Alternative text: LEAD! Podcast, episode 3: cellist Franz Bartolomey
But yes, this idea of LEAD, first of all, is a really absolutely great idea, because the word “lead” has many, many facets because you can lead on every stand – every place is important. What I really like to do with my whole heart is to show the young musicians this kind of enthusiasm, this kind of “come on, don’t lean back. We play their most beautiful pieces”.
We have to enjoy and when you enjoy, in this moment you get somehow together, and leading also means you can give it to others. You can show, let’s say, the viola players, somehow we play together. This is also a kind of leading in another way: together leading, but not only leading means that not only the concert meister is leading the section – this is also leading of course – but on every stand everybody can have his kind of giving the others, and showing also. And this is the idea and I love this idea really very much.
When we did it for the first time, I had already this experience that you can give your enthusiasm, your love, everything, to the young ones. And when we started now in Helsinki, it was the same effect and I thought it’s again, it’s again working – this kind of system.
And I’ve had the feeling that let’s say the in the cello section, they are very talented, skilled, they are very skillful and they have already these, you know, these basis, some fundamentals they have already, and when I look how they make vibrato and how or what they practise, perhaps they have to play a concert in some days or weeks, then I see they have already very good talent. And now it’s up to them what they want to choose – if they want to go in an orchestra or if they want to be a soloist. Important is that they do this project to learn and to also love orchestra playing because it can happen that there will be no soloists. And then they land in the orchestra. And then they have this experience of how orchestra playing can be much fun. Or they make a music ensemble, like a string quartett, I think that there are many possibilities.
The skill the talent – everything is here. But then they have to choose what they will do. It’s good to do something besides music, would be good to do with a little sport. I was never such a sportive guy. But it’s not bad to do something and be interested in arts. So nature and arts and it’s everything there. It’s to go to other concerts, listen to other things, soloists. For me most important is to go in the opera, to listen to an opera and to hear what happens in this big system – like Puccini’s Tosca. But not many people do it – they say “I have no time, I have to practise and I have either some test or something or concert”, but it would be good to take the time for these cultural things.
Audition is an audition and you have to have luck, you have to have a good day. Have to be in a perfect mood. And if it does not work, we have, let’s say in the Berlin Philharmonic and all the other cases, there’s always a possibility to play chamber music. Piano Trio, solo playing, teaching and also conducting. Therefore, there are possibilities – no need to be only, you know, sad and frustrated or something.