Questionaire

Questionaire by reporter Denisa Dologhová for The North Bohemian Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Ústí nad Labem (2010)

Life motto: I live a satisfied life without any motto.

Favorite ballet: I don´t have any specific favorite piece, but I like modern movement theatre. But I have to mention my last wonderful experience which was solo dance by Simona Christianová in our ballet performance Café Aussig. That really got me; great emotional fervour as well as inwardness, simply groove!

Favorite opera: How to answer this? It would be definitely any by Janáček; it is a wonderful theatre; even when you close your eyes and just listen to the music itself. And by Martinů, that´s a heart matter… From the world ones I love for example Rimskij-Korsakov, but there are plenty of titles, especially from 20th century.

I like to read: Another difficult question; which genre do you mean? I love for example Skácel´s and Kainar´s verses. Or splendidly pitoresque „Malý Alenáš“ by Ivan Vyskočil. Lately I was caught (and I have to tell I don´t spend my free time reading classical Russian authors) by Solženicyn´s Gulag – fascinating reading. Otherwise I´d like to clear my head by some detective story or by something in Remarque´s  style, but I know classic and from what is newly published I don´t like too much…

I like to watch: I really hate deeply cult of TV serials and TV shows! But I like films, especially these surrealistically tuned: Passolini´s Birds of prey and sparrows or something like this. Or Cocteau´s first film Poet´s blood – it´s from 1930 and it has so much fantasy and modern vision in itself – well, how can contemporary film (but even  stage) art production compare to it.

I like to listen: There´s plenty of it: starting from big beat of 70´s  going through so called „jazz-rock fusions“, classical jazz to the folk songs I love… and of course a wide range of  classical music.  But natural virtuosity and contribution of interpreter is always  important for me, otherwise I don´t enjoy listening. So when you look in my MP3 player, you´ll find there Livin Blues side by side to Bruckner´s and Prokofjev´s symphonies, but even Stamic´s duets for violin and viola or clarinet concerts…You´d also find there corsican organa, brilliant Indian violinist  Rajan etc…

Favorite activity: Lately it has been continual discussion with my three-year old son.

Ideal holiday: In-line skates. Sea. Ridges of Roháče. And mainly my mobile phone and PC turned off.

If I were not opera singer I would probably be: How can I know? Probably violist  – and if I was good enough I would devote myself to chamber music, that´s my big love and I miss it a lot. And I would also like to occupy with classic photography, I am especially attracted by chiaroscuro technique.

What I consider my biggest succes: My children – I have wonderful children – all of them. And I also appreciate that I always have few close people around me, who are able to „moralize“ me when I start to go nuts.

Man, who influenced me the most (and why?): My wife and children, of course. And who is not basically influenced by parents is really very unhappy, and I definitelly don´t belong to such people. And otherwise many wonderfuly people – it was laundry list of names: music composer and probably closest friend Petr Pokorný (he doesn´t live for few years now and it it very empty without him here....), painter Jarda Procházka, who paints his most beautiful canvases  (and it is a wonderful poetic world, that you can´t find just like this) just „for his drawer“,  and Honza Dvořák who strenghtened me in the idea that  good heart, enthusiasm and healthy naivety is still the best way to move the world…In the music field (within the frame of opera) it was indisputably Mr.conductor Babický, of whoom I still draw till today (gosh, he really drilled me a lot – I practiced the Hunter in Rusalka with him for weeks…). And on the stage – lately there were definitelly directors Radek Balaš and Gusta Skala and their effort to gain a bit of civil drama acting from me.  But in this I was also influenced by both my partners in My Fair Lady, Jolanka Smyczková and Radek Zima; I learn from them  during every performance.

First performance on the stage: Wow, it was long time ago… Krušina in  Prodaná nevěsta (Sold Bride), sometimes in October 1987 in Opava theatre.

First performace in The North Bohemian Theatre of  Opera and Ballet: Tomeš in Smetana´s   Hubička (Kiss),sometimes in mid of 1988. And then shortly after starting a real engagement it was Bohuš in Dvořák´s opera The Jaobin – I loved both roles!

Message to my fans: It is simple - Go to theatre and enjoy us (and each other)!