Beno Blachut

Beno Blachut (14 June 1913 – 10 January 1985) was a Czech operatic tenor. An icon in his own nation, Blachut drew international acclaim through his many commercial recordings of Czech music. He was an instrumental part of the post-World War II school of Czech opera singers that were responsible for popularizing Czech opera internationally. He was highly regarded for his interpretations of roles in operas by Leoš Janáček, Antonín Dvořák, and Bedřich Smetana.

Biography Born in Ostrava-Vítkovice, Blachut grew up in a poor family of miners. Blachut was highly involved in his church's music program which provided him with his initial musical training as a child and teenager. In 1927, at the age of 14, he began working at an iron factory and from all appearances it seemed he was destined to live a life similar to that of his parents. In the year 1935 he started to study singing at the Prague conservatory.

At the conservatory, Blachut studied under Luis Kadeřábek for four years. He made his professional opera debut at the Olomouc Opera in the role of Jeník in Smetana's The Bartered Bride on 25 December 1938. He sang at the house for the next two years, portraying eighteen different roles (for example: Faust, Canio in Pagliacci, Laca in Jenůfa, Prince in Rusalka) under the direction of Karel Nedbal. In 1941 he left Olomouc to join the roster of principal tenors at the Czech National Opera in Prague, singing Jenik again for his first appearance at that house. 1947 Bedřich Smetana: The Bartered Bride Vašek Karel Ančerl (conductor)Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus Opera d'Oro 1950 Bedřich Smetana: Dalibor Dalibor Jaroslav Krombholc (conductor)Prague National Theatre Chorus and Orchestra LP: Supraphon 1955 Antonín Dvořák: Rusalka The prince Jaroslav Krombholc (conductor)Prague National Theatre Chorus and Orchestra LP: Supraphon 1956 Leoš Janáček: Jenůfa Laca Klemeň Jaroslav Vogel (conductor)Prague National Theatre Chorus and Orchestra LP: Supraphon 1956 Bedřich Smetana: The Kiss Lukáš Zdeněk Chalabala (conductor)Prague National Theatre Chorus and Orchestra LP: Supraphon 1959 Leoš Janáček: The Makropulos Case Albert Gregor Jaroslav Vogel (conductor)Prague National Theatre Chorus and Orchestra LP: Supraphon 1960 Leoš Janáček:Káťa Kabanová Boris Grigorjevic Jaroslav Krombholc (conductor)Prague National Theatre Chorus and Orchestra LP: Supraphon 1964 Leoš Janáček:From the House of the Dead Luka Kuzmič Bohumil Gregor (conductor)Prague National Theatre Chorus and Orchestra LP: Supraphon (won the Grand Prix du disque lyrique in 1978) 1978 Antonín Dvořák: The Jacobin Benda Jiri Pinkas (conductor)Prague National Theatre Chorus and Orchestra LP: Supraphon Antonín Dvořák: Vanda František Dyk (conductor)Prague Radio Chorus and Orchestra

Choral and symphonic recordings

Other recordings YearTitleGenreCollaboratorsLabel1995Antonín Dvořák: Biblical Songs, Op 99, Gypsy Songs, Op. 55, Evening Songs, Op. 3, Love Songs, Op. 83Song cyclesVěra Soukupová (contralto)Jindřich Jirák (baritone)Ivan Moravec, Alfred Holeček, Ferdinand Pohlreich (pianos)CD:Supraphon (released posthumously)