unspeakable questions

There are many situations in life where, as an orchestra member- and not just- tact and a little bit of common sense make a huge difference. The situation I need to talk about today is- and, honestly, this will be as good for me as an hour of psychotherapy- how to answer the  questions I get from non-musicians. It`s not that I don`t like providing information because I understand educating as part of my profession; I also truly like people. But after a lifetime of playing in one orchestra or another, the questions don`t change and I must  increasingly control myself to give a polite- or even civil - answer.  So, once and for all, I want to deal with the questions that make me want to scream in frustration. Here we go:

1.) "Oh you`re a musician? Oh, that`s sooo nice. But what do you do in the daytime?"

This the the all-time classic. I hate this question, because it shows an absolute ignorance of our job structure. The answer is:  "Well, on the days we`re not rehearsing, I have to practice the music for this week and for the upcoming projects, and for my chamber music as well. However, since we often have six-hour rehearsal sessions, I have to practice after the rehearsal or at night." The fact is: we work in the daytime, like any other group of individuals who are in service to the public, as well as at night.( I often get home after work after midnight and am up again at 6.30  in the morning to prepare for the morning rehearsal.)  We also work on the weekends, but that comes under question number two.

2.) "How many hours a week do you work?"

This can vary; for a  "normal" week with a workload of  eight to nine rehearsals or concerts, with preparation, I answer," about fourty hours." My interrogator then nods with a kind of self-satisfied grin- aha, he or she is thinking, they do really do something for their money. Money is NEVER asked  about - everybody probably assumes that we make a fortune, just because certain critics in the local media have been harping on this theme for years. "The Basel orchestra musicians earn a lordly salary". I guess that depends what you consider lordly, though we`re also not paupers.  I`m certain that these folks would not get up on a Sunday morning at six to go to work and return that night at nine without asking for extra pay. We don`t. They certainly wouldn`t accept having to work at times up to 16 days at a stretch  without a free day. We do. Like others who work in public service- tram amd bus drivers, police and firemen, hospital employees and others,  our working hours and pay are regulated by contract. But does anybody ever dare ask a doctor what he does when he`s not in the clinic? Huh?

3.) "Have you heard your competition lately?"

This question really ticks me off.

I go to a lot of concerts, as a matter of working on my perception and for love of music. In the last months I`ve heard the Tonhalle Orchestra, the Mariinsky Orchestra, Südwestfunk Orchestra, La Cetra, the Royal Philharmonic, Basel Sinfonietta, Kammerorchester Basel. I am not a slouch when it comes to listening to what other folks do and how they do it. But none of them come anywhere near to being competition to Sinfonieorchester Basel! Why? Because none of them do half of the things we do every week. These are mostly either orchestras that only play concerts and never any operas, ballets, choral concerts or crossovers, or they`re orchestras that perform only in a number of working sessions, which means to me less than 100%. Please stop asking me this question: in all honesty, I find it disrespectful.

4.) "How is it for you when you have  different conductors? Can you follow him (or her)?"

This is a prize question. To answer it, I generally ask the asker`s profession. If it`s a doctor I ask him if he has to get used to every patient he sees every day. Because- like a good doctor- we know our jobs and are prepared to deal whatever is standing in front of us. The situation sometimes arrives when a conductor is not in a position to lead a concert as he`d like, due to whatever reasons- inexperience, stage fright, who knows. That`s when our concertmaster invisibly steps in and becomes a tower of strength and a shining beacon in the darkness. If the conductor`s insecure, no worries- we`ll take it upon ourselves to do our jobs reliably and professionally. We haven`t lost a patient yet. 

5.)  " I don`t think the solo clarinettist ( or first violins, or contrabasses, or, or ,or) is doing his job well - he  slowed down (or speeded up or whatever) too much in this passage."

Why is it that some people who  learned to play a recorder in grade school thirty-five years ago think they know everything about music and have the right to judge what we`re doing? Do they tell the electrician that he`s installing the wiring incorrectly, or the lawyer that he`s handling the lawsuit poorly? Do they tell the architect that their plans are faulty? I kind of doubt it.  My favorite answer to this question would be, " I don`t think you`re in a position to judge that". But I`m too polite to say "butt out" like that and usually try to explain the situation as it occurred. 

These are just some of the questions that we have to deal with. And, to be honest, those of you reading this most likely know more than the average person does about our jobs, so that this is really addressed to the wrong audience. Please try to a bit understanding about it- have a heart for violists, and save me from losing my temper when some poor person  happens, in all innocence, to ask  an unspeakable question. 

