The Budafok Dohnányi Orchestra is preparing a special Czech programme for its February concert at the Music Academy of Budapest , including works by Novák, Eben, Smetana and Suk. The conductor for the evening will be Ondřej Vrabec, who has been a principal horn player of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) for many decades. We also talked about his instrument, conducting, his relationship with the Dohnányi Orchestra and the peculiarities of Czech music.

- hirdetés -

– You have been a principal horn player with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra for almost three decades. So you have considerable experience as a member of the orchestra. How have you developed as a horn player in all these years?

– Quite a lot, I think. Especially my growing conducting experience has changed my approach as an orchestra member at the deepest level. When I was young – I started playing in the CPO when I was 17 – I always played quite boldly, soloistically, powerfully, maybe even a bit aggressively from time to time. In recent years I have paid much more attention to the balance of the orchestral sound and its colours, both as a conductor and as an orchestra player. I find myself looking for softer and more subtle sonorities to blend with winds or strings. I have become much more sensitive, like a chamber musician, I think. My playing has also become more heartfelt, expressive and warm – or so I hope. But I wish my stage confidence was the same as that of a 17 year old student. It is all getting more and more challenging, I must say, so my preparations are becoming more and more meticulous as I get older.

– Please name the greatest challenges you have faced in your career as a solo horn player, and tell me about the most important or life-changing musical experiences.

– I was an incredibly lucky boy to have come into close contact with dozens of legends of the music world, both on stage and in lessons – like the bassoonist Sergio Azzollini, the oboist Maurice Bourgue, the horn player Andre Cazalet, the conductors John Elliot Gardiner, Benjamin Zander, Jiri Belohlavek, to name but a few. Each of these fantastic musicians gave me so much to admire and be inspired by. In addition, I have worked with hundreds of great soloists and conductors during my long tenure at CPO, and all of this is a magical and bottomless source of inspiration for my own career. That is my life-changing experience in general.

And the greatest challenges? Hard to remember and name them all. Well, maybe playing Bruckner’s 4th (you always play it as if for the first time, over and over again), Ligetti’s Hamburg Concerto, J. D. Zelenka’s Capriccios, recording Peter Seabourne’s Horn Quintet, and many others

– You have also made a name for yourself as a conductor. As an orchestral horn player, do you sometimes disagree with certain instructions from other conductors? If so, how do you react?

– In recent years, such situations have become almost non-existent. The conductors who work with the Czech Philharmonic today are all of the highest calibre. I like to listen to their opinions and benefit from their expertise. These are very valuable lessons that a young conductor cannot get outside the orchestra. But in the past I have encountered many situations that have caused me pain. I had to react, as always, as a professional orchestra member. The only way to do this was to bite my tongue hard and follow even the instructions with which I disagreed most strongly.

– This is the same question, but in reverse. When you conduct, do you pay particular attention to the horns?

– Of course I do. But usually in a sensitive way. I know the problems of the instrument and the difficulty of the orchestral parts very well, so I always do my best to be helpful to my colleagues and try not to cause them extra stress. Brass players usually say that they feel comfortable playing with me, which makes me happy.

– I understand that you have performed with the Dohnányi Orchestra before. When was that and what do you remember?

– Yes, just two years ago, and the collaboration was simply wonderful from the first moment. An absolutely excellent orchestra made up of nice people who were willing to work and improve their performance of a repertoire that was quite new to them. They played superbly in the concert. It was a special pleasure to work with them and I look forward to meeting them again.

– The concert on 16 February at the Liszt Academy of Music will feature works by all-Czech composers. As a native (Czech-born) musician yourself, what do you think is the insight you can bring to the audience by conducting the music of your homeland?

– Music is an international language. Everyone can speak and understand it without translation, and everyone can play any music beautifully. But, as with any language, there are some accents and specific local differences that only the natives are fully aware of. These tiny variations in colour, articulation, style or tempo make the performance sound unique and authentic. If a Hungarian plays his native music, it will certainly sound a little different from a Czech or English musician, although they may bring some refreshing and welcome aspects to their interpretations. The same goes for a Czech conductor conducting Czech music, at least I think so. Let the audience decide.

– Is there any special message you would like to convey to the Hungarian audience or the orchestra before the concert?

– Not a musical message, but we are living our lives on a keg of gunpowder at the moment, it seems that evil is taking control all over the world and we are closing our eyes because we do not want to step out of our comfort zone, I would like to wish that everyone fills their heart with love and respect, it is the only way for us to survive.