photo by Wilhelm Denk (c) dewi
photo by Barry Roden
James Strecker: First of all, congratulations on twenty years of Salute to Vienna productions. What’s most satisfying for you about this anniversary?
Attila Glatz: Thanks for the congratulations! It is a dream come true, establishing this wonderful New Year’s tradition at first in our new home of Toronto and later across North America. This is a tradition we grew up with in Europe and every year our Salute to Vienna concerts bring back fond memories. It is a pleasure to see so many happy faces in the audience; this is our greatest motivation and what keeps us going.
JS: I know that, when you lived in Europe, you were a long-time devotee of the New Year’s Day broadcast from Vienna’s Musikverein, so could you tell us your reasons for creating Salute to Vienna and what you expected to come of it.
AG: Yes, both Marion and I grew up with the annual Neujahrskonzert. We will never forget how happy we were each New Year’s Day when we sat near the radio listening to the broadcast from the Musikverein. I must admit that I remember the concert most vividly when I was living in Hungary during the terror of the communist era. Listening to that Viennese music year after year, we looked forward to the light it brought into our lives and the sense of freedom it provided from the hardship of those most difficult times. This music is a flame of inspiration for us to carry forward and it is now a cherished responsibility for us to ensure its protection by developing new audiences who will appreciate its beauty and importance for years to come.
JS: I once had a chat with Werner Hink, who at the time was concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic, about the distinct aspects of Viennese music and I would love to hear your views on the idiomatic qualities that make Viennese music Viennese. What are the qualities necessary in a musician to play this music as it should be played.
AG: So-called Viennese music, which was written by so many different composers, has a distinct style. Strauss’ music is light, playful, and it makes you feel good. What makes it “Viennese” is that the phrasing is not played exactly as it is written in the scores. The interpretation is somewhat different and it is something that only the Viennese can do. That is why we always bring European conductors to our concerts and also why musicians from various orchestras all over North America love to do this gig year after year.
JS: Could you give us some insight as to the special qualities of the soloists featured in the Hamilton production? Why did you choose them? Should we be surprised to have a Heldentenor, Andreas Schager, singing operetta to us?
AG: This year we have an extended cast for our 20th Anniversary Season. Last year, we produced a PBS special in Vienna, which has already been broadcast 800 times, and this concert featured some fantastic performances including the Vienna Boys Choir. Because of this success, we added the Hamilton Children’s Choir to the cast in Toronto and Hamilton. It is an excellent ensemble that we’re excited to feature.
Regarding the tenor: Heldentenors are excellent at operetta repertoire and they usually sing operetta roles before they move into the Wagner repertoire. Andreas Schager is no exception. Before he became one of the best Siegfrieds in the world, he sang operettas. Now he is working everywhere, including the La Scala with Daniel Barenboim.
JS: There was a time when one could distinguish between European soloists and orchestras and those from North America, and I wonder, from your perspective, if such is the case today.
AG: This certainly still exists, simply because European orchestra musicians are exposed to this music much more during their studies than the students in North America. However, the gap is now much smaller for several reasons. Most top orchestras have music directors from Europe such as Ricardo Muti in Chicago and Franz Welser Moest in Cleveland. Also, a great many American conductors have established themselves in Europe but are working in North America, for instance Kent Nagano in Montreal and Alan Gilbert in New York. There are also some great orchestras in North America which are widely recognized in Europe. That includes the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, as they toured in Europe last summer. I happened to catch them in the famous Grafenegg Festival, just outside of Vienna.
JS: Please tell us about the types of dance and the dancers you have featured in Salute to Vienna.
AG: We have two types of dancers for this year. We have engaged dancers from the Vienna Imperial Ballet and several other ballet companies from Hungary, Austria, and the Ukraine. We also have Champion Ballroom dancers from Europe who are award-winning dancers. The two styles blend together beautifully, and give a variety for the audience to enjoy.
JS: Your conductor, Christian Schulz, has most impressive credentials and I wonder what unique skills a conductor must bring to the podium for Salute to Vienna.
AG: Indeed, Christian is a veteran Salute to Vienna conductor and as a principle cellist of the Vienna Symphony, he understands Viennese music perfectly. He is also charming and speaks to the audience between pieces, re-telling interesting stories of Vienna and the Strauss Dynasty. This ability to engage the audience is one of the criteria we look for when we engage the conductors for the various Salute to Vienna concerts around the continent.
JS: Because the Viennese music featured in your production is so richly elegant and seductively melodic, it tends to get performed often. Do you as a producer have to wage war against stereotypes and familiarity, therefore, in producing an annual show, so the audience might experience this beloved music afresh?
AG: This music is always fresh and exciting, however we do change the program and the cast each year. While we don’t have as big a repertoire as the Vienna Philharmonic, we always add new pieces, even by Offenbach, or von Suppe to keep it fresh. Sometimes the conductors suggest pieces which we have never heard and they work. At the same time, we have to be careful what we choose; North American audiences are not the same as Viennese audiences. There are fewer pieces that are recognizable here.
JS: I’ve had a number of profoundly moving experiences in Vienna related to the arts and I’d like to hear your feelings about the city. What does Vienna mean to you and why?
AG: Vienna has been and continues to be a source of inspiration for so many artists, in so many disciplines. For me, the city is a hive of buzzing energy where there is a long history of musicians developing new ideas, celebrating their work and challenging their contemporaries. It is a place that has a legacy of welcoming change, thriving in the face of adversity and producing profoundly beautiful music. This is inspiring for me every time I am there and I feel lucky to be there regularly.
JS: Salute to Vienna is produced this year in eight Canadian cities and fifteen cities in the United States. Do you have to gear the production differently for each city? Also, in Hamilton you will be featuring the Hamilton Children’s Choir, so do you, in the case of each city, feature local talent in some way?
AG: We spend countless hours crafting our programmes and selecting our artists for every city. We are very excited to have the choir perform with us this year–nothing is as sweet as children’s voices in chorus and we are excited to hear them with our soloists. In almost every city we visit, we hire local musicians for the orchestra. This results in 55-65 local artists performing in each concert. In some cities we partner with specific orchestras, such as the Philly POPS who will perform this year in Philadelphia, New York, Scranton, New Brunswick, and Strathmore. In other cities, we hire independently. The blend of local professional musicians with soloists from Europe makes for a nice combination. We love that we can support the local and global music industry simultaneously–it feels really important when our concerts celebrate the legacy of Viennese music outside of Austria.
JS: Among other things, you are a jazz pianist. Who are some of your favorite jazz musicians and why? As well, please tell me about a musical mind that loves both jazz and Viennese music.
AG: Oscar Peterson has always been an inspiration to me, and Dizzy Gillespie to be sure. A musical mind that loves jazz and Viennese music? They’re not as different as they might seem; both rely on playing standards with a personal interpretation and flair. Music provides both an opportunity to connect with audiences and a way to pay homage to the creativity of composers you respect. I can do that with Strauss just as I can playing an arrangement of “Georgia on my Mind”.
JS: I have to ask: Are you planning any productions based upon the Second Viennese School?
AG: Not this year! But we are excited to hear Erwartung at the COC in the new year. We’ll stick to Strauss and Lehár, and partying like it’s 1899!
Tickets for Salute to Vienna are available from:
http://www.ticketmaster.ca/salute-to-vienna-new-years-concert-hamilton-ontario-01-04-2015/event/10004CFF915D5041?artistid=804261&majorcatid=10002&minorcatid=203&tm_link=search_msg-0_10004CFF915D5041