The composer, pianist, writer and teacher Ilja Hurnik died last Saturday, Sept. 7 at the age of ninety. He was a notable figure in the world of Czech contemporary music. His compositional output includes many symphonic, chamber and vocal works performances of which were well received both in his own country and abroad. Alongside his career as a composer he was also an accomplished pianist whose recordings of piano compositions by Debussy and Janacek were highly praised both by the music critic and the public. Even in his old age, Ilja Hurnik was still busy composing and writings books, and particularly his solo piano compositions from the late creative period aroused much interest.
