum, which was attended by the future Czechoslovak President, Václav Havel. Marking the setting up of the first post-revolution government, the performance was given by the Czech Philharmonic and the conductor Václav Neumann, who that year had refused to communicate with the Communist mass media in protest against the persecution of the signatories of the “A Few Sentences” petition. Besides the stellar soprano Gabriela Beňačková, Neumann invited along distinguished foreign soloists to appear at the event. Supraphon recorded the concert and released in on LP, MC and CD. The recording, featuring Beethoven’s Sym­phony No. 9, captured the enthusiasm accompanying the Velvet Revolution, the atmosphere of hope, humanism and belief in the victory of truth. For a decade that followed, it ranked among the bestselling Supraphon titles and received a Platinum Disc.

In March 1990, the selection procedure for the new director of Supraphon was won by Zdeněk Čejka, its former employee, who in 1970 had been forced to leave the company in the wake of the launch of the “normalisation” purges after 1968. Zdeněk Čejka unexpectedly died on 5 December 1990.

On 20 November 1990, Supraphon signed a contract with the French record company Vogue for 1991–1995. On this occasion, the negotiations were conducted in Prague by its President, Jean Louis Detry, and the French Ambassador to Czechoslovakia, Jean Gueguinou. The contract set forth Supraphon’s ex­clusive representation within the Vogue catalogue for France, Andorra and Monaco. The two companies had been co-operating since 1987, yet in the autumn of 1990 their relations were established on a solid contractual foundation. Whereas in 1989 Vogue took over 75,000 CDs, amounting to two million French francs, within three quarters of 1990 it assumed 60,000 discs, totalling the value of 1.7 million francs.

In 1992, Supraphon was denationalised and gradually privatised. On 6 May 1992, it was transformed from a state enterprise into a joint-stock company, with its operation consisting of four main activities. They included the release of recordings of classical and pop music and spoken word, recording technology, distribution and running of a network of 18 retail shops. Supraphon sells its products abroad through foreign distributors.

Bonton became Supraphon’s ma­jority shareholder. The joint-stock company also owned the Albatros publishing house, Bonton Film, Bonton Music, Radio Bonton and other firms operating in the domain of culture. Recordings of popular music from the Supraphon archives started to be released by Bonton Music, while Supraphon would focus on classical music and spoken word. Bonton remained the proprietor of Supraphon until the autumn of 2008, when it sold its share in Sony Music / Bonton. Subsequently, Supraphon resumed the release of pop music recordings.

In September 1994, the Czech mezzo-soprano Dagmar Pecková completed at the Domovina studio in Prague her debut album, featuring arias from W. A. Mozart’s operas, accompanied by the Prague Philharmonia, conducted by Jiří Bělohlávek. Supraphon released its very first classical music video clip, of the aria “Parto, parto” from Titus. In 1995, the CD earned Dagmar Pecková a Supraphon Gold Disc.

Representatives of Supraphon and Abeille Musique signed in Paris a contract on distribution. The distributors in 25 countries, with which Supraphon had entered into similar contracts, included Qualiton Imports (USA), RSK Entertainment (UK), Musikvertrieb AG (Switzerland), Diverdi Classics (Spain) and King International Inc. (Japan). Supraphon’s re­cordings have also been exported to Poland, Hungary, Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Norway, Sweden, Canada, as well as China, Korea and Taiwan, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The highest proportion of its CDs have been classical music albums, although Supraphon’s bes­tselling recordings in Scandinavia and Germany include the soundtrack for the Czech film version of the fairy tale Three Gifts for Cinderella (Drei Haselnüsse für Aschenbrödel), to music by Karel Svoboda.

Between 1993 and 1996, Supraphon released a large-scale series of the Czech Philharmonic’s ar­chival recordings, marking the orchestra’s 100th anniversary and encompassing its major albums for Ultraphon and Supraphon. It was the most extensive edition in the label’s history. Some of the CDs went on to receive international accolades, including the prestigious Gramophone Historic Archive Award.

The erasure from the Companies Register resulted in the end of Supraphon’s di­vision into the parent (holding) Supraphon and the subsidiary Supraphon Records. The succession institution was the joint-stock company SUPRAPHON, headed by the director, Jana Gondová, until September 2009, when she left for Canada to join her family.

