A conversation with; #5 (Reel 1)

A conversation with Carol on Sheryl. This is another in a continuing series of programs each of which offers the listener a rare opportunity to hear an eminent musician informally discussing his own career and expressing his thoughts about a variety of topics related to the art of music. The regular participants in these discussions are Aaron Parsons professor of music theory at Northwestern University's School of Music and program annotator for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. And George Stone program director for Zenith radio corporation's serious music station WEAA FM in Chicago. Mr. Parsons and Mr. Stone have as their guest on today's program the conductor of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and long time champion of contemporary music. Cotterell CARROLL Well it is Aaron Parsons. Mr. Rangel you are now on the second tour that the check for money has made to the United States and I believe that you yourself have been in the United States for three times because you were the guest of the New York Philharmonic

last spring in Solomonic hall on this current tour with the Czech Philharmonic. You started in Montreal with concerts at Expo 67 and you are now in the fifth week you played before many audiences. How how have you found these audiences in Canada and the United States. I can say that there's some different rules in Montreal the audience was good I was and to the US the United States I had just the same approach to our called a concept that far I can say I'm very happy where some of this that is you have played in before coming to Chicago. No other lot of this is about the tea. And you play 6 concerts a week I have six guns inside of me.

You just saw they suffer for a day. But most somebody privately can. Do you conduct all six continents each week. No I have spent some conductor. Jaap playing in the USA about doing the concepts I come back. I myself will conduct think 90. Who is your assistant conductor. My ass isn't going to the chief conduct off the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra I'm Isa Slovak snow though this is coincidence isn't Yeah. Mr. SPURLOCK of the Slovak really believe the thing which astonished me was the number of workers DROs the city of Prague supports. You have seven is it. Yes you have 7 August Wilson So you open houses

and lot of them are very very famous opera house. It's a lost cause to show them that they're out that that mean if. You don't have the EP a bit top of my that I dish the costs and in this theatre and walks out the farm and perform at the fast and he doesn't jump on Giovanni and that he had this Steve. It is preserved in its result as it as in the VAs in the LA Times time. I remember very well most such statement the people of Prague love me. Yes and all because he had a great reception there with Don Giovanni. Yes of course a lot of her rants for instance that douche ex it was a family image. Mrs defect was saying that in that very nice outside of.

I believe you are so VERY of my happy you must have been who was the people of Prague. Always have enjoyed a reputation for being great lovers of music and supporters of music. This brings us back to this business of having seven major orchestras. What is the population of Iraq. Just the one million one million and seven are they just some bops about them I don't maybe I'm too out of solace. When I do the do the concert schedules of these seven orchestras overlap do they all perform at the same time the same season I should say the same season. Yes but it depends on the programs of the guest is the phenomena. The concept of the Philharmonic Orchestra absolutely saw it all. The second a very good artist I mean they said but

then you have a star that is just paid to see him walk and speak film motion picture all motion picture but the farming contacts. That this and that's such up and absolutely fast last August and that they have not that concept I'm not collared it. Then we have two very good with excellent chamber. Yes see that that counts had some of the House and through a symphonic us off of our audio of that BBC broadcast of your boldness and I said yes. It seems to me that in our conversation with Joan last

night she was saying that the week the schedule of concerts during the week provides something every day. Your art history for example has its concerts on Thursday and Friday and evenings. But earlier in the week there will be chamber music there will be chamber are Kestrel concerts and one gets the impression that the every day of every week it would be possible in Prague to go all year. Wonderful music performed wonderfully but I gave it to my UK. I'm going along because thou sometimes called the South. At night. On the same night I'm guessing I suppose that I bought 15 or 16 concept the concepts probably about 7 for about 11.

Oprah performances. Well it sounds very much to me as though she wasn't too far from. These other musicians in these orchestras. Different are different than absolutely different in other words. One violinist doesn't play in the NFL roster is never what kind of a season does the Czech Philharmonic have how many weeks of the year do they play 11 month 11 months 11. It's just four weeks for it. And how many concerts each week do you play with it. Does it limit you think I myself though I don't think of the orchestra or 3 2 or 3 of Coffs touring Karloff and then the number of the concept of lies madness this season. I have thought about all the band couples.

