Michaela Špačková: “We are always searching in some way”

On May 30, Czech bassoonist Michaela Špačková will appear as a soloist with the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra at the House of the Blackheads in Tallinn. She’s a musician whose career bridges the worlds of classical repertoire, contemporary music, and international orchestral life.

The concert on May 30 focuses on Mozart’s early works, bringing together music written from the composer’s childhood to his early twenties. The program includes the brilliant Divertimento in D major KV 136, Mozart’s First Symphony, written at the age of eight, and Symphony No. 33 – a work in which the former child prodigy already emerges as a composer with a strikingly individual voice. At the centre of the evening, however, is Mozart’s Bassoon Concerto in B-flat major KV 191 – a piece written when the composer was only eighteen, yet already filled with extraordinary maturity and character. The soloist is the charismatic Michaela Špačková.

Before the Tallinn concert, Michaela spoke about growing into life as a musician, collaborating with orchestras, and why the search never truly ends, even when one feels they may already have found their voice.

Your career began very early and with remarkable success. Have you had to consciously learn not to let professional success define your entire identity?

I think that when I was younger, I didn’t really think about it in those terms. At a young age, you often don’t have much distance from things – you simply live through them quite instinctively. Over time, however, I definitely began reflecting more deeply on what my musical identity really is, what direction I want to take as a musician and what truly matters to me. For me, it was never only about success itself, but more about understanding my relationship with music, with the profession of being a musician, and ultimately with myself.

Do you feel that the mindset of a soloist differs greatly from that of a chamber musician?

I actually think these roles are quite closely connected at their core because both rely on communication, listening, and sensitive responding to other musicians. The difference is perhaps that, as a soloist, you shape the overall musical direction and interpretation a little more and carry greater responsibility. In chamber music, the process is much more collective – you constantly react to one another, inspire each other, and shape the musical result together.

What do you value most in an orchestra when you meet and perform with them for the first time?

What I value most is openness and a shared sense of purpose – the feeling that everyone comes together with the desire to create something special. When there is openness to communication, mutual inspiration, and a willingness to explore music together, a unique kind of energy emerges  that can truly elevate a performance.

With the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, you will perform Mozart’s Bassoon Concerto. How much does it influence your interpretation to know that Mozart was only eighteen when he wrote the piece? Do you hear more youthful energy in this music, or already the voice of a very mature composer?

I think that even in Mozart’s earlier works, we already hear an extraordinarily mature composer. At the same time, it is important to remember that being eighteen meant something rather different in Mozart’s time than it does today. It is also fascinating that this concerto was written for an amateur player and for an instrument that was technically and sonically quite different from the modern bassoon. That naturally influences the way I think about the piece. For me, Mozart’s music always calls for a sense of lightness, clarity, and transparency in interpretation – there is a certain elegance and naturalness that I try to preserve.

When you look at your musical journey today, do you feel you are still searching, or have you already found your own voice?

That is a very interesting question. I think we are always searching in some way – through new projects, collaborations, and artistic directions. At the same time, I feel that over the past years I have worked very intensively on understanding what my own musical voice truly is and what I really want to communicate as an artist. In a certain sense, I feel more grounded in what I do today, but I also believe this process is never fully complete. Every new collaboration, composer, or musical language shapes and transforms you further.

Michaela Špačková is a Czech bassoonist whose artistic work bridges the worlds of classical repertoire and contemporary music. She made her solo debut at the age of seventeen with the Prague Philharmonia (formerly the Prague Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra) and has since appeared with leading orchestras including the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra (ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien), the Munich Chamber Orchestra, and the Czech Philharmonic. She has received more than twenty international competition awards, including prizes at the ARD International Music Competition and the Prague Spring Competition.

Špačková has performed at some of the world’s most renowned venues, including the Berliner Philharmonie, Philharmonie de Paris, Konzerthaus Berlin, and Tokyo’s Suntory Hall. She regularly collaborates with conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, Paavo Järvi, Zubin Mehta, and Jakub Hrůša.

Contemporary music also plays an important role in Michaela’s artistic life. She has premiered new works and actively develops projects that connect different musical genres and artistic approaches. In addition to her concert career, she teaches at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln and gives masterclasses throughout Europe and Japan.

Annika Lõhmus