Zdeněk Liška: the sounds of the Czech new wave revolution
Film without music would be like a Sunday roast without gravy, lacking in that final touch that brings everything together. As such, many modern composers like John Williams have built an entire career by providing incredible soundtracks to a variety of legendary films. There are some films, like Jaws, that you can scarcely think about without the infamous theme tune popping into your head. For a talented few composers, their work was effectively able to soundtrack not just a film but an entire cinematic movement. A prime example of this would be the distinctive sounds of Zdeněk Liška.
Liška was always destined for musical greatness, showing a particular interest in musical creativity at a young age. Disappointingly, though, colossal events got in the way of his musical development. Born in (what was then) Czechoslovakia, Liška had to juggle his music studies with surviving the Nazi occupation of his home nation. Even under a fascist occupation, however, the young composer graduated from the Prague Conservatory for composition.
Immediately following the end of the conflict in Europe, Liška embarked on his journey into the world of film music. Most people first became aware of his work through the 1958 sci-fi film Vynález zkázy (Invention of Doom). Based on the book by Jules Verne, the film was something of a triumph for post-war Czech cinema. Around the same time, however, directors all across Europe had begun to challenge the status quo of filmmaking, pioneering new filming techniques, stories and soundtracking; the new wave was here.
Originated in France by directors like François Truffaut and Éric Rohmer, soon most nations had their own unique take on new wave cinema. As opposed to the romanticism of the French New Wave, the Czech New Wave was characterised by dark themes, deadpan black comedy and innovative filmmaking techniques which overcame the failures of modern technology in the Soviet satellite state. Every revolution needs a soundtrack, and Liška certainly provided the Czech new wave with a stellar musical backdrop.
Creating an incredible body of work throughout his career, Liška worked on some of the most iconic films of the Czech new wave. Perhaps most notably, the composer provided backing for the legendary black comedy Spalovač mrtvol (The Cremator) by Juraj Herz. In many ways, this comic horror represented the pinnacle of the Slovak New Wave cinema movement, and its soundtrack was an utterly indispensable part of that scene.
On projects like Ikarie XB-1 by Jindřich Polák, Liška was noted for his pioneering use of electronic techniques and electroacoustic instruments to create a completely revolutionary soundtrack for the new wave sci-fi film. The soundtrack for Ikarie XB-1 is, arguably, Liška’s most accomplished work, maybe even one of the greatest film compositions ever. After the success of providing music to the new wave movement, the musician became lauded among the most in-demand composers in the entirety of Eastern Europe.
Even after the hype of the new wave died down, the distinctive compositions of Liška remained in demand. For the rest of his celebrated career, the composer worked on various short films, animations, and even travel documentaries. Liška worked tirelessly into old age, completing his final project in 1981, only two years before his death. Although he did not live long enough to see his work become widely popular outside of the Eastern Bloc – following the dissolution of communism in the early 1990s – his music remains as groundbreaking and iconic today as it was back in his heyday.
