Hudobný život 6/2024

"I wish that from this Year of Czech Music it becomes evident that Smetana always transcends the Czech ideological horizon. That he is not just a predecessor of the 'strong lineup' of Czech composers I mentioned, but that he belongs among them." The well-known Czech historian and writer Pavel Kosatík answered several "searching" questions from Robert Kolář. To what extent has the image of Bedřich Smetana become a victim of a cultivated one-sided myth about him as the "father" of Czech national music? How has this sidelined various, often contemporarily progressive works? Two hundred years after Smetana's birth, questions are arising that prompt reflection beyond the geographical and cultural environment of Bohemia and Moravia. "It was originally assumed that the creation of more conservatories would raise the level, but the opposite is true. In the past, we could accept, say, 60 students out of 120 applicants; today about 50 applicants come to our entrance exams, and we accept about 46... I admit that about a third of the admitted students today are ones we wouldn't have accepted in the past." This observation by Milan Oravec, the director of the Žilina Conservatory, one of the participants in a debate that aired in April on Rádio Devín and now resonates in the June issue of Hudobný život, continues the discussion on the crisis of conservatories, which we opened in March with Marek Vrábel, the director of the Bratis lava Church Conservatory. Joining the two directors is Zuzana Ličková, the representative of the Private Conservatory in Prešov. "The people of Banská Bystrica have long had a knack for attracting great guests who are unknown on other domestic stages. ...such a beautiful sound that the guest conductor Oliver Dohnányi coaxed from the orchestra – warm strings, soft woodwinds, and technically confident, precise brass – has probably never been heard in Banská Bystrica before." A review of the new production of Aida at the State Opera in Banská Bystrica by Michaela Mojžišová once again reminds us that opera in the regions not only survives but brings quality, often overshadowing productions in the capital. Such an observation can both please and sadden at the same time. From the opera world, we also recommend Robert Bayer's review of Peter Konwitschny's production of The Rhinegold, which completes his Nibelung tetralogy. Violinist Ján Kružliak Jr. reports on the rich program of the largest sales platform for classical music, Classical , in Berlin. In Jazz Laboratory, we bring an analysis and sheet music of the composition "Wheels" by Karol Ondreička. Our reviewers attended numerous concerts, listened to interesting recordings, and writer Vanda Rozenbergová looked at life through the eyes of a Slovak cellist playing in an Icelandic orchestra... This is the (real and fictional) June issue of Hudobný život. Andrea Serečinová