PRSO returns from Japan
The Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra was on the road for 20 days. The orchestra’s 11th tour of Japan took it to 11 venues where it played to a total audience of 20,000, according to the Japanese agency involved. The programme was dominated by the music of Antonín Dvořák and Bedřich Smetana while Chopin’s First Piano Concerto was performed several times and Beethoven and Rachmaninoff also featured.
At roughly the mid-point in the tour the PRSO was joined by a television crew led by director Martin Kubala, who documented concerts in Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, Kanazawa, Nagoya, Wakayama and Fukuoka. Members of Czech Radio management – René Zavoral, deputy director general for programme and broadcasting, and Jakub Čížek, acting PRSO director – also joined the orchestra.
“I watched the musicians with admiration, not only during their concerts but also during rehearsals and complicated transfers. Their top-class performances, discipline and relaxed mood, as well as the obligingness and good atmosphere of the team, filled me not only with pride that Czech Radio has such amazing representatives, but also human sympathy,” René Zavoral said at the close of the tour.
Whether one was watching from the audience or the wings, one thing was abundantly clear: An unusual understanding prevails between principal conductor Ondrej Lenárd and the musicians. They listen and respond to one another and find professional tasks a joy. And as we learned from a discussion with one musician: “The chief comes out with a new idea, interesting comment or little detail for every New World Symphony – how could we not play it for him? We await his innovations eagerly and grasp them with gusto.” The musicians themselves are a bountiful source of initiative – the tuning up of wood or brass instruments backstage is one of their charming rituals. If you watch the violinists, for instance, during a rendition of the Slavonic Dances No. 15, where they are “jumping out of their seats” with verve, you have the impression that there is no greater pleasure than getting stuck into Dvořák’s melodies (naturally you sense that the approaching conclusion of on-stage duties and a well-deserved beer also play a role in this).
The repertoire is in the main intimately familiar so occasionally one can catch the musicians briefly glancing at the audience – they are interested in the reactions of the Japanese and want to enjoy their attention, engrossed listening and often enthusiastic expressions. The great seriousness with which the Japanese cherish classical music is expressed in sustained applause – not only after concerts but also before they begin. Indeed, all the musicians, down to the very last arrival, take to the stage to the accompaniment of applause. They know how to make an orchestra aware that they regard them as a very dear, welcome guest.
From the to-camera testimonies of the players it was clear that they have perhaps only one reservation regarding touring Japan – the great distance of the target destination and the related time change, which leaves its mark on their physical condition. Otherwise they enjoy travelling to the land of the midnight sun. They actively search out temples, shrines, castles and other sights, take photographs, read and take an interest in various aspects of the life of the visited country and converse with locals within the constrictions of the limited opportunity to communicate (mainly resulting from the struggles of the Japanese with English).
They orient themselves admirably when shopping (would you dare visit an opticians and have new glasses made on a visit to a foreign land?) and are knowledgeable about local food and drink, which they try. Gone are the days when musicians used to eat mainly from their own supplies in such situations. Foreign trips undoubtedly impact personal and family plans, but when the musicians are here they are clearly resolved to enjoy rather than survive their time in Japan. To experience it as a pleasure, and in a variety of ways. One of their number is a long-distance runner who notched up 350 km in training during the 20 days in Japan. Other orchestra members run for fun. Another musician set out from Morioka to the volcano Mount Iwate (2,308 m.a.s.l.) on a day off, first by train and then on his own steam. In 10 hours he covered 55 km.
To finish with artistic aspects of the tour – though without being overly serious – let me refer in conclusion to one telling conversation. It took place among a group of musicians during a rehearsal for the concert in Fukuoka, where Smetana’s My County was performed in its entirety. “Friends, we need to fine-tune the Meadows a bit.” “I’d rather fine-tune Šárka.” So everything is as it should be – My Country was performed while at the same time the musicians got to enjoy the presence of their nearest and dearest.
The PRSO returned to the Czech Republic in the early evening of Monday 6 July.