In March 1998, Supraphon released its first DVD. Titled Dreams and Journeys, it featured an exclusive, visually refined programme, linking top-notch recordings of works by Mozart, Chopin, Dvořák, Mahler and Smetana with remarkable places in Bohemia and Moravia, which had been visited by the respective composers and at which they lived or wrote music. By accomplishing the project, Supraphon was a pioneer among European labels in releasing DVD titles that featured classical music!

On 27 October 1998, the Supraphon archive was pronounced a cultural monument! The Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic registered the company’s audio recordings dating from between 1929 and 1992 in the list of historic relics. The institute of cultural monuments is an important tool serving for the protection and promotion of the Czech archival heritage.

Supraphon released the CD Codex Franus, recorded by the Schola Gregoriana Pragensia ensemble and presenting the repertoire of the Czech Utraquists’ hymn-book, dating from the early 16th century. In October 1999, the album was awarded the Choc du Monde de la Musique.

A Supraphon CD appeared among the titles nominated within the 44th Grammy Awards ceremony at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It was a recording of Leoš Janáček’s opera Šárka, made by the Czech Philharmonic, conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras, with the title role sung by Eva Urbanová. Supraphon’s Šárka was also shortlisted for the Gramophone Award 2002 and the Cannes Classical Award 2002.

Cannes Classical Awards were handed over to Supraphon representatives at the MIDEM fair for the recording of Antonín Dvořák’s Legends, Op. 59, made by the Czech Philharmonic, conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras, and the CD featuring Jan Dismas Zelenka’s Melodrama de Sancto Wenceslao, as performed by Musica Florea, Musica Aeterna, Ensemble Philidor and Boni Pueri.

Supraphon released a 2-CD pack with Leoš Janáček’s orches­tral works, including the Overtures to the operas Katya Kabanova, Taras Bulba and Šárka, and the Suite from The Cunning Little Vixen, as performed by the Czech Philharmonic, conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras. The album met with the greatest interest among music lovers in the UK and the USA.

The Supraphon recording of Bohuslav Martinů’s Sym­phonies Nos. 3 and 4, made by the Czech Philharmonic and the conductor Jiří Bělohlávek, was nominated in Los Angeles at the 47th Grammy Awards in the Best Orchestral Performance category. It was a major achievement, also with regard to the fact that Martinů’s music is not as globally known as, for instance, that of Leoš Janáček. That year’s award went to a recording of John Adams’s On The Transmigration Of Souls, dedicated to the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Supraphon released its first recording made by the Pavel Haas Quartet, who duly signed with the label an exclusive contract for another three albums. Containing music by Pavel Haas and Leoš Janáček, in 2006 and 2007 the young ensemble’s debut CD won a number of prestigious international prizes, including the Classic FM Gramophone Award, the BBC Music Magazine Award, the BBC Radio 3 Disc of the Week, Classics Today Disc of the Month, The Strad Selection UK and the Supersonic Award of Pizzicato. The album elevated the Pavel Haas Quartet among the world’s acclaimed classical artists, and in its wake, they were named an ensemble in residence at BBC Radio 3. The CD also received a Supraphon Gold Disc.

The Pavel Haas Quartet received their first prestigious Gramophone Award for their debut Supraphon album featuring string quartets by Leoš Janáček (No. 2 “Intimate Letters) and Pavel Haas (No. 2 “From the Monkey Mountains”). Since that time, the now world-renowned ensemble have gone on to garner other significant accolades, including the BBC Music Magazine Award 2008.

On 11 December 2008, the Rudolfinum hall in Prague hosted the premiere of one of Bohuslav Martinů’s major works. The libretto of the opera Juliette was originally written in Czech, yet – with the aim to gain for it appropriate international publicity – the composer furnished it with a French libretto, expecting to have excerpts from the most vital scenes broadcast by French Radio. At the time, however, Three Fragments from the opera Juliette (The Key to Dreams) was not broadcast. It would be another 70 years until it was performed. The Three Fragments were brought to life by Sir Charles Mackerras, who conducted the Czech Philharmonic and the soloists Magdalena Kožená and Steve Davislim. In 2009, Supraphon’s live recording of the unique concert received a number of prestigious accolades, including the Gramophone Award, the Diapason d’Or de l’Année, Le Diamant d’Opera and the ECHO Klassik.