And I would like to get back to something that was a moment ago when I asked you if there was any overlapping of personnel in these orchestras in Vienna of course they move around at will it seems. But we have been given to understand that there is really quite a keen shortage of string players in Europe and apparently you are not afflicted with this problem. No not at all via competition. Tune in for a healthy goal while one can play out they can too. Why on earth do audition to audition audition. He said that absolutely for us the young generation is the exception and I think it's a good

strength right in school and going to cons up early and from the academic to the training of young musicians in Czechoslovakia must at this time be quite different from let us say in Holland because there they find they have found they would desire of course to have in the consent of our construct. Oh Netherlands musicians. Simply because it is in effect if not actually the National Orchestra of Holland. But there are others who have had to be taken in because there simply were not qualified players. And this seems to me says something about the training of musicians in your country. Yeah speaking about the concept of our Yes I was very surprised I can back that up cause I think about as I say I it's all

South USA gold than the US and I was that. And I fall in the accursed Sabaoth fall off I have a chip in the nice thing about him. 5 I think. I'm not sure but five. I said very surprised because I thought that the fall style. Yeah just like the Dutch the Dutch that was in my little bag stay in them yet and you you have recently conducted in Amsterdam. Yeah the posse is the last season the next time I'm going How do you think the orchestra compares mo. As with its predecessor orchestra in the time of Michael Bay do you think it has changed its character any I had I don't think it that changed its tone of very very old rock saluted.

Could you look at this conservatory this school activity that you have there in Prague or in Czechoslovakia. What kind of musical instruction is available that you churn out so many musicians and string players. What are the opportunities for study music study and. Well Prague or elsewhere in Egypt was this a lot of schools not only imperfect in smaller cities and in Moraga and Slovakia I doubt all over the country are because of cost. You know the chicks like music very much and they would like to play in this and therefore this top who studies class about 80 percent. Are not not really you

know I'm not I'm not as talented to finish that studies. And so there is such a selection of tolerance. I can't of course do they have it the conservatories they study their instrument. Do they have other aspects of musical training in the theory that harmony not only music rushing things but they have to study the languages and yet he story mathematics writing systems science of course and just the concept of time. All of this it's like it was before the war we had Jim now. Now we have different absolutely different schools of school. It takes about 11 11. Damn

I the high school that unifies it in the music education we have a cause if I talk like that they come out say six six years because of young people coming in about 14. They must rely on something other something because then you can use it and then the higher the high school the high school is the academic and there's just me. Of course all of the towers. Our morning contrapuntally and mall artists mesosphere fall with them so. By the way how many about how many languages does a youngster usually study in in Czechoslovakia besides check. Most of what I get yes I wash from range. Are

Russian in yet another German German. It stops no. But you can. I was turned off to that because you guys look you paid by the Nazis into us. I've had a vision. Yes the healing of the German language but now it's our I did that aversion to things Germanic carry over to music was there for example it was just in the very very few after that one. But now this does not enter into your program you know. No not about not on the clock. You have a lot of German guest conductor some German Foleys the out touring in Germany especially in Western Germany banning all these conservatory is in Prague and elsewhere you know you have school

orchestras. Yes and they have choruses. Yeah that was cool so that the orchestral training begins in the leggins in the school. I found in the latest edition of Grove's an interesting line at the heading of your biography your sketch as a Czech conductor propagandist of modern music. Propagandist here not being in any sense and I'm complimentary to her. Do you think that's an apt description. I understand that you have been very involved in advancing the cause of modern composers throughout your career. Yes I stopped at us contact. I conducted only Madama music. Yes mother followed by. Cause the night became the chief conduct of the chick thought

I had to come back with a class or a mind you can think and so on. But my goal for this walls and them are done using. Did you attribute this to the fact that I believe you were worked with Sharpton for a period. Yes but I am a pupa off quartal told called police and that file was a very interesting thing. New music and new problems you'll expect a man's insult you compose yourself. Unfortunately you studied composition with Elise. I studied composition. I didn't study conducted on the grounds that I thought I just compensation. I became a pupil of our very famous conduct lotsof he

was the head at the take thought how many guys they saw since 1980 and I was this false view and so I began to come to a stop to come. Tell us something about that period of study with Tali. First of all how did it begin. Stop that. In his her house with the Czech family caucus I was present during each film. I was that its cause. And then after the house all afternoon. He's nice that they discussed the music. It was just the form of discussing that with my school. What was he teaching then were you. He was a regular pupil of his you know. You

must teach English. How did you get into the rehearsals. I was allowed to because I thought it allowed me to be present in our ice and then he would give you time with discussions of the score of the conducting problems and the interpretation. And sometimes he'd let me come back the orchestra during can just fuck up minutes of Cox's. There's most of it a great thrill although that looks like it's a song for this time where you in the prog conservatory. I was in the rock comes out in the in the high school. It was caught the mouse the clock. You were a violinist. I was a play I studied chamber music. The famous Czech string caught that

second second wire at least a wealth composer suck which is if you just threw in some or all the wrong side. An awful lot of thought and now the great irony is Joseph So I have wondered if he's yeah he's that guy and Guy and some of the Vostok the great grandson and the guns Officer Johns that's me. Well it didn't seem there would be who really without some kind of relationship. But I haven't known. Well then this was your introduction to conducting under-votes life Tali and the opportunity just to work with him to observe what he did to discuss with him later what he had done and why he had done it. Did he ask you to evaluate new scores and to prepare them for his critique of your you know.

