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Seth Arenstein profiled Czech Philharmonic Concertmaster and international soloist Josef Špaček in advance of Špaček’s appearance with Amadeus during the 2014-2015 Season.
November 4, 2014
Europeans have figured it out. Americans have some of the longest working hours in the industrialized world, coupled with the shortest paid vacations. Contrast that with European work totals, which are dwarfed by ours. Vacations? How many American companies grant workers 4-6 weeks paid vacations routinely?
At this point you might be asking, ‘What has this to do with Josef Špaček, who will be soloing with Amadeus Orchestra’s strings November 15?’ Quite a bit, actually.
Špaček’s career decisions are guided in large part by Europe’s sensible philosophy that a more manageable workload and ample vacations are important ingredients for keeping workers motivated. In fact, research shows that overworking and eschewing vacations actually can harm health and hurt family life.
But back to Špaček, the lanky, handsome 28-year-old whose day job is Concertmaster of the Czech Philharmonic. How he manages a full-time job and still has enough time and energy to carve out a career as an international soloist is rooted in the concept of sensible work arrangements.
Upon graduation from Julliard “I didn’t want to apply for a U.S. orchestra position,” the Czech-born Špaček says in excellent English, honed by seven years of college and grad school in the U.S. “Orchestras in Europe pay a lot less money, but have one amazing perk – a lot of free time. Most European orchestras have 2 or more concertmasters, which usually means that they split the work equally. This means that we work about half the workload. My position with the Czech Philharmonic gives me a lot of spare time to focus on other activities, such as solo playing.” As we said above, leave it to the Europeans.
When it came to choosing a line of work, Špaček went quickly into the family business. “I chose violin at age 3,” he says, “and started taking regular lessons at 6. I come from a musical family so the career choice came pretty early.” As a child Špaček attended numerous musical events, including Czech Philharmonic concerts, tagging along with his father, Josef Špaček Sr, a cellist in the orchestra.
A modest person, he’s loathe to say he dreamed of joining the Philharmonic or of one day becoming its Concertmaster. “As a child I didn’t know whether I would want to become Concertmaster of this wonderful orchestra or have a career in the U.S.” A better dream—having a job before you graduate. That became reality for Špaček. “During my last year at Juilliard, the position of Concertmaster became vacant and I won the audition. Here I am now enjoying my 4th season with the orchestra.”
A Familiar Face to Amadeus
Špaček should be familiar to veteran Amadeus patrons. A keen assessor of young talent, Amadeus Music Director Scott Wood heard Špaček and his brother Petr play a chamber concert in Virginia about five years ago. Upon Maestro Wood’s urging, Amadeus named the Špaček brothers winners of its Emerging Artist Award. As part of the Award, the duo was featured in an Amadeus concert. They performed the Brahms Concerto for Violin and Cello, Opus 102, during a 2010 concert. Špaček was named Concertmaster of the Czech Philharmonic shortly thereafter.
“With [the Czech Philharmonic] touring the U.S. this month, it seemed like a good time to have Josef back with us,” Wood says of the concert, which has become a homecoming and a ‘local boy makes good,’ well, sort of. “After studying and living in the U.S. for 7 years, it really became my second home. And I met my wife in the U.S. as well.” A bonus— Špaček’s gorgeous spouse, Isabel Collyns Špaček, is from the D.C. area. “I’ve been to D.C. many times,” he says.
As for comparing his teachers at Curtis and Julliard, where he did his undergraduate and graduate work, respectively, Špaček is diplomatic. “I learned so many things just by living in the U.S.,” he says. “On the musical side, of course, having such amazing teachers was part of the whole experience. I enjoyed working with each of them tremendously.” His teachers included Jaime Laredo and Ida Kavafian at Curtis and Itzhak Perlman at Julliard. Comparing the schools, Špaček is clear. “I loved my time at Curtis the most. It was a lovely small school with the most inspiring students and teachers I have ever met.”
Was there a style of violin playing or an aspect of musical education that attracted him to study in the U.S. as opposed to Europe, we ask him. “I think the U.S. and Europe have a lot to offer in music education. The schools in the U.S., where students receive a whole package of subjects to study, are probably unparalleled. On the other hand, Europe offers great teachers pretty much everywhere you go. Students in Europe choose their schools more depending on the teacher they want to study with.”
