Interview with conductor Rastislav Štúr

Can you take us back to your first experiences with music? Do you come from a family of musicians or did the art of the tones cross your path somehow “by coincidence”?

I basically grew up in the opera house where my mother sang, for example the role of Carmen which is the one I seem to remember most vividly. And my father often took me to concerts of the Slovak Philharmonic. Indeed, my first dream was to become a conductor.

Have you ever considered any other profession than conducting? What made you chose the baton?

I used to play violin, and later viola. But I also did horse-riding, canoeing, skiing, basketball… however, music was stronger and prevailed.

What do you consider crucial for your work and what makes it easier for you?

It is important to feel generally relaxed, not stressed, and to look forward to every rehearsal and concert, and I believe to me this comes naturally.

And what makes your work complicated?

There are more and more concerts and I sometimes find it difficult to organize my time.

How demanding is your position as the chief conductor of the Slovak National Theater’s Opera in Bratislava?

It is the opera house where I grew up, it was my childhood dream to become a conductor there, I feel very attached to it. I spend a lot of time there, it is my main job, if I conduct concerts elsewhere I am always in touch with the opera management, the director, the orchestra office… Each season I stage an opera there which takes at least three months during which you will find me there every day.

What other events do you see as the highlights of your career so far?

I try to treat every event as the highlight, most recently I had an amazing experience in Ingolstadt where I conducted Dvořák’s Cello Concerto with Mischa Maisky.

What projects keep you busy at the moment, what is on your agenda?

Puccini’s Manon Lescaut at the Opera of the Slovak National Theatre, a tour with the Slovak Philharmonic and the soloist Igor Ardašev in Spain, My Country at Žofín, concerts in Prague…

Today’s soloist Jan Mráček has already won numerous awards despite his young age. Do you enjoy working with artists who are just on the threshold of their career?

I always enjoy working with good musicians.

What was your input in the dramaturgy of today’s program?

I agreed with the selection of pieces, Sibelius is one of my favourite violin concertos, although it is very demanding from the conductor’s point of view. I conducted Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 6 in Bratislava a few years ago, its final part in particular sounds often in my ears.

You will join the Symphonic Orchestra of the Czech Radio once more this autumn. What will be the occasion?

It will be the concert on the Anniversary of the Republic on 26 of October with Simona Šaturová, whom I have known since childhood and whom I regard as one of the greatest artists I have worked with.

Do you think the radio orchestra is specific, unique?

It is an orchestra brimming with energy, with strong shared feeling, it plays with great feistiness and musicality. It often gave me goose bumps at our last concert with the soloist Denyce Graves, I was deeply touched by how heart-felt each point was.