Norman Lebrecht:

>Like Steve, I have yet to see a woman conductor who struck me as having
>prime potential.

Pity Vitezslava Kapralova, Martinu's Vitka - pupil and more - did not
live long enough (1915-1940) and was never recorded.  She impressed her
contemporaries in Europe.

 From the autumn of 1937, she studied with Nadia Boulanger (another one)
and Charles Munch in Paris.  She conducted her own "Military Sinfonietta"
in 1937 in Prague and in 1938 with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in London.

The Czech Symphony Orchestra of Brno (cond.  Frantisek Jilek) have recently
recorded some of her works:  MK 0049-2011(Matousek/ Studio Matous).

Without her, Martinu's fifth string quartet and the "Tre Ricercare", for
example, might not have been quite so beautiful, but that is another
story...

Regards,

Christine Labroche