The post of Supraphon’s di­rector was assumed by Iva Milerová. She started to work in the music industry in 1992, upon the opening of the Czech office of BMG Ariola; from 1995, she had served in various functions at the branch of Warner Music, which she helmed from 2004 to 2009.

Supraphon and Warner Music for Central and Eastern Europe entered into an exclusive licence agreement, pursuant to which Supraphon would sell and distribute the Warner Music Group’s repertoire on CDs and DVDs in the Czech Republic. The contract, also pertaining to new production and catalogues titles, came into force and effect on 1 April 2010. Within the Czech Republic, Supraphon and Warner Music exclusively co-operate in secondary use and activities associated with licence trading.

The Pavel Haas Quartet’s third Supraphon recording, featuring Sergey Prokofiev’s string quartets, was nominated for the Gramophone Award. Even though it did not receive the accolade, the CD earned other acclaim. In November 2010, within a ceremony in Paris, the Pavel Haas Quartet took over the prestigious French Diapason d’Or de l’Année.

The Czech jazz label Animal Music concluded a contract on partnership with Supraphon, which became the sole distributor of its titles in the Czech Republic and beyond. The agreement applied to both standard discs and digital formats.

Supraphon and the Pavel Haas Quartet entered into an exclusive contract, on the basis of which the label was stipulated as the ensemble’s sole representative in the Czech and Slovak Republics. In the 2012/13 season, the Pavel Haas Quartet gave concerts at the Lípa Musica festival, visited Bratislava and appeared within a series of subscription chamber concerts of the Prague Symphony Orchestra. In the 2013/14 season, the PHQ were named ensemble-in-residence of the Czech Philharmonic and gave three performances at the Dvořák Hall of the Rudolfinum within the concerts held by the Czech Chamber Music Society. The season’s highlights were the concerts the Pavel Haas Quartet gave within the Prague Spring and the Dvořák Prague festivals.

The baritone Adam Plachetka, alongside the Czech Ensemble Baroque Orchestra, conducted by Roman Válek, recorded his debut album for Supraphon, featuring arias from G. F. Handel’s oratorios.

In the spring of 2013, Supraphon released the debut album made by the gifted violinist Josef Špaček. The CD, featuring works by Prokofiev, Smetana and Janáček, met with critical acclaim at home and abroad like. A rising violin star, since 2011 Josef Špaček has been concert master of the Czech Philharmonic.

In November 2013, Supraphon released the first modern-time classical music LP. It contained the legendary 1952 recording of Antonín Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B minor, as performed by Mstislav Rostropovich and the Czech Philharmonic, conducted by Václav Talich. Rostropovich himself deemed the recording to be his very best. The LP was produced at the GZ Media plant in Loděnice in the analogue format.

The Pavel Haas Quartet made their fifth studio album, containing works by Franz Schubert, with a guest, the cellist Danjul Ishizak, with whom they recorded the String Quintet in C major. The CD earned great critical acclaim and went on to win the Gramophone Award for 2014, amidst fierce competition (the other nominated recordings included those made by Steven Isserlis & Robert Levin and The London Haydn Quartet).

The famous Czech pianist Ivan Moravec died on 27 th July 2015 in Prague. Living to be 84 years old, he became the only Czech among the seventy piano players included into the prestigious CD edition Great Pianists of the 20th century. He collaborated with the Supraphon publishing house from the late 1950s and his recordings received many international awards as well as gold and platinum records for successful sales.

Just like mountain climbers who striving to conquer the summits of high mountains, musicians also need challenges. The next summit that Pavel Šporcl has chosen to attempt is one that figuratively reaches to the heavens. Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for violin solo have already put the technique and musicianship of quite a few violinists to the test. Pavel Šporcl's inter­pretations will certainly be worthy of repeated listening for their technically refinement and stylistically purity, while also offering something personal and unique.

The complete set of Bohuslav Martinů's piano trios affords a fascinating insight into the constant transformations of his musical idiom from the early 1930s to the 1950s, also giving testimony to the composer as a human and his particular mindset. It is the first new Supraphon album of the complete Martinů piano trios in more than 30 years.