Drugs don`t work... Beethoven does

The Sinfonieorchester Basel is running at full speed these days- we  

have an amazing scheduled filled with amazing projects. And all of  

them give me a total high -wow, life is good!

Our Sunday started out early, catching the bus to Bern for two  

concerts with the pianist Rudolf Buchbinder. When we got to Bern and  

checked out the view from the terrace of the concert hall - it was a  

picture postcard vista of the Bernese Alps- the only thought was, "oh  

man, to be there now...". But the two concerts were better than   

anything I could ever have imagined doing on that day - without  

exception. Buchbinder plays the piano  as if he's breathing music, his  

intense energy just grabbed us and took us along for the ride- and a  

great one it was!  I experienced my colleagues as a very happy and  

absolutely committed group of musicians functioning as one entity -  

everything seemed effortless. Who needs drugs when you can have  

Beethoven?

We didn't have much time to change gears, because on Monday morning we  

had our first rehearsal with the Lovebugs. "And now for something  

completely different!" The atmosphere started out well-meaning  

curious, gravitated to playful (no pun intended) and went on to happy  

enthusiasm. The band's arrangements are a joy, intelligent and witty-  

just like the guys themselves, real charmers who are naturally  

likeable. These two days are the kind that make plastic surgery  

redundant- you get more energetic and youthful just by being there.

Today we start working for our concert with the "Basler Liedertafel",  

a  rare event in our program as we have  little opportunity to work  

with the local choirs. The Basler Liedertafel is a traditional male  

choir and has been a faithful partner for many years. I'm quite  

curious about how they're progressing and growing. The program  

includes Cherubini's "Requiem" and "Die Wüste" ("The Desert") by  

Felicien David. This piece sounds like a distant relative of Bizet  

with a bit of oriental seasonings thrown in, quite a rarety on the  

choral repertory. I hope the gents will have a successful concert in a  

well-filled hall. We'll give them our heartiest support.

Along with all of these events, we musicians are scurrying to find  

rehearsal time for our concerts during the Museums Night. Eight hours  

of music, being played simultaneously in four places - I'm counting  

the orchestra's performance of "Giselle"- ain't just whistling  

"Dixie." On the whole, we 're playing five different productions this  

week- we don't have time to be tired.

Working like I do this week - playing a wide spectrum of repertory - 

makes think how lucky I am; there's no room for boredom or routine in  

my professional life. But I also wouldn't mind spending a Sunday with  

my family.

Music, Marathons - and Music Marathons

It shouldn`t surprise anybody that we musicians have a plethora of illnesses and physical problems related to our profession. Obviously they are quite different in accordance with the instrument: violinists and violists tend to have neck and shoulder tension and pain because of the way we hold our instruments. Oboists often have problems with their teeth, clarinettists with their thumbs, flutists can be plagued with a lack of feeling in the fingers and trumpeters with shoulder pains from holding a a kilo of brass to their lips for hours every day. In fact, some insurance companies classify musicians as a high-risk group, not unlike professional athletes. And, since our greatest capital is our health, we tend as a group to be very health conscious. Most of us practice some kind of sport: we have runners, bikers, swimmers, tennis players, skiers, mountaineers, horseback riders, fitness studio members, karate and yoga afficionados. Looking around the orchestra you won`t see any massively overweight people. (A few are on the chubby side, granted- but it is all within limits.) And, when the Basler Stadtlauf takes place, our  participating members aren`t among the last to finish the course. We need to be in good shape to enjoy our profession to the fullest- and because we often take part in events that  are physically very demanding. I for one am now training for a four and a half hour stretch of holding a viola  for the coming production of  "Parsifal"- it would be too cool to just play the first half and then send in the replacement for the  second part. But it just doesn`t work that way.  And "Parsifal" isn`t really an exception, it`s just one way of putting together musical events in an extremely compact manner. 

This weekend we`ll be involved in a "mini-marathon", as we travel to Bern to perform the five Beethoven piano concerti with Rudolf Buchbinder as soloist and conductor. Luckily enough, it`s not going to be all five in a row or even all five at the same time- they`d have to send in the rescue teams for players as well as  audience. Physically it would be a major effort, but mentally, to digest all the different moods and ideas of these five fascinating pieces would be a head start on burnout. So we`ll play three concerti at eleven in the morning and two at five in the afternoon. I think- for all of my complaining about the sheer muscle power it`s going to take- it`s going to be an exciting experience that will inspire us for a long time to come. The colleagues still rave about the last time in Basel and made me want to "sign up" for this very special event.

