Touring is Welsh National Opera’s lifeblood and over the years the Company has travelled far and wide to deliver operatic performances, concerts, and community workshops, from Cardiff to Llandudno, Bristol to Southampton, Zurich to Brno, Berlin to Hong Kong. With so many wonderful places to visit and explore, we sat down with WNO Music Director Tomáš Hanus to learn about his favourite musical cities.
Brno, the city where I was born and introduced to music. It has been marked by the presence of Leoš Janáček who lived there until his death in 1928. It is no secret that his legacy shaped my upbringing and musical appreciation, which in turn helped me forge my career. His house and the organ school are still among my favourite places to visit. I studied at Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts and was Music Director at National Theatre Brno between 2007-2009. In October 2017, as Welsh National Opera’s Music Director, I had the honour of conducting their critically acclaimed production of From the House of the Dead at the Janáček Festival and returned a year later to perform a programme of music by Janáček and Dvořák in concert with WNO Orchestra and bass-baritone Adam Plachetka.
Cardiff has been my musical home since 2016. The capital city is loud and vibrant and certainly lives up to the ‘Land of Song’ status. Coming from a small country, I know how important it is to support a nation’s culture, and I’m proud to be able to work alongside Welsh National Opera in highlighting Welsh identity on an international platform. From the Company’s main scale operatic programme to symphonic concerts at St David’s Hall, I believe I have a deep understanding of the place. I feel accepted and share their passion for music. I’m already looking forward to returning to Cardiff in Spring 2024 to conduct a brand-new production of Mozart’s Così fan tutte
Prague is a firm favourite and holds a special place in my heart. I made my professional debut at National Theatre Prague in 2001 with Smetana’s The Devil’s Wall. This May, I will be travelling to the city with WNO Orchestra to perform Smetana’s iconic Má Vlast at the opening concert of the Prague Spring Festival 2023 – a tradition dating back over 70 years. This deeply beautiful piece of music was for a small country, similar in size to Wales, to highlight its identity and to remember the difficult times in its history. It is a great honour for us to perform this piece at this festival, not only because only the best philharmonic orchestras in the world are invited to perform but also because it’s like a piece of gold in Czech music.
Vienna - who would not love Vienna! I am a frequent visitor to this beautiful city, where the air is full of music and its soul rooted in Viennese. If you listen to the pulse of the place, you will undoubtedly hear Mozart and Johann Strauss. During my career, I’ve regularly performed at Vienna State Opera, most recently with Sir David Pountney’s Jenůfa and Eugene Onegin.