In 2016, Supraphon continued to co-operate with the conductor Tomáš Netopil, whose previous albums had met with critical acclaim, which included Gramophone’s E­ditor’s Choice. That year, the label released his recording of Bohuslav Martinů’s opera Ariane, as well as the orchestral suites from Janáček’s Jenufa, Katya Kabanova and Fate (in co-production with Czech Radio).

On 25th January 2017 (and in subsequent performances of 26th and 27th January), the Czech Philharmonic introduced The Epic of Gilgamesh by Bohuslav Martinů in the Dvořák Hall of the Rudolphinum. Within these three concerts, a recording was made for the Supraphon publishing house that will appear in autumn 2017 as the very first recording of Martinů’s original version sung in English.
Outstanding musicians took part in this rendition of the work conceived for a narrator, vocal soloists, choir and orchestra: the British soprano Lucy Crowe, the British tenor Andrew Staples, the Czech basso Jan Martiník, the Australian baritone Derek Welton and the Prague Philharmonic Choir prepared by the choirmaster Lukáš Vasilek. The British actor and director Simon Callow took on the role of the narrator. Both the concerts and the recording were made in collaboration with the Bohuslav Martinů Foundation and using the critical edition of the score published by the Bohuslav Martinů Institute.

On Wednesday 19 April 2017, the pianist Jitka Čechová, a member of the Smetana Trio, took over at Kings Place in London the BBC Music Magazine Chamber Award for the album of the complete Bohuslav Martinů piano trios. It was the second time the ensemble has won the prestigious accolade, following the one in 2007, for its recording of Antonín Dvořák’s trios. The Smetana Trio’s album featuring Bohuslav Martinů’s music has garnered international acclaim ever since its release: it has previously received the Diapason d’Or and has been named BBC Music Magazine’s Disc of the Month, the Sunday Times’ Album of the Week and Harmonie’s CHOICE.

On 31 May, Jiří Bělohlávek (24. 2. 1946 – 31. 5. 2017), the most acclaimed contemporary Czech conductor, died at the age of 71, following a long illness. His departure has marked an end to one of the major chapters of Czech and global musical culture. Owing to his blending extraordinary musicianship, diligence and attention to detail, he has left behind an immense legacy, whose significance has far transcended the borders of his homeland. He worked with the world’s most prominent orchestras, made numerous recordings and, as an educator, he nurtured a whole generation of young Czech conductors. As Jiří Bělohlávek himself confessed, music was the sense and joy of his life. His achievements were even praised by the British Queen Elizabeth II, who five years ago awarded him the Order of the British Empire for services to music. Jiří Bělohlávek remained active until the very end of his life. Pursuing many plans, fate prevented some of his musical dreams from coming true. His endeavours were captured on a plethora of recordings, which in many cases will remain a benchmark, and his accomplishments will continue to inspire further generations of musicians and listeners alike.

Seven years after they triumphed with Dvořák’s quartets (Gramophone Award Recording of the Year), the Pavel Haas Quartet have returned to Dvořák. For the recording of his quintets, they invited along two guests: the Israeli pianist Boris Giltburg (winner of the 2013 Queen Elisabeth Competition) and one of the PHQ founding members, the violist Pavel Nikl.
BBC Music Magazine choose this new album as the Recording of the Month and said: „Excellently recorded, these performances are among the most memorable I have encountered in recent years.“

Since its publishing, the recording of Martinů’s complete Cantatas from the Czech Highlands created by The Prague Philharmonic Choir under the leadership of Lukáš Vasilek has been a roaring success on international basis. The album was selected Editor’s Choice by two of the most important British magazines focused on classical music, the Gramophone and the BBC Music Magazine. The recording has appeared among three albums nominated for the BBC Music Magazine Award in the category of choral works (Choral Award).

With support from the State Fund of Culture and the National Museum, Supraphon released an extraordinary album of Antonín Dvořák’s Moravian Duets. The entire cycle of folk poetry settings has been recorded on the composer’s very own 1879 Bösendorfer piano, a precious item maintained at the Antonín Dvořák Museum in Prague. The album features internationally renowned young artists, all of them possessing a great sense for the grace of Dvořák’s songs, as well as the singular tone qualities of the instrument, once touched by the maestro himself. The soprano Simona Šaturová, the mezzo-soprano Markéta Cukrová and the tenor Petr Nekoranec were accompanied on Dvořák’s piano by Vojtěch Spurný.

