Radim Drejsl


Radim Drejsl was a Czech composer, pianist and conductor. He is considered an important composer of politically engaged songs promoting visions of Czechoslovak communist regime in the 1950s. Drejsl applied the ideas of socialist realism in his music.

Biography

Drejsl was born in Dobruška. Following his graduation at the gymnasium in Rychnov nad Kněžnou in 1942 he continued his studies at the Prague Conservatory. From 1942 to 1946 he studied composition with Karel Janeček and Pavel Bořkovec; and conducting as a pupil of Pavel Dědeček. Later he deepened his musical skills at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. In 1949 he became director of the Vít Nejedlý Army Artistic Ensemble in Prague. He composed choruses, small cantatas and military songs for the performances of the ensemble. His composing style was partially conforming to the atmosphere and attitudes of the newly built communist state. Drejsl was one of the foremost composers of the politically engaged optimistic songs called budovatelské písně, promoting the communist ideology in the 1950s. However, he proved remarkable talent also as a composer of chamber and symphonic works.
In 1952 he visited Soviet Union and China. Among his fellow-travellers were filmmakers Vojtěch Jasný and Karel Kachyňa. In April, 1953, shortly after his return to Prague from the Soviet Union, Drejsl committed suicide. He was allegedly so disappointed by the terrible life conditions in the Soviet communist world that his enthusiastic devotion to the communist ideas was destroyed. He couldn't bear the disappointment, cut his veins and jumped out of a window of his flat. He was 29. Film director Vojtěch Jasný questioned this version of his death, suggesting that Drejsl was murdered by KGB. According to Jasný, Drejsl planned to speak publicly about the experience from the Soviet Union, and his suicide was arranged by KGB to prevent him to do so. However, the speculations of murder were unproven.
His alleged suicide has been identified by communists as "an expression of personal weakness, cowardice, and especially the reluctance to participate in building socialism."
Drejsl, together with Vít Nejedlý and Ludvík Podéšť, is considered one of the leading exponents of integrating socialist realism into Czechoslovak music.

Selected works

Piano