One of the most important soloists of the Moravian Autumn festival this year is Gábor Boldoczki. We could hear him with the Prague Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra in the Czech Republic; however, he will play in Brno for the first time. This excellent trumpet player with a repertoire ranging from Baroque until the present day will come with pianist Gergely Bogányi. Gábor Boldoczki was a concert partner of soprano singer Edita Gruber and he also performs with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks or the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, he also records for Sony BMG. We were speaking about his career and his planned concert in Brno.
Could you tell me something about your musical beginnings? What was the first musical instrument you played?
I was eight years old when I started with piano and one year later I started with trumpet because my father taught all brass instruments at school. So I think it was natural that we just started together and that he controlled my daily practice and exercise. I’m very grateful that my father taught me very good basics on the trumpet. Later I went to Budapest for five years but I decided very late to be a musician and to play the trumpet. It’s very interesting. I won a prize in the Geneva international competition and it happened during the ceremony where I was given the prize. It was on my twentieth birthday. That was the moment when I really decided I would like to be a musician and I would like to play the trumpet for the rest of my life.
"The trumpet also can play bel canto," wrote a reviewer in the Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung. Is there any connection between the trumpet and the human voice?
I think every instrument should imitate voice. In my case, I just have the trumpet in my hand and when I play music, the most important thing for me is to express the content of the music. Also, when practicing, I try to sing because singing is very natural, and I try to imitate the trumpet’s melodic line by singing. So, actually, the instrument is important but what is the most important is the music and that’s why I try to express music as voice.
Were you inspired by any particular singer when you were creating your own style of playing in connection with bel canto?
Not exactly, but of course, it’s a wonderful thing about my job that I can meet fantastic musicians and work with them – the first one, of course, was Maurice André. He was a total trumpet legend and I’m very happy that I won his competition in Paris. I even met him in 1997, we could talk a little, and, of course, I’ve listened to lots of his recordings. He might have been my first inspiration but later I studied under Reinhold Friedrich in Karlsruhe in Germany. Of course, I’ve collaborated not only with trumpeters. I’ve worked with Gidon Kremer or Fazil Say and when you can meet such great musicians it’s always an inspiration. I’ve also worked with chamber orchestras like Cappella Gabetta, we were working together on my new CD, and with the concertmaster Andrés Gabetta (the brother of Sol Gabetta) who is also a wonderful musician.
You are a versatile player, your repertoire ranges from baroque to contemporary music. Do you collaborate with any composer who could compose a music piece especially for you, at your request, for example?
First of all, I’m really open to playing anything that is possible on the trumpet. There are many beautiful baroque chamber concertos for trumpet but, for me, it’s a very interesting challenge to express with my instrument an oboe sound or to play a virtuoso part of a violin concerto. Those are really interesting challenges.
But, as you said, it’s really important for me to find those composers and to keep in touch with those who compose trumpet concertos for us because it’s not only good for me, it’s good for the next generations. There is a Hungarian composer László Dubrovay who composed all his three concertos for me or Fazil Say who composed some wonderful trumpet concertos and I’m also in contact with Krzysztof Penderecki.
Fazil Say is the first soloist of the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra for this season. What makes him remarkable as a composer in your eyes?
I was Artist in Residence in Mecklenburg at the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in 2010, which means that I could have some programme ideas. My most important request was to ask a composer to compose a concerto for trumpet and symphony orchestra. I had known Fazil Say before and, of course, I was then in touch with him during work on his trumpet concerto because he’s a pianist and trumpet is so different an instrument. And it’s really an interesting concert. The first movement is conservative, let’s say, with a lot of effects, the second movement is oriental music, with a bit of Turkish sound, and the third movement is a wonderful Turkish folk theme.
In Brno, you will perform with the pianist Gergely Bogányi. Is he your regular concert partner?
Gergely Bogányi is a fantastic musician who took part, for example, in the Chopin Marathon. This means that he played all of Chopin’s piano works without orchestra just in one weekend –five concerts each day. He is very focused on Chopin and, of course, on Franz Liszt.
Chamber music is very important for me. There are, of course, not so many possibilities like there are for violin or violoncello or piano but the repertoire which we’re going to play is wonderful and it’s very deep music. Many of these composers are not well known but they are very important for trumpet music.
Is Mr. Bogányi your accompanist or can we expect two concert soloists?
Two concert soloists, let’s say. I find the programme somewhat more interesting if there are trumpet and piano solo pieces, it’s much more colourful.
Is your concert programme in Brno primarily focused on introducing your instruments or rather a specific group of composers?
It’s exclusively original music for trumpet and piano and that’s why we need a chromatic trumpet for this repertoire. The chromatic trumpet dates back to about 1840 and this repertoire begins with the romantic style – Brandt and Bőhme – but there is also some interesting contemporary music like Friedman or a trumpet solo where I will show what the trumpet can do, and also the Enescu’s Legend. Enescu was a great soloist and also a composer and his Legend is maybe the most important piece of the concert. And the last piece is Hidas’s Fantasy for trumpet and piano which is a little bit jazzy.
Have you ever played in Brno or elsewhere in the Czech Republic?
I think this will be the first time in Brno. But I’ve played many times in Prague. I am always very happy to go to Prague and next year I’m giving a concert in Rudolfinum together with the Prague Philharmonia.
When you travel somewhere to play, are you focused only on your performance or are you also interested in the city itself? Do you want to know who performs there besides you, what is the musical life there?
Of course, I like to arrive a little earlier and to catch some of the spirit of the city and of the people. I don’t like to arrive just in time for the concert, play the concert and then move to the next station, it’s not my style. It’s always interesting to catch the spirit of the city and to know what people live there and what is happening there.
And the last question. When you hear "Czech Republic" - what is the first thing that comes to your mind?
For me the first thing is always the beer, the quality of Czech beer. But as I told you – I was in Prague many times and I was so impressed by this city, it’s really wonderful. But now, above all, I’m looking forward to my concerto in Brno.
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