In 2019, the Czech conductor Petr Popelka was about to become one of the hottest names in the world of classical music. But then he went on tour to Northern Norway with KORK (Broadcasting Orchestra) and fell head over heels for the beautiful nature and the talented musicians. So when the orchestra asked him shortly afterwards to become their new chief conductor, he accepted. THE STAR SIGNING: Petr Popelka and KORK after the conductor signed a contract with the orchestra in 2019. Photo: Javier Auris / news In the last three years, he has combined his job in Oslo with traveling around and hiring several of the world’s largest orchestras. KORK has known all along that they have had their conductor on borrowed time, that new and much more prestigious offers were to come. And when, in the spring of 2023, Popelka was asked to hire the independent Wiener Symphoniker in the Austrian capital, the time had come to say goodbye to the Norwegian orchestra. But first, one last task awaited – a grand finale for KORK and Popelka: They were to perform a piece that is considered “impossible” to play. The monster piece – I’m so tired, says Popelka. He is based in his hometown of Prague in the Czech Republic. The 37-year-old has worked hard and intensely for several months. In recent days, he has barely batted an eye. And now the big night is finally here. In a few hours he will tackle his biggest challenge so far in his career: He will conduct Arnold Schoenberg’s magnificent piece of music “Gurre-Lieder” at the Czech State Opera. There are many reasons why this is a very demanding piece to conduct. The most obvious is the size of the orchestra: When Popelka conducts KORK, he has to keep track of 53 musicians. But for “Gurre-Lieder” KORK is far too small. He needs a whole orchestra, and has therefore also brought the Czech radio orchestra with him. In addition, he has to keep track of six soloists. These must stand next to him at the front of the stage. And as if that’s not enough, we just as well throw two choirs on top of the wreath cake. In total, Popelka will conduct 235 musicians on stage. – There is nothing normal about this play. Everything is twice as big, and the music is extremely complex, explains Popelka. Due to its enormous size, “Gurre-Lieder” is almost never performed. It is simply too big, too expensive and too demanding. Even Prague, which is considered an epicenter for classical music, has not had the work performed for 17 years. The first performance took place over 100 years ago, in 1921. At that time, the orchestra looked like this: CROWDED: In 1921, conductor Alexander Zemlinsky had four choirs with him in addition to the gigantic orchestra. It was therefore approx. 350 musicians on stage. Photo: atelier Schlosser & Wenisch / Arnold Schönberg Center – Vienna You are the weakest link, goodbye! The night before the big concert, Popelka and some of the musicians are at a bar in Prague. Without dresses, suits and expensive orchestral instruments, they can at first glance seem like a completely normal group of friends on a city trip. But you won’t hang around long with this group before you can guess who is the boss. Popelka is the man with the disheveled beard, who wears two shirts with buttons unbuttoned below the neck. He gestures with large movements when he speaks, as if he is directing the conversation over the glass. And when he goes to the bar, he comes back with ten beers. – Drink, he says. The bar will close soon. The musicians describe the Czech as an atypical conductor. He is not high on straws and does not stay away from the rest of the orchestra, quite the opposite. Popelka talks to everyone and becomes friends with the musicians. HAPPY GUYS: Petr Popelka and assistant conductor Andres Maurette O’Brien in Prague. The latter have the honorable responsibility of looking after the score when they are in the bar. Photo: Marinette Tonning-Olsen / news But don’t be fooled by the good atmosphere in the group. The conductor is also known for demanding a lot from his musicians. A couple of days ago, one of the trumpet players from the Czech orchestra (of which Popelka is also the chief conductor) was sent home from practice. The musician simply couldn’t keep up with the notes. Thus, KORK trumpeter Odd Nilsen suddenly had to step in and take over the Czech’s notes. He had actually envisioned a rather quiet trip to Prague and therefore took his daughter on the trip. – There has been a lot less sightseeing than planned. I have had to practice an extra three hours every day, explains a rather tired Odd. He knows the pressure before the concert. He knows that “Gurre-Lieder” requires all 235 musicians to deliver at the highest level. If not, the house of cards collapses. The extremely complex piece Conducting an orchestra is no easy job in the first place. You must have control over what all the musicians will play and make sure that the orchestra keeps the right tempo at all times. If the tonal language is simple and the tempo steady, it is less demanding to conduct. But as you have probably guessed, this is far from the case with “Gurre-Lieder”. CONDUCTING FOR DUMMIES: In this video, KORK’s former chief conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya teaches you a little about conducting with the help of the participants of the TV show “Maestro”. Arnold Schoenberg spent eleven years completing the work. During these years, major changes took place in the music of the Austrian composer. When he began writing the piece in 1900, he was known for writing in a late romantic style: this music was about conveying great emotions and rich harmonies and was often very technically demanding to play. COMPOSER: Arnold Schoenberg (1874–1951) is one of Petr Popelka’s greatest musical role models. He refers to the conductor as “the composer with the great contrasts”. Photo: Man Ray / Arnold Schönberg Center But when he completed the work in 1911, he had moved in a completely different musical direction. At this time, Schoenberg was best known for composing so-called “atonal music”. Atonal music broke with everything one thought (and still thinks) that music should be. Schoenberg threw harmonies and scales overboard and combined tones that didn’t really belong together. According to Popelka, it is precisely this musical journey to Arnold Schoenberg that makes “Gurre-Lieder” a completely unique piece. And now the Czech will finally make an attempt to direct it. The impossible parties A stiffly decorated audience begins to gather in the Czech State Opera in Prague. There is a hint of anticipation and excitement in the air. Numerous journalists and TV channels are present to cover the legendary concert. On stage are a bunch of Norwegian and Czech musicians, but the man all eyes are looking for is the great returning son: Petr Popelka. And there he comes walking onto the stage, with determined and quick steps, to enthusiastic applause from the audience. He looks calm and relaxed, but that won’t last long. In advance, Popelka has announced three different parts to look out for, which for various reasons are demanding, yes, almost impossible, to both conduct and play: The horse song The start of “Gurre-Lieder” is very calm and harmonious. It’s actually quite comical to watch – because even though there are a whole bunch of musicians on stage, very few actually play their instruments. CHILL: Although the orchestra is gigantic, there are several parts where the vast majority of the musicians do not play their instruments. Photo: Vojtěch Brtnický / news This will change approx. fifteen minutes into the concert. Then the song “Ross! Mein Ross!” (Horse! My Horse!) and suddenly the whole orchestra is seen in motion. The song is about a king who tries to get his horse to ride faster through the forest in the middle of the night, something that is also conveyed through the music. He is incredibly hectic and changes pace all the time, like a horse maneuvering between trees in the dark. The star song The next “impossible” song comes soon after. It is called “Sterne Jubeln” (The Stars Rejoice) and is about the king’s mistress; she looks up at the starry sky and rejoices uncontrollably to hold the king in her arms. If you wonder what a jubilant starry sky sounds like, you can listen to this song, because that is exactly what Arnold Schoenberg has tried to create through music. The result is thousands of tones, spread over the entire orchestra. The talking season Towards the end of “Gurre-Lieder” there are some strange things. Here Schoenberg has entered a solo for tuba and double bass trombone, the two deepest wind instruments in the orchestra. These play even the darkest tones that can be played on the instrument. The bass instruments are followed by the piccolo flutes, which are the brightest wind instruments. These play the very highest notes that can be played on the flutes. Yes, some of the tones are actually even higher than what is actually possible to play. During the concert, we can hear that the flutists struggle to maintain the highest notes. They come in and out and are so loud that the audience’s ears almost bleed. It is precisely such passages that make Popelka love this piece. According to the conductor, there are no composers who have explored the outer limits of music better than Arnold Schoenberg. The special solo is followed by yet another strange song. Or is it actually a song? Schoenberg called it a “sprechgesang” – something between talking and singing. This technique has later been immortalized in pop music by, among others, Bob Dylan, Nick Cave and Billie Eilish. But do all these “strange things” actually fit together? Yes, says Popelka, but the harmonies change so quickly and are so complicated that the music can give the impression of being atonal. The concert has lasted over two hours and is nearing its end. Popelka is drenched in sweat and his arms are full of enormous energy and intensity. The climax of the concert is approaching – the very last song – where all the singers and musicians will sing and play together – as one organism. Hope for the human race “Gurre-Lieder” is in many ways a rather dark and sad story. It is about impossible love, jealousy, murder, anger, bitterness and eternal longing. But then, towards the very end, the light finally comes on the horizon with the song “Seht die Sonne” (See the Sun). Once again, Schoenberg’s music plays alongside the text – for the song is a sunrise. The singers and musicians build up calmly like the first light in the morning. Then, after ten seconds, the sun pushes forward and fills the entire Czech State Opera with sound. – This song gives hope to the human race. It is simply an incredible piece of music, says Popelka. After the last note, the whole hall stands up and claps. The conductor and the soloists have to go on and off the stage several times to receive new waves of applause from the audience. At the after-party, the conductor is welcomed as a superstar, because the concert went off without a hitch. The musicians did it. The Songars managed it. Popelka did it! – I am extremely tired, but also extremely happy, he says with a brave smile. SUPERSTAR: Popelka receives tributes at the after-party at the State Opera in Prague. Photo: VOJTĚCH BRTNICKÝ / news Popelka also has to admit that the evening is bittersweet. Because even though exciting challenges await in Vienna with one of the world’s most successful orchestras, he must also acknowledge that he has conducted his last concert as chief conductor of KORK. – It’s sad to end, because we have developed a very strong relationship. But I want to come back as a guest conductor, at least once or twice a year, says Popelka. See and hear “Gurre-Lieder” with KORK and SOČR in Prague here: THE CONCERT: Wild and beautiful! “Gurre-Lieder” by Arnold Schönberg with 235 musicians and singers under the direction of conductor Petr Popelka. Recommended further reading:
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Petr Popelka conducted his last concert with KORK when they performed “Gurre-Lieder” in Prague – Culture
