In brief with Jitka Tomšíčková
(Text published under the rubric Radioraport in the weekly magazine Týdeníku Rozhlas dated 3. 2. 2014)
Where did the idea for the Heart of Gardens concert come from? Was it yours or the writer’s, or did it come from another source else entirely?
It arose from my own initiative. I had played the music of Kryštof Marek several times – and I like it. I was also taken by his piece Key to the Gardens for violin and large orchestra, which the writer dedicated to Gabriela Demeterová. At the same time, Jan Simon, the director of the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra (PRSO), approached me and asked if I’d like to play something solo with the orchestra. It struck me that both things fit together nicely.
Were you in contact with Kryštof Marek while he was composing the piece? Did you help him with advice informed by your experience as an instrumentalist? Or with some ideas concerning its actual creation?
Kryštof and I went through the composition several times. They redid a few small things and I hope that the result will appeal to listeners.
You mainly play the oboe, and you play the English horn less frequently in compositions. Can you explain to the readers to what degree the instruments referred to differ?
The English horn is more subtle in sound and has a specific colour. The instruments have the same range but a different tuning: C and respectively F. If I have a choice, I always choose the English horn. It’s a matter of the heart for me.
As a soloist, do you feel “sure-footed” in front of your home orchestra? Or do you, by contrast, experience greater nerves in familiar surroundings than at other venues?
I haven’t stood in front of the PRSO for a long time – we’ll see what affect it has on me. I will definitely have a lot of nerves at the first rehearsal, when I hear the entire piece for the first time in its full glory. Also I’ll be really concerned about how my colleagues take the concert. But I certainly won’t be worried that any of them would enjoy any possible failure on my part. I have very supportive colleagues. I’ve been with the PRSO for 21 years now and I’m very happy here.
(JiNo)
