Vladimír Franz

Biography

In January 2013, in the first direct presidential election in the Czech Republic, the candidates included a man whose face was covered in tattoos. The world press wrote about him as a curiosity, while Czech audiences knew him differently: as a composer whose music was heard at the National Theatre.

Vladimír Franz was born on 25 May 1959 in Prague, the son of an electrical engineer and a nurse. Among his relatives on his mother’s side was the artist Jiří Trnka, a nephew of Franz’s great-grandfather. After grammar school Franz entered the Faculty of Law of Charles University and graduated in 1982. Alongside his studies he took private lessons: in painting with Karel Souček and Andrej Bělocvětov, in composition with Miroslav Rajchl and Vladimír Sommer, in art history with Jaromír Homolka, and in music history with Jaromír Kincl. He did not become a lawyer. In 1981 he was one of the founders of the theatre Kytka, an author-driven company, and gradually concentrated on music for the stage. He had no degree from an art school and belonged to no professional associations, so in the 1980s he made do with various jobs, including work as a labourer and teaching at a vocational school. As far as one can judge, he saw art above all as a place of freedom.

Since 1991 Franz has worked at the Faculty of Theatre of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. For many years he has headed its office of stage music. From 1996 to 2000 he was chair of the academic senate. His professorship was, by some accounts, awarded in 2000, by others in 2004; I would check that date against the academy’s records.

Music for the theatre remains his main occupation. His list includes more than 150 productions, and besides them a symphony, several operas, oratorios, a musical, a ballet, and music for films and radio plays. Six times he received the Alfréd Radok Award for stage music: in 1998 for “Bloudění” (“Wandering”), after Jaroslav Durych, directed by Jan Antonín Pitínský at the National Theatre; in 2000 for “Hamlet”, directed by Vladimír Morávek, in Hradec Králové; in 2002 for “Marketa Lazarová”, after Vladislav Vančura, again with Pitínský. In 2005, 2006 and 2007 the awards went to productions by Hana Burešová and the Brno City Theatre: Calderón’s “Devotion to the Cross”, Molière’s “Amphitryon” and “Smrt Pavla I.” (“The Death of Paul I”). Among his other works are “Kamenný most” (1997), “Faust” (1998), “Júdit” (1999), “Rút” (2001) and “Ha-Hamlet!!!” (2005). His second field is painting: he paints pictures.

In 2013 Franz ran for president as an independent candidate. The campaign was aimed at young voters, and one of its promises was to legalise marijuana. In the first round he received 351,916 votes, 6.84 per cent, finishing fifth of nine, and did not go through to the second round.

In 2014, on the recommendation of the ANO 2011 party (“Action of Dissatisfied Citizens”), he became an adviser to the minister of culture.