The second- extremely commendable- contribution to making Basel an even more beautiful city to live in and to radiate Basel´s tradition as a city of culture is the orchestra`s massive participation in the Museums night on January 21.

Even if you don`t go to the Museums night, come to hear us play- it`s a magical island with an almost meditative atmosphere. In three locations in the Münster, Basel`s cathedral church, you will hear ensembles comprised of Sinfonieorchester Basel members playing chamber music in various formations from six in the evening until two in the morning. Not only do we play there, but at the same time we`ll be performing "Giselle", the ballet, in Theater Basel.  Talk about flexible!  Our performances in the Museums night are for free and we players  don`t ask a penny for these extras in which we wish to show  our close atttachment to our home city of Basel. We are just grateful to have this wonderful place to live and work in.

So take your pick- we do it all for you - but don`t miss it.

NEW FACES!

While all the world has celebrated the "Holiday Season", we at Sinfonieorchester Basel have experienced "Audition Season". This isn`t necessarily a season in itself. However, for one day weekly,  three weeks in a row, we had the challenge and the duty to listen to players who were invited to come and show us their talent and level of accomplishment in an effort to fill three very important job openings in our orchestra. Auditions are gruelling for everyone involved, from A to Z. I won`t go into the details now (maybe later), but it kind of makes me think- and this is really a perverse comparison- of the Spanish Inquisition. We`ll get the truth out of you, no matter how much torture it takes. There`s no physical or emotional waterboarding, I promise. Our auditions are fair and VERY humane. Just know that our candidates are highly qualified and motivated- and each must show us, in a tiny amount of time, what heights of perfection they can achieve. Can you imagine the pressure of showing your life`s accomplishments in ten minutes while forty other candidates are practising in the same room with you, gearing up to go on? And for us, the listeners, it`s taking the responsibiltiy to decide over someone else`s fate, as well as that of the orchestra. Forty-three candidates, all playing the same Mozart concerto, one after other. The sphincter of my brain closes up completely after the 18th candidate; after that my cerebellum starts to feel as soupy as cream of wheat. Try to be attentive and fair if you can.

The results of our last three auditions are encouraging and exciting: our search for a solo bassoonist (although Tomek will always remain irreplaceable) ended with the engagement of 22 year-old Benedict Schobel, who`ll start working with us on March first. The audition for assistant principal contrabass wasn`t blessed with success: we`ll hope for white smoke at the next audition. However, the audition for solo harp brought us double the pleasure: not only did "our" Aurelie Noll receive the solo job, in spite of a tough week of concertizing, we also found a worthy second harpist in Manon Louis, who will start in August.

And so it goes in the continual search for highest quality. We take this very seriously, as anybody who has been at our auditions knows. Our orchestra continues to improve and - become younger. It makes me wonder if I  should start holding auditions...

I feel a blog coming on....

I  was so right about Terry Riley`s music being nothing for minimalists: "The Sands" has to be practised very carefully and well to make the piece effective. But it`s going to be a lot of fun. The Kronos Quartet has been great to work with - friendly and competent gentlemen with collegial attititudes and a handshake for those at the back of the orchestra, not just those at the front. Thanks  guys,  for not forgetting the grassroots.

Another fellow who didn`t forget the grassroots was Leonard Bernstein, known to all American musicians of my generation (the Baby Boomers) simply as "Lenny". Sadly I missed out on meeting him during my student years in Boston. But of my colleagues who knew him, everybody loved him. Nothing but good was ever said about Lenny, his kindness, wit and generosity. He wrote so much energy into his music that one can`t help reproducing it while playing. It makes me very nostalgic for the country and the times in which I grew up- times that were slower and more naive. But there was a belief there that the world is a good place- I think that Lenny`s music reflects that faith.

The Third Half: you`re going to see the Basel Symphony Orchestra like you`ve never seen it before (and possibly never again). Putting together Riley`s "In C" has been a major

high. It`s like asking everybody to exchange instruments and play something completely new, except that any exchanges here have been completely voluntary. This is why you`ll see a whole new selection of instruments on the stage on Thursday evening, including a Celtic harp, an accordion, a viola d `amore,a "Naturhorn", a guitar, a kazoo, etc. It´s really a blast  and as always with DRD, easy as pie. I think he must have sold Obama the motto, "Yes, we can", because ever since we`ve been working with him that`s always what we`ve experienced. We`re a happy bunch of musicians when he`s around, and you hear it.

