BOHUSLAV RATTAY
Music Director
Muncie Symphony Orchestra, IN
Music Director
Lake Charles Symphony Orchestra, LA
In just the first two months of 2012, the young Czech conductor Bohuslav Rattay has already appeared as guest conductor with the Colorado Symphony, the Duluth-Superior Symphony, the Hilton Head Symphony and the Midland Symphony Orchestra.
Currently in his sixth season as the Artistic Director of the Muncie Symphony Orchestra and beginning his second as Music Director of the Lake Charles Symphony, Bohuslav Rattay is gaining a reputation as one of the finest young talents of his generation, combining impassioned and virtuosic musicianship with a determination to bring great music into the lives of all people. Mr. Rattay has been acclaimed by critics and audiences alike the world over for his fresh and inspired interpretations of works ranging from perennial concert-hall favorites to the contemporary, with special appreciation often given to his insightful understanding of the music of his native Bohemia.
An enthusiastic ambassador for classical music, Mr. Rattay is renowned for his unique and innovative concert programs, which have incorporated everything from special audience discussions to the inclusion of multi-media elements. In the same vein, he is a committed educator of the younger generations. He joined the music faculty of Ball State University in 2006 and is a frequent guest conductor of All-State and youth orchestras across the United States, where he is highly valued as an inspirational mentor both for his skill as a maestro and for his own youthful energy.
In addition to his permanent positions at Muncie and Lake Charles, Mr. Rattay is fast becoming in great demand as a guest conductor across the United States and Europe. Other recent engagements include the Virginia Symphony, West Michigan Symphony, Prague's Dvorak Symphony Orchestra, and the Charleston (SC) Symphony, where he received critical accolades for a "vibrant" performance delivered with "elegant panache." He has also conducted the National Symphony Orchestra as part of the National Conducting Institute and was selected by the American Symphony Orchestra League to participate in its Conducting Fellowship Program.
Mr. Rattay holds degrees from the Prague Conservatory, Rice University and the Peabody Institute of Music, and names Gustav Meier, Larry Rachleff, Benjamin Kamins, and Neeme Jarvi as his most influential teachers.
Bohuslav divides his time between the United States and Europe, always continuing his quest to find new ways to bring great music into the lives of people on both continents.
REVIEWS
"Rattay convinced the audience that the DSSO could be very romantic and very buoyant, with a crisp attention to musical detail. ... With a tsunami-like transition, Rattay guided the DSSO through the emotional upheaval of Stalinist Russia and the response built into the Symphony No. 5, Op. 47, by Dmitri Shostakovich. The vision Rattay projected never faltered, from the powerful opening strutting, to the energized people on the march, to the prayer of the masses, onward to the massive energy that leads to free expression. From near silence in the strings to the tempestuous expanding sounds of the brass, Rattay brought a personal perspective into this great symphony that will be remembered for many years."
Duluth News Tribune
March 26th, 2012
The Depth of the Slavic Soul
"Our orchestra played beautifully with Rattay, himself Czech, proving a vigorous and savvy collaborator. British conductor Sir Thomas Beecham once quipped that Tchaikovsky wrote three great symphonies, curiously numbered four, five, and six. And Rattay is certainly the man for the Tchaikovsky's fourth. His animated podium style encouraged the orchestra and the audience to follow his excited, fiery, and always lively leadership as he conducted without a score."
Charleston Today
March 14th, 2011
"It is with the final piece, "Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche" by Richard Strauss, where Rattay shows his ability to take musical risks that are intriguing and enjoyable. As was the case with Miles Davis during his "Kind of Blue" days, he encourages the musicians to bring their own voices to the performance."
Muncie Star Press
March 2009
"After halftime, Rattay and company returned to deliver a rousing account of W.A. Mozart's "Prague" symphony (No. 38), written for his rabid fans in that supremely cultured city. Rattay – with inspired help from his wonderful players – did his hometown proud, conducting their own Mozart masterpiece with zest and elegant panache in the outer movements, plus pastoral sweetness in the central Andante."
Charleston City Paper
March 2009
"It is very easy to focus all attention on Rattay when he leads his orchestra. He truly becomes the music, moving his body and engaging the musicians to own the music they play. With his hair flopping and his hips swaying to the Mambo beats throughout Bernstein's work, the audience could not help but understand that he was not leading a dry, conservative orchestra. He was making the music very accessible to all simply because he clearly enjoyed the music the musicians perform."
The Star Press
September 2008
"Bohuslav Rattay conducted skillfully and drew a hard-hitting response from the orchestra..."
Baltimore Sun
"Throughout the program, Czech born conductor showed unyielding musical direction and loose flexibility...maintaining absolute power over the orchestra throughout the performance...Rattay presented himself with elegance."
The John Hopkins Newsletter
"Rattay accompanied Estonian pianist Marko Martin scrupulously in the Dvorak Piano Concerto, wreathing Martin's performance with lots of colorful detail."
MusicInCincinnati.com