Old-new department head plans orchestral rehearsals instead of bulk practical courses

“This period feels like being a fish taken out of water - we are trying to survive, but it is very difficult. There are no orchestral rehearsals, the choir is not allowed to sing, because an ensemble can become a hub of infection in no time at all. We are forced to resort to novel solutions: rehearsals with piano accompaniment, conducting an imaginary orchestra from sheet music… But this situation has unfortunately turned into more than a professional compromise. We are aware that we have to do everything we can to prevent our students from feeling that they have lost a year of their lives. However, no matter what grades we give or despite the fact that they have completed the semester, students do not come here merely for the diploma, but for knowledge. Some desperately strange situations arise from this situation; you cannot conduct an orchestra online, not all instruments sound as in normal life, the sound is late, the conductor cannot react. We work on the basis of individual teaching: we play the piece on the piano, other times the student sings the entry part. Alternatively, we read the score, follow the music with inner hearing, and since I know the work well, I notice that “oops, you’re late with the entry of the alt there, pay more attention” - but this is a far cry from a normal situation. It is not our natural state. We can only hope that the end-of-year exams can be organised with a choir or orchestra”, says Csaba Kutnyánszky.

“When I was drawing up my plans, I didn’t go off of the epidemic situation: one of my most important goals now is for our students in the conducting department to gain as much orchestral practice as possible. Even though there is no such thing as sufficient orchestral practice, for now we cannot ensure that they stand in front of an orchestra every week. For choirmasters, this is not a big problem as the chamber choir of students is at their disposal, and there is, for example, a university choir – in which, by the way, our students sing as well - and this already means a kind of practice, or at least an insight into the choirmaster’s work. But for students studying to become orchestra conductors, I think we need to reconsider the current “bulk” orchestral practice. Up until now, they have spent six days every six months with professional orchestras, plus the rehearsal period for their exam concerts. We will continue this practice and we would like to expand the preparation with a collaboration with the Liszt Academy Symphony Orchestra. In practice, this will mean that when students’ orchestras prepare for a concert, students of the conducting department will be involved in a part of the rehearsal process. Of course, there will certainly be no time to correct the mistakes of a student throughout the rehearsal while he/she works on improving the orchestra’s performance. However, once they know the piece thoroughly and have mastered the technique during piano rehearsals, they can practice standing in front of the orchestra to hear the parts, the tones, the mistakes, and learn to interact with the ensemble. I think that students will benefit from even shorter periods of practice in this manner and from being able to stand in front of an orchestra much more and more often; this will be good practice not only for them, but for the orchestra as well.

Dr. Csaba Kutnyánszky (photo: József Csapó)

So far, we have managed to invite outstanding lecturers for the masterclasses organised for choirmaster students. It is one of my important plans to ensure that students of orchestral conducting are not at a disadvantage in this area either. Our first guest – provided the epidemic situation allows it – will be Gilbert Varga in May. It is common practice that when a world-famous conductor comes to give a concert, our students are allowed to sit in on his - otherwise closed – rehearsals; what’s more, they can talk to the artist afterwards, ask questions and seek advice. But in a masterclass, they receive individual attention and they can try in practice what they have learned – this is a priceless and often life determining experience.

I would also like to help students a bit more to see the everyday work of an orchestra or choir – building up the repertoire, organising the life of the ensemble, the compilation of a concert season, the planning and announcement of rehearsals. We are facing a major transformation in teacher education, which will also affect the related practice: we think it would be better if our students did not do their yearlong practice at the end of the training. It would be more worthwhile if visiting classes and teaching practice were continuously included in the curriculum during the four-year training period (or the five-year training period in secondary school teacher training). From the very first year, students should attend classes in schools, analyse lessons, teach a part of a lesson, and then an entire lesson - this would make much more practical sense.

I really like to teach myself. I love the university environment and this age group. When I started teaching, I became extremely conscious of certain issues in which I had until then relied only on my feelings and my instincts – after all, I had to explain to students what I was doing, why and how. Another considerable benefit of teaching is that, even after so many years, I still stumble upon something new during preparation, be it related to conducting technique or the repertoire, that arouses extra curiosity in me and I start digging into it deeper. In other words, I feel like I am getting a lot out of teaching; I am also becoming better at what I do, not just the students.

It is an extraordinary honour to be able to continue my work as head of department for the third year. Nevertheless, I would like to emphasize that the quality of education in the department is primarily not determined by me: excellent, highly trained artists and educators make up the teaching staff. It is a pleasure to work with them. As the saying goes, one swallow doesn’t make a summer; we wouldn’t be successful if I didn’t have such wonderful colleagues.”