Pavel Haas Quartet received their sixth Gramophone Award. The album with Antonín Dvořák’s Quintets, Opp. 81 and 97, also features special guests: the Israeli pianist Boris Giltburg (the winner of the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2013) and the violist Pavel Nikl, one of the ensemble’s founding members. The Pavel Haas Quartet’s being at home with Dvořák’s music has also been confirmed by other accolades they have received for the recording (Diapason d’Or, Choc de Classica, BBC Music Magazine Recording of the Month, Presto Classical Recording of the Year etc.).

One of the most important events in classical music of autumn 2018 was the release of the world premiere recording of Bohuslav Martinů’s pastoral opera What Men Live By, wonderfully performed by Jiří Bělohlávek with the Czech Philharmonic and a whole host of important soloists. It is the first professional recording of this moving one-act opera made from three concert performances in December 2014. What Men Live By was released together with Martinů’s Symphony No. 1, recorded in January 2016.

On 2 February 2019, the UK Czech music expert, musicologist, journalist and music organizer Graham Melville-Mason died at the age of 85. He was the only non-Czech member of the artistic board of the Prague Spring International Music Festival and headed the UK’s Dvořák Society. Czech music became the main focus of his professional and personal life following his retirement in 1989. He dedicated himself to the works of Czech masters and key contemporary composers; he maintained numerous friendships with Czech musicians. He studied Czech culture, he drove a Škoda and could speak Czech.

The album of Bohuslav Martinů's Songs recorded by three renowned artists Martina Janková, Tomáš Král and Ivo Kahánek received a great review together with Diapason d'Or in the April edition of Diapason magazine.

The Jan Bartoš's new album featuring Janáček's Piano Works received a wonderful review together with Editor's Choice in Gramophone September issue. This is the third Bartoš’s album released by Supraphon, the previous albums of Mozart’s and Beethoven’s works have met with great acclaim too.

The most significant pop-music singer Karel Gott died at the age of 80. The relation between Karel Gott and Supraphon was truly extraordinary: almost 6 decades of collaboration, 300 albums and around 1.000 songs he recorded. Karel Gott was well-known in Germany too, where he was called “The Golden Voice from Prague“.

Two Supraphon recordings were awarded within the Classic Prague Awards, which originated four years ago and are the only classical music accolades in the Czech Republic. Pavel Haas Quartet received the Recording of the Year prize for their album of Shostakovich’s String Quartets No. 2, 7, 8 and Belfiato Quintet received the Best Chamber Music Performance prize for their interpretation of Antonín Rejcha’s Wind Quintets on an album released in September.

On 22 May 2020, Supraphon released for the first time a unique recording of the performance of Bedřich Smetana’s opera Libuše on 29 May 1939 at the National Theatre in Nazi-occupied Prague. The album also features the Overture, recorded in 1940, and fragments from Act 3, including Libuše’s Prophecy. At the end, the audience sings the Czech national anthem. The album received the Gramophone Editor's Choice in October.

The greatest Czech classical music creators include Antonín Dvořák, Bedřich Smetana, Leoš Janáček, Josef Suk, Bohuslav Martinů… and Vítězslav Novák, a pupil of Dvořák’s and later on a highly distinguished composer and teacher. This year’s 150th anniversary of Vítězslav Novák’s birth affords the opportunity to take a closer look at his oeuvre – and to rediscover that which has been overlooked. The new album, made by Jan Bartoš in collaboration with the conductor Jakub Hrůša and the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, contains Novák‘s Piano Concerto in E minor, the piano cycle At Dusk, Op. 13 and Toman and the Wood Nymph – Symphonic poem for large orchestra, Op. 40.

Ivan Moravec, deemed by many the finest 20th-century Czech pianist, would have celebrated his 90th birthday on 9 November. Supraphon is marking the anniversary with the most complete collection of his recordings to date, titled Portrait. The release, encompassing 11 CDs, features the most significant and unique recordings Moravec made between 1962 and 2000 for Supraphon and several US labels. The set also included a DVD with a documentary and previously unseen footage from the Czech Television archives.