I can`t wait for Thursday!

Nothing for minimalists

I`ve started to get really excited (even freaked out) about next week`s AMG concerts; we`ve never done anything like this before. I`m always for trying something new, but this program with music by two living composers is "boldly going where no Basel Symphony Orchestra has gone before". So let me calm down and get coherent: our next program features works by Thomas Newman,  "It Got Dark" and Terry Riley, "The Sands" and features the Kronos Quartet as soloists. Why am I so excited? All three (respectively six) of the aforenamed artists are very much alive today and enjoy something like cult status in the musical world. Callifornia meets Basel? Why not?

Thomas Newman comes from a  musical family (father, uncle, cousin - all successful composers) and is best known for the more than eighty film scores he has written (American Beauty, Scent of a Woman, Finding Nemo, Fried Green Tomatoes, etc). He`s also a friend of David Harrington, first violinist  of the Kronos Quartet, for whom he wrote "It Got Dark". This piece he compares to  "picture postcards"-  ephemera- taken from his memories and is written in movements. I`m very curious about the pictures he`ll evoke.

The second piece on the program, "The Sands" was written by Terry Riley for the Kronos Quartet. Riley`s productivity seems nearly inexhaustible- the list of his compositions goes on and on. Known as a founder of the "Minimal Music" movement, he has become, to my way of thinking, a larger than life figure. I `ve been looking through the web for examples of his music and other writings and what I`ve found shows me a man of extraordinary intelligence, warmth and  spirituality. It`s going to be a real pleasure and stimulus to have him here while we work on "The Sands" and "In C". "In C" is a fascinating, hypnotic work which is a great introduction to Terry Riley. I just loved the comments I read while listening to "In C" on Youtube. They show which audiences listen to and love Riley- take a look and listen . I think you`ll have fun.

On the whole, Riley`s  music is so much more than meets the eye/ear that the term "minimal" is not completely accurate. Come and hear for yourself. I`ll be looking for you on Wednesday and Thursday for our concerts and on Thursday for the "Third Half" and afterward at the Casino Lounge. It`ll be fun to rub elbows with the stars.

This week - we are going big!

This weeks`s  Coop/BKG concert with the Sinfonieorchester Basel is one that is, for two reasons, a definite must. It`s not often that I`ll tell you this, so heed my words: go and support your local band, broaden your horizons and have a great experience at the same time.

Why is this evening so special in my book? The first reason is that we`re playing Mahler. Mahler`s music is for me something like an elemental force. Although many researchers have written volumes about his music, nothing can prepare you for the gut-level impact it has when you hear it played live. I`ve been searching for the reasons why  I love playing Mahler. I can only explain them in simple terms. Mahler`s music takes you through every fundamental experience you have had, now have and will have during your time on earth. It is deep joy and sorrow, exhaltation and deprivation, reverence, awe, playfulness, fury, hope, grieving and consolation.  I think you`ll find the complete gamut of human aspiration in his music. It`s also a lot of fun to play, because he knew  the limits of orchestral capacity and wrote music that is a very sensuous experience for the players. I guess I`d call it musicians`music. It touches my heart and stimulates my spirit.

Besides a fascinating and complex composer, we have a conductor who is, although in every way a larger-than-life figure, a quiet spoken and gentle man, one who enables us. 

When Dennis Russel Davies conducts us there is nothing we cannot do along with the very best. Figured it out? He is the second reason why these concerts will be extraordinary, because the work he does with us has nothing to do with the mere average. He listens and lets us discover what it is we have to do to make the piece work. There is no lording it over his subjects: he may be a benevolent dictator, but I still haven`t seen or felt the dictator part. Working with Dennis Russell Davies is the perfect partnership- he brings out the best in us, and we enable him to make music. 

We have every reason to be proud that Dennis Russell Davies has found his way to us in Basel: the fact that he was recently elected a member of  the American Academy of Arts and Sciences shows that it is not only my opinion that he is a man of unusual charisma and competence. Like Mahler`s music, he touches our hearts as musicians and human beings and helps us find the confidance we need to express the unspeakable and wonderful language of the soul, music. 

So you see, you`re getting a great package this week- it`s not just two for one, Mahler and DRD. It`s the dedication and enthusiasm of many, an absolute will to create that will make this a memorable evening for all participants. And besides- if you don`t go, I`ll never speak to you again.