Laurels and Recordings
His decision to study in the U.S., plus a lot of talent and practicing, seems to be working out well. As a newly minted master’s graduate of Julliard, Špaček’s solo playing was reviewed favorably by The NY Times during a 2011 commencement concert at Alice Tully Hall. Writing in The Times on May 20, Zachary Woolfe noted Špaček “played with a sweet tone, deliberate phrasing and vigor in the rollicking Hungarian-style third movement” of the Brahms Violin Concerto in D, opus 77.
After graduating from Julliard, Špaček was a finalist at the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in 2012. Earlier, he became a laureate of the Michael Hill International Violin Competition (New Zealand, 2009) and the Carl Nielsen International Music Competition (Denmark, 2008).
His recording debut came in 2006, while still a student, with a disc of Eugène Ysaÿe‘s sonatas. In 2010 a disc on the Naxos label had Špaček performing works of Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst, a 19th century Czech violinist and composer who some considered to be the Paganini of his day. Last year Špaček made his first recording on the Czech label Suprahon, playing compositions by Prokofiev, Smetana and Janáček.
Špaček’s credits include engagements with The Philadelphia Orchestra as well as numerous solo appearances with orchestras and ensembles in his native Czech Republic, Australia and New Zealand. Conductors he’s worked with include Jirí Belohlávek, Manfred Honeck, James DePreist, Roy Goodman, Eliahu Inbal and Christoph Eschenbach, Music Director of D.C.’s National Symphony Orchestra. His chamber music work has taken him to performances and festivals throughout the world. He’s also nearly a rock star in the Czech Republic, where he’s constantly appearing on television and popping up in magazine and newspaper interviews.
With all that, he still finds time to pursue hobbies like water sports and travel. “I love traveling, meeting new people, learning about different cultures and cuisines,” he says. And when he has a moment to put down his bow and listen to music, he makes a beeline for recordings by the late Russian violinist David Oistrakh. “He’s my all-time favorite. I love all his recordings.”
Soloist vs Section Player
During this two-week, bi-coastal tour of the U.S., Špaček will have little down time, however. He’ll be leading the violin section of the Philharmonic one night, soloing in front of the orchestra on another and rushing off to play solo engagements, such as he’s doing with Amadeus. Fortunately, Špaček feels he’s found the key to thriving in this peripatetic musical lifestyle. “Switching between soloing and orchestral playing is a very natural thing. Music is about listening. If you listen well, you will have no problem adapting to all kinds of different settings,” he insists.
Of course Špaček’s view is conditioned by his musical approach. “Being a soloist should always be fun,” he says. “Having an entire orchestra behind you, supporting you in your concerto, is an incredible feeling. There’s so much wonderful repertoire for the solo violin, it’s always exciting.” It can also be stress inducing. “One might think that playing a solo concerto with an orchestra can be a stressful experience, and that’s true. Partially.” Consider this, Špaček will have just one rehearsal with Amadeus before playing the concert; though Maestro Wood says he and Špaček will “be keeping in touch about interpretational details.” Wood adds, “It’s not as hard to bring things together as it might seem, though I would always like another rehearsal.”
Interestingly, soloing in front of an orchestra is less stressful than another musical scenario, according to Špaček. “Trust me, playing a solo as a concertmaster in a symphony is a lot worse than playing a concerto. You have just a few bars to shine and you get no warm up before it. All of a sudden, there you are, alone and playing the most nerve-wracking few bars. All that in front of your colleagues, who watch you very closely.”
We’re glad to report that Špaček will get plenty of time to warm-up before his performance with Amadeus. And members of the Amadeus strings have promised not to watch him too closely. Seriously, though, Špaček loves the piece he’ll be playing with Amadeus: Astor Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires. Written by the Argentine in the mid- and late-1960s and 1970, the four tangos comprise a work “that’s probably the most fun piece for solo violin and string orchestra,” Špaček says. “It’s beautifully written and incredibly well arranged for the violin.” The work is technically challenging, “beautiful and wild, which is typical of Piazzolla’s music.” We’re sure Špaček is up to the task.
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This year we bring you The Art of Flamenco at our benefit concert on April 12 from 4:00-6:30pm. Tickets are $60 per person of which $30 is tax deductible. Proceeds support Amadeus Concerts and its music education programs.
