Štěpán Rak was born in Prague, Czech republic in 1945. At first he intended to become a painter and studied art but the call of music proved stronger. He studied the guitar with Štěpán Urban at Prague Conservatoire (1965-1970) and took composition lessons with Jiří Dvořáček.

In 1975 he went to Finland where he took up a teaching post for five years before returning to Prague. His first recitals in the west established his reputation as both a virtuoso performer and a composer of immense originality and power, a renown spread further by his subsequent broadcasts, recordings and concerts in various countries.

Rak often takes as his starting point an image or vivid impression around which the composition is created. His far-ranging imagination (linked with almost unbelievable technical control) has astonished and enchanted audiences wherever he has played.

This Czech composer, drawing on many influences, yet deeply aware of the folk music of his country, has widened the horizons of the guitar's possibilities. In just a few years he has created a substainal body of work with an unmistakable identity and through his recitals and recordings has changed our awareness of the instrument's potential. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.