Never never. It's also I would say thank you. They thought that they screwed I was at 43. I study it. I would like to study. He has a right interesting type of conduct. You stop that romantic conduct you can't imagine how he played a butyl in the symphony in nineteen two and thought on the five that the cannot be took that oath by hops. Down the chute with something you wrote in this email. That's a fantastic romantic touch and then he developed a developed.

He's mean he's. The classic scoffs at such a such a way that I knew I was 65. I never I never had a better conducting government so they don't have one that is not so completely changed from the moment that said you should just let us vote. We are of course in this country did at one time get recordings not very money but of the words shock symphonies for example yet conducted by Target and those seemed remarkable for their warm greetings. Well here again we're back to the romantic feeling. Yeah but this I think was our only opportunity I don't know that we ever came to this country.

You know he wasn't writing about the telly program in a contemporary 20th century compositions. Not true. He stayed with the classical romantic repertory. How did you turn then if you had to tolerate you know a backroad How did you turn into a 20th century specialist. Oh I'm not does it so I don't. It was that Harbaugh then who had the influence the greatest influence in this direction that I had. I miss it a lot of couples I've met me and Manny conduct us. I like Alice in the concept. And of course I have my own opinions about the conducting for amount of classical for mounting music and so on and so I stopped coming to the mountain music too.

Loud. The people say that I am conducting commenting on music too. Did I can come back to all my thinking was it true. You have the warmth. Oh well then after this period of working with what's left Ollie what did you do next. What was the next step toward your. Your first post as a conductor you have a surprise. My finest polish the conductor was in the musical town of us yet as a chess conduct as well as Jess conduct a guest Jess Jess Jess jazz. Oh yeah. Just yes this is not. Something of a switch I have to stop you know this that I was to yes because it's also in our counseling and you know you are opting

to CSU and 19. Doubt it. Something just very difficult very difficult for young conductor to get to position us conductor and all the young conductor also imply. And that far one of my best hands it was a composer. Yes yes conductor a composer just composer who died unfortunately during the war here in America in New York. He was my my closest friend and he said you know Come come with me then one to two hour together. You would be happy that I was happy I have to come back. Very evening just say my review.

So that is the same reason but I had a lot of time to study and to conduct as guest conduct license and Broadcasting Corporation and then I stopped at my stop loss of any interest. Why was Prokofiev's came to Prague. Yes Saudis P.A. Listi platys. So beyond that what you have done and on the program was he's thought sounds funny and the chief conduct of of the broadcasting of the orchestra. And suddenly the members of the doctors that know I'm sure has to conduct the scans. I'm sure you know this is the scar. I had no

idea what the scar. But for a coffee house a van and you studied with me two days and two nights. The scene for me and then the piano gunshot and then about the performance after the performances Perkoff kissed me and said old musician I am very happy to that you have conducted this concert but you can't imagine how f right by a loss. My immediate threat shot to shit Charlie Sheen. You can be shocking if you say yes and so I stopped that they'd come back and you were with the Radio Orchestra than for some time. The prog really oh yes I thought the chief came back got off after the war before there was just a music producer. Proc. obviously does not involve the music producer in a

radio station that means that there is a Radio Orchestra. Yeah regular concerts only go to concepts then so much for that matter again. Gee how do you call anything I don't have opera or music for everybody. Incidental music to. Yeah magic programs and Oprah to sell for more. He then came that the law and my carrier was finished. Because I wasn't fired if you think different concentration camp as a wood cut as a log I locked him in the airplane and I dreamed up in fact Troy and so on.

That was for five years you had no contact and you think you know could you did you hear music. No no no. Those most of them a terrible period. Yes I thought that was a little war. Were you immediately able to get back into music or know it. It took us about six miles when I stopped at us conduct then to Prague. That was this not your your first conducting of opera. No I can't you have to follow your example. I come back to be fine because I just send. You the ideas that progress to you.