Conductor Discusses September 29th Program
With fall upon us and winter soon to follow, the Amadeus Orchestra will inject youth and vitality into the less-vibrant seasons of the year with the opening program of its 2013-14 season.
The Orchestra, under Artistic Director and Conductor A. Scott Wood, will move the calendar a few weeks back by starting the concert with Mendelssohn’s Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. That will be followed by Tchaikovsky’s only concerto-like piece for cello and orchestra, Variations on a Rococo Theme, with National Symphony Orchestra cellist Steven Honigberg as soloist. The program concludes with Schubert’s energetic Symphony No. 2. Both the Mendelssohn Overture and the Schubert symphony were written when the composers were in their teens. The Tchaikovsky composition is known as one of the more strenuous pieces for cello, allowing the soloist almost no rest during its performance. For those hoping to slide easily into fall, the Amadeus Orchestra will have something to say about it.
To get our patrons ready for the concert, Amadeus Orchestra will be doing two new activities this season. At 3:15pm before each 4pm concert, Maestro Wood will discuss the day’s program with audience members. The session is free to those holding concert tickets. In addition, before each concert this Web site will feature a discussion with the Maestro, soloists and members of the orchestra about the upcoming program.
To begin this series, we spoke with Maestro Wood about several topics, including how he chooses programs and prepares himself and the orchestra. An edited transcript appears below.
Seth Arenstein: Scott, how do you decide your programs for the season? Do you like to stay in the same era or is there something else at work? Were you interested in a youthful program? For example, the Mendelssohn is thought to be the composer’s first piece, premiered when he was 17. The Schubert symphony also is a teenage piece.
A. Scott Wood: It’s a bit of a mystery how programs come together. Sometimes it’s just an idea that suggests one piece, and that piece suggests the next. And often you end up a long way from where you started. Here there is definitely that youthful connection, and the Rococo Variations is one of my all-time favorites. Luckily a soloist like Steven Honigberg has a large repertoire, and he was happy to play the Tchaikovsky.
SA: Let’s talk about preparing and rehearsing the orchestra. Typically, how many rehearsals does the Amadeus Orchestra do before a performance?
Wood: There are seldom more than a few rehearsals, and every moment is precious. Professionals of the caliber of the Amadeus Orchestra come to the first rehearsal with all the technique in place; we focus on creating a unified realization of the score. Pacing and balancing are also critical; the musicians are adjusting to what they hear from each other.
SA: Do you and the soloist, Steven in this case, meet before rehearsing with the orchestra and discuss the piece and your interpretations of it?
Wood: Yes, we have a play-through with just the two of us before working with the orchestra. Sometimes we talk about technical issues; for example, what tempos will we take. We clarify who takes the lead at different places in the music. One of the things I value most in a soloist is a sympathetic relationship in which we both feel we are working well together. When you focus on the composer’s vision, you can often avoid what might become a tendency to fight for control.
SA: How do you prepare to conduct a concert? How long does it take to learn a piece you’ve never played before? How long does it take to re-learn a piece you’ve done before?
Wood: In a sense, you’re never ready to conduct a piece; there is always more to learn—and that’s what keeps the music new. It’s not hard to take an orchestra through something successfully, but when I’ve really studied a piece well I perceive that most of the riddles in the music solve themselves. Paradoxically, the more I have internalized the piece, the more likely I am to hear something new in it. To get to this point, though, the piece must become part of your DNA.
SA: Let’s talk about the Mendelssohn Overture. Presumably you’ve conducted it, played it as a trumpeter and/or heard it many time. It’s been done so often it’s often labeled a warhorse. That said, it’s a marvelous stallion.
Wood: True.
SA: OK, so to keep the music fresh do you try doing something with it that others haven’t?
Wood: I never try to do anything new for novelty’s sake. I also don’t often listen to recordings; that’s not because I won’t like someone else’s ideas or am afraid of being influenced. It’s just that doing that always feels one step removed from the composer. I try to let the score guide me. That tends to keep me honest, but also unlocks my creativity. And I keep my ears open to learn things from the orchestra.
SA: Thank you, Maestro.
[Note: The first pre-concert discussion will be held at 3pm, at Saint Luke Church, McLean, VA, on September 29.]
Our concert on April 7 will feature the Domingo-Cafritz Artists in a recital. The music includes opera, broadway and more!
