Interview with Marian Lapšanský

...this is what we'll find on the web page of Marian Lapšanský's native town. How do you remember it?

As a place where I had a very happy childhood.

I was surprised to learn that you also studied the violin for several years. Were you good at it? And was the experience useful to you?

I was better at the violin than the piano, but I was able to win more prizes with the piano. I practised the violin, and on the piano I also played things like the piano scores of operas, symphony arrangements - in fact anything to hand, just so long as I could avoid doing scales.

How did the piano come out on top?

I couldn't ignore the versatility of the piano and later on I didn't have the time for both instruments.

You must have been really taken with the instrument because you've had untold success with it. But have there been times when you just didn't want to sit down and play?

We've all had days, or even lengthy periods of time, when the work we do doesn't motivate us so much. It's usually when we're not doing so well. You just have to get over these periods and then everything turns out all right. Practising used to bother me occasionally, but never the actual music itself.

You've done a lot of teaching. What do you consider important when working with young players?

Uncovering and developing their personalities, their creativity and their individual approach. Guiding them as soon as possible towards independence. This truly is an inevitable prerequisite for their further development - after they've completed their studies.

As a high-profile manager you are involved in running numerous institutions and cultural organisations. Which of the measures you have taken in this area do you consider particularly successful?

The International Music Course in Piešťany has become a highly worthwhile project for its time, also events such as the Hummel Piano Competition in Bratislava or the Central European Festival of Concert Art in Žilina. And various smaller gatherings have also enjoyed success, such as the Musica Nobilis festival located in the Tatra region. I'm glad when any one of these events becomes a stepping stone to the next stage in a musician's career. Peter Schreier, for instance, discovered Magdalena Kožená at the course in Piešťany.

When you were appointed General Director of the Slovak Philharmonic in 2004, you offered the post of Chief Conductor to Vladimír Válek. What made you choose him?

My experience of Vladimír Válek is such that he is a fine conductor and orchestral coach who has been responsible for bringing ensembles like the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra up to their present high level of professionalism; their high standard of playing is well respected abroad as well.

You worked together for three seasons in Bratislava and you naturally meet up in many other venues at various times. Can you remember the very first time you encountered him and what impression he made on you?

Mirek and I met many years ago - I had two concerts with the Czech Philharmonic at the time - Válek conducted in Piešťany, and Václav Neumann in Bratislava. Both concerts were a great inspiration for me.

To what extent has your position as head of the Slovak Philharmonic "tied your hands" as a pianist? Roughly how many concerts do you currently perform a year?

I had to really cut down - on concerts, that is, not on practising. At one time, the only thing I was doing was giving concerts. I felt I was being stretched to the limit. Then I started teaching and organising various events as well - and I thought I couldn't do any more. Now I do everything and manage the Slovak Philharmonic as well. So time is highly relative. If I organise my work well, there's time for everything I want to do. It's true that I enjoy playing most of all. After teaching or my work with the SP, I sit down at the piano and it really relaxes me. What was previously just an expression, the phrase "my work is my hobby" is now a real part of my life.

On this occasion, you'll be performing Mozart's Concerto No. 20 in D minor with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra. Why this particular work?

Mozart's works are some of the most fundamental and most consequential in music history. Beneath the wonderful exterior lies unimagined hidden depths. And I really enjoy discovering them.

What further attractive concerts or recording projects have you got planned in the near future?

This month I'm playing Tchaikovsky's Concerto in G major in Cracow, then I'm performing Grieg in the Spanish city of Murcia; I'm also looking forward to the concerts in Minsk and Istanbul. And I can't wait to get back to my garden. With my retirement beckoning, I'm trying to turn my hand to gardening. One can't play forever!