Large autographed and inscribed 9.25" x 12" half tone War Time keyboard presentation photograph of the then young pianist, Nachod, October 20, 1942.  Many of the photographs at this time were printed as half tones due to the cost during war time.  Jilek made his professional debut in 1941, so this is a year later.

Jílek, Zdeněk  (1919 -1999) pianist and pedagogue

He played his first concert at the Jihlava music school at six. Jilek studied piano at the Brno Conservatory with Jaroslav Kvapil from 1934 to 1935, he headed to Prague to study with Vilém Kurz during the War years, entering the Prague Conservatory Masters program with Kurz's daughter Ilona Štěpánová-Kurzová from 1945 to 1947 after the death of her father.  His first professional public recital was on March 13, 1941. He performed over ten times at the Prague Spring Music Festival beginning in 1946. He later won the first prize at the International Youth Festival in Prague (1947).  He played succesful concerts in Brussels and Paris in 1948. From 1949 to 1951 he was a soloist with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra (1949-51) taking a post in 1951 as a pedagogue in March, 1951 at Academy of Performing Arts in Prague.  AMU. He obviously had issues with the Czech Communists, as it wasn't until 1990 that he was appointed full professor. Some of his pupils were, Josef Picek, Tomas Visek, Zuzana Ambrosova, Jana Korbelova, Oriana Senfeldova and Antonin Kubalek,  As a performer, his main interest was the music of 20th Century composers including, Maurice Ravel, Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Rachmaninov, Leos Janacek, Bohuslav Martinů, Pavel Bořkovec and Václav Dobiáš.  He also performed Brahms, Chopin, Khatchaturian and Liszt in concert and recordings.

Additionally, Jilek was in several Czech films either performing as a pianist in the film, on the soundtrack, or in one case, as a music professor.  The films are "Legenda, the Robber" (1973), "Darling, Are We a Good Match...?" (1975) and The Fifth Wheel to a Coach (1958).

The autograph will be a little more to ship due to size.

Thank you!

Harmonie Autographs and Music, Inc.

Music Antiquarian and Appraiser

New York, New York

All items guaranteed authentic