Shantelle Przybylo, soprano
Julia Mintzer, mezzo-soprano
Mauricio Miranda, tenor
Norman Garrett, baritone
Soloman Howard, bass
Kevin Miller and Artem Grishaev, piano
UPDATE: The trip to the US by the Silver-Garburg was cancelled when Gil Garburg fell on ice and broke his elbow. We expect to welcome them in our 2013-14 series!
We welcome the return of the internationally-acclaimed Silver Garburg Piano Duo, praised for their “lyrical sensitivity, extraordinary inner perception and overwhelming technical mastery” (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung).
Sivan Silver and Gil Garburg, the married couple and pianists who make up this magnificent duo, return to perform as our guest artists in Mendelssohn’s rarely heard Concerto in E Major for two pianos.
This season is the PIano Duo’s third performance in our concert series, and their first performance with the full Amadeus Orchestra.
The Silver-Garburg Piano Duo enjoys a flourishing international career, with performances in more than fifty countries on five continents. Their many concerts have taken them to prestigious venues, including the Vienna Musikverein, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Berlin’s Philharmonie and Konzerthaus, and the Sydney Opera House.
We thank long-time Amadeus supporters Jack and Mildred Hardman of Great Falls, Virginia who introduced this wonderful pair to music lovers in Northern Virginia and to Amadeus Concerts.
Read more about the Silver-Garburg Piano Duo.
Less than two years ago, four young musicians from across the nation came together in California and adopted their name in tribute to The Golden State. Since winning the 2011 Fischoff and 2012 Chesapeake chamber music competitions, the quartet has gone on to the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado and the Emilia-Romagna Festival in Italy.
Elisabeth Adkins performed The Lark Ascending with the Amadeus Orchestra on Sunday, September 16, 2012.
Elisabeth Adkins, Associate Concertmaster of the National Symphony Orchestra, played Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending with the Amadeus Orchestra on Sunday, September 16, 2012.
After graduating from the University of North Texas, Elisabeth Adkins completed both a master’s degree and a doctorate at Yale, where she studied with Oscar Shumsky. In 1983 she was named associate concertmaster of the National Symphony in Washington, where she has established a solid reputation as a concerto performer and recitalist.
As solo violinist of the 20th-Century Consort, Elisabeth is a noted interpreter of contemporary repertoire. Reviewers across the country have praised her playing in phrases such as “a spectacular performance,” “a world-class violinist,” “an impeccable technique and a tone that melted the heart and charmed the soul.” Joseph McLellan, reviewing one of her recitals for the Washington Post, remarked: “As I listened to Adkins, I realized that there is no violinist (including Perlman, Menuhin—anyone) whose playing I prefer.”
The Washington National Opera Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists program is unique in guiding singers on the verge of international careers. In addition to performances at the Kennedy Center, the White House and other Washington institutions, they have traveled to Opera de Monte-Carlo and La Scala and have sung in concert with Placido Domingo in Beijing.
The partnership between Amadeus Concerts and the Domingo-Cafritz Program Artists goes back many years. Amadeus Concerts has showcased these talented artists in solo, duet and small ensemble performances both in recital and with the Amadeus Orchestra.
Previous performers on our series include Emily Albrink and Jessica Stecklein, formerly Swink, one of our emerging artist grant recipients.
Experience the full range of Latin American music and its Spanish roots with the Washington Symphonic Brass on Sunday, October 14, 2012 at 4 pm.
The Washington Symphonic Brass is comprised of some of the finest professional musicians in the Washington/Baltimore area. Their members are in constant demand for orchestral, solo, and chamber music performances.Conductor Milt Stevens and Trumpeter Phil Snedecor formed the group of players out of their love of and excitement about this fine literature. Individually, the members of the WSB have performed with many of the nation’s best orchestras, such as the National Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, among other illustrious institutions. The WSB performs throughout the Washington and Baltimore metropolitan area, appearing at some of the great performance spaces on the east coast. Specializing in compositions written for large brass ensemble and percussion (four trumpets, four horns, four trombones, euphonium, tuba, timpani, and percussion instruments) with organs, choruses, and other instruments optional, the varied repertoire of the Washington Symphonic Brass covers five centuries.
Read more about the Washington Symphonic Brass.