October 2019, was our last tour with Lucerne Festival Orchestra, where we played the Mahler 6th symphony in Shanghai. It was the last time I used these tools.
As a sign of the darkness coming over our music world in the months later on, I lost my expensive tailored earplugs after smashing my toolbox on the Shanghai stage, seeing them falling down in the tiny gap between the stage steps...
Since then, it’s either been smaller sized orchestras, or -mostly- no orchestra at all.
I never expected they would appear again after two years of silent disgrace in the rather dry acoustic of the World Conference Centre in Bonn.
My Earplugs.
Just a few reckless people on earth, mostly bassoonists, know this feeling: sitting just in front of the trumpets in a Mahler symphony - here the Mahler 2nd.
Our fantastic guest principal Martin and Noemi played so wonderful, that I sometimes had the feeling I could try to get a sound bath with naked ears... but as in forgotten times, this exceptionally sized orchestra won over my hearing abilities.
Page 23 in a bassoon part? Last seen 2019.
A single work longer than one hour? Same.
More than 100 musicians on stage! What an intense feeling.
So many friends joined us for this exceptional project.
Wait...we have 72 hours in Bonn, of course many guest musicians (MCO includes only 45 key members), and we need to create a complete new sound in this short time, with barely a chance to meet everyone in person for more than a few minutes (despite the countless friends not seen in a long time).
A real challenge for the MCO?
You’re kidding! Look at the DW streaming, the Mahler (not only) Chamber Orchestra playing Mahler “Auferstehung” symphony under the baton of the promising young French conductor Maxime Pascal.
That also literally resurrected out of my luggage.
In our former touring life, it happened to me a few times that I carried a suitcase full of board games (some concert clothes too of course). There are always interested mates, and unfortunately also dreadful opponents - yes, my beloved office colleagues, I confess. But I have so many that in case of desperate misfortune, I switch to a cooperative game (I strongly recommend “The Mind”, card game for a perfect team building session).
So, looking at our schedule for the next months, crazy tours in accompaniment with lots of beautiful and diverse repertoire, but maybe more MCO-sized ... anyway, it took a lot of energy to resurrect, and that should stay something unique!
PS: No resurrection could have been possible without your exceptional work, dear office, you are simply the best :)
Photos: Guilhaume Santana
Concert Photos: Ⓒ Barbara Frommann / Beethoven Festival Bonn
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