Zuzana Růžičková (1927-2017) was a Czech harpsichordist of international standing, widely regarded as one of the most important interpreters of baroque music in the 20th century. As a teenager she survived the Nazi concentration camps of Terezín, Auschwitz, and Bergen-Belsen; after the war she refused to join the Communist Party and faced political persecution as a result. She was the first harpsichordist to record the complete keyboard works of J. S. Bach - for Erato between 1965 and 1975 - and taught leading musicians including Christopher Hogwood and Mahan Esfahani.
Bloomsbury Publishing released the memoirs One Hundred Miracles, which Ruzickova dictated to Wendy Holden shortly before her death; Financial Times included it among the best books of 2019.
A memorial plaque was unveiled on the building of the Plzen Conservatory in January 2019 commemorating Zuzana Ruzickova as a native and founder of her artistic career.
The documentary film Zuzana: Music is Life directed by Harriet and Peter Getzels had its premiere in 2017 and was shown at the Golden Prague festival.
Warner Classics/Erato released a reissue of the complete Bach harpsichord works on 20 CDs for Ruzickova's 90th birthday, newly remastered from the original tapes.
😴 Nothing scheduled with this artist in the near future.
