Zuzana Ruzickova
Zuzana Růžičková (Czech pronunciation: [ˈzuzana ˈruːʒɪtʃkovaː]; 14 January 1927 – 27 September 2017) was a Czech harpsichordist. An interpreter of classical and baroque music, Růžičková was the first harpsichordist to record Johann Sebastian Bach's complete works for keyboard, in recordings made in the 1960s and 1970s for Erato Records.
Růžičková was born to a Jewish family in Plzeň, Czechoslovakia. As a teenager during World War II, she was imprisoned in the Nazi concentration camps of Terezín, Auschwitz, and Bergen-Belsen. She returned to Plzeň after the end of the war.
Růžičková was the wife of Czech composer Viktor Kalabis. The couple refused to join the Czechoslovak Communist Party which held power from 1948 to 1989, and faced political persecution as a result. Růžičková performed across the world for 50 years, recorded over 100 records, and taught such prominent musicians as Christopher Hogwood, Ketil Haugsand, Jaroslav Tůma, and Mahan Esfahani.
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