On 5 January 2021, Alfred Brendel, the world-renowned Austrian-British pianist, celebrates his 90th birthday. To mark the occasion, Supraphon has come up with a special present, which will delight all the fans of the great classical music figure’s work. The label is releasing a DVD titled Alfred Brendel – My Musical Life, featuring documentary footage of the lectures and the masterclass Brendel gave in 2019 and 2020 during his visit to Prague upon the invitation of the Prague Music Performance and the Czech Philharmonic.

The Czech opera singer Kateřina Kněžíková was performing the title role in Leoš Janáček’s Katya Kabanova at the prestigious Glyndebourne Festival Opera in Sussex, England, in spring 2021. On 28 May, Supraphon releases her debut solo album. Titled Phidylé, its repertoire is made up of engrossing songs by Bohuslav Martinů, Henri Duparc, Maurice Ravel and Karol Szymanowski, which Kněžíková recorded with the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava, conducted by Robert Jindra.

The complete album of Ludwig van Beethoven‘s piano trios, released by Supraphon on 16 July 2021 on 4 CDs, features the Suk Trio, who soon after their establishment in 1951 gained international renown and recognition. Supraphon made the recordings for Nippon Columbia within a short timeframe, from June 1983 to April 1984, at the Rudolfinum in Prague. They capture the mature ensemble when it included the pianist Josef Hála, who in 1980 had replaced Jan Panenka. Shortly after its release, the album received Gramophone Editor's Choice and Joker Patriomoine in Crescenddo magazine.

Ranking among the world‘s top cor anglais players, Dominik Wollenweber has been a member of the feted Berliner Philharmoniker for 28 years. Supraphon is releasing an album of his, aptly titled The Art of English Horn, produced by his Czech colleague, the brilliant oboist Vilém Veverka. Conducted by Sir Simon Rattle, the Berliner Philharmoniker accompany Dominik Wollenweber in Sibelius’s won­derful tone poem The Swan of Tuonela, while members of the orchestra keep him company throughout the present recording. One would be hard pressed to imagine an album dedicated to the English horn lacking the Largo from Antonín Dvořák’s New World Symphony or the solo from Richard Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde. On the other hand, J. S. Bach’s Concerto in G major and Schubert’s Im­promptu No. 3 may come as a surprise, while Jean Françaix’s Quartet is simply bound to lift the listener’s spirit.

Karel Ančerl was one of the most distinguished conductors in post-war Europe. A survivor of Nazi concentration camps, as well as the openly anti-Jewish policy of Communist Czechoslovakia. An artist who through his limitless patience and diligence transformed the Czech Philharmonic into a world-class orchestra and brought them to the most prominent concert venues all over the globe. The present Supraphon compilation, comprising 15 CDs, includes works never recorded in a studio, a repertoire ranging from Mozart to Ančerl’s contem­poraries.

The soprano Kateřina Kněžíková’s album Phidylé, made with the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava conducted by Robert Jindra, has garnered acclaim since its release in May 2021 (Gramophone Editor's Choice, nomination for the Czech Anděl Award). Its latest success is receiving the BBC Music Magazine Award in the closely observed Vocal category. Solely earmarked for classical music, and unlike the majority of other prestigious accolades, the winners of the BBC Music Magazine Awards are selected via online public voting worldwide.

The year 2022 marks two decades since the violinist Veronika Jarůšková and the violist Pavel Nikl formed the today internationally celebrated Pavel Haas Quartet. The ensemble have performed at the world’s most prestigious concert venues (Wigmore Hall in London, the Musikverein in Vienna, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Carnegie Hall in New York, etc.) and have made nine critically acclaimed albums (Gramophone Award, BBC Music Magazine Award, Diapason d’Or de l’Année, Classic Prague Award, and other accolades). The venerable BBC Music Magazine has ranked the Pavel Haas Quartet among the 10 greatest string quartets of all time. The ensemble received a Jubilee Platinum Disc from Supraphon

One of the most famous and important Czech conductors, Libor Pešek, died on Sunday, October 23. A conductor who spread the fame of Czech music far beyond the borders of the Czech Republic. A student of Václav Smetáček and Václav Neumann, he started with jazz and during his career he collaborated with many Czech and foreign chamber and symphonic ensembles. His collaboration with the Supraphon label started in 1961, when he made his first recording at Studio Domovina with Chamber Harmony.