Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival

But when those arts disappear, the world gets so quiet.

- Thank you for taking time for us today. Vienna is currently locked down, but how is your orchestra, Vienna Symphony Orchestra doing?

We are trying our best to keep contacting the audience and our fans, we perform online on every Friday night for 45 minutes. It's a very nice new format for us. Last time we did Haydn Symphony and streamed a bit of the interview with the conductor and the soloists. The contents are not a formal one, but just to give a sign of culture and music, I think this kind of project is very important. People usually don't give so much attention to the importance of culture, music, artists, and writers. But when those arts disappear, the world gets so quiet. You can't listen to the radio anymore because it's nothing inside. Same for TV and books because they also belong to artists.

-Please tell us how you started playing the trombone.

I was growing up in the countryside in Austria. And there was a very popular brass band which is called "Blasmusik" in Germany. They played traditional music like marches, polkas, waltzes, and also a bit in the direction of the symphonic brass bands. My father was a conductor of such a brass band in a very small village. And for sure I could listen to their music quite early. When the brass band was marching through the little village I was immediately attracted to the music and "Oh! There is happening something!".
This is very funny but I was really, really curious what the guys in the last row are doing. Because they were working hard playing this unique instrument. I was very, very attracted to that. When I was 8 years old I said to my father I would love to learn the trombone. He said, "well, you can, but at this moment, your arms are still a bit too short. Maybe you start with euphonium or baritone, and when your arms are long enough, you can change." Now I'm very happy about this decision because having the experience of playing euphonium becomes a big help for me when I play in the orchestra. I can naturally imagine how the base part goes.

-When did you change to trombone?

I was always measuring my arms. I played euphonium for about 4 years, then when I was 12 years old. I changed to trombone.

-How did you learn to play the trombone?

We have a great music school system in Austria. It's quite exceptional because we put 50% of the whole cultural budget in these music schools for making it possible that every child who wants to learn an instrument is able to do this at a low cost. You don't have to be rich to learn it. This system made learning instruments is not a matter of money.
Upper Austria has a great music education system that they have a long list of wonderful musicians. When you start early with good education, good teachers, and good possibilities, then the chance to be a good musician gets higher. The chance that one of your family members became a musician gets higher. I think that's really unpayable.
Because Austria is a small country, we don't have many orchestras like Germany, for example. We put a lot of effort to keep this good music education system. However, we do not do this to make professional musicians. Wouldn't you think that every family becomes enriched if they have a connection to music? They don't have to play Paganini sonatas to feel the joy of making music. "Now I can play the notes," "We can play a duet" this kind of things also makes you very happy. Finding music together is interesting. Let's find what is between those black dots on the score. And this doesn't matter if you are an amateur or a professional, but this enriches every life.
I think it's horrible if people learn an instrument to just enter in an orchestra or to be a soloist. The wonderful thing about music is that you can enjoy it in a very private and small atmosphere, and get the power from it.

-What makes you decide to be a professional musician?

I really liked playing euphonium and playing trombone. However, I did not have a wish to make it as my profession. I did not think that I would be good enough. My parents had a small countryside restaurant and I wanted to be the owner of this place. I made plans to be the owner.

I had an older brother who was a flute player (Mr. Gunter Voglmayr (1968-2012), a flute player at Vienna Philharmonic). Two days before I go to the management school, he came home and we went out for drinks, and he said "I listened to your practice today. It didn't sound so bad. Did you ever think about studying music?" And this was like, somebody opened the curtain in front of me. This was never an option for me. And the next day which means a day before the school starts, my brother explained to my parents how he thinks I'm very talented and should study music seriously. My father was very happy for sure because he was the conductor of the brass band. On the other hand, my mother had a bit of doubt because she already had a son (Gunter) in Vienna for studying music. It was a lot for her to let got the second one off to Vienna, the big city with all the dangers and horrible stuff. Haha. But they said okay. The first thing we did was to make contact with the professor in Vienna, and get some advice if I was really good. A type of audition. The professor said, "I like very much what you're doing. I would take you". This is how my journey started.

2012SKF　When Mr. Voglmayr made his debut at the Festival (center). Mr. Shinichi Go is sitting next to him.

I think this must be wonderful for a conductor to start
at the point where many other orchestras to finish.

-The first year you joined the SKO was 2012. Do you remember the first time?

Yes of course. I've already heard about an extraordinary festival in Matsumoto. The orchestra I belong to has also a big opera festival in the summer time, so my colleagues were kind enough to cover for me so I can come to Matsumoto. I remember we played the Honegger opera Jeanne d'Arc, and R. Strauss: Alpensinfonie.
I was blown away at the first rehearsal. It was like "wow, what do we have to do? It's already fantastic". You can feel that the orchestra members are so happy to be there, and it's really exceptional. Later I realized this is normal in Matsumoto. I never saw so many concertmasters sitting in the first violin group. They came completely prepared, and I think this must be wonderful for a conductor to start at the point where many other orchestras to finish.

-When did you perform for the first time with Seiji Ozawa?

The first time I played under Seiji's baton was in 2017, Beethoven: Leonore Overture. I'm very happy that I could have this program with him. I was once playing with the Vienna Philharmonic with him more than 20 years ago, the orchestra had a missing member and I helped. Seiji is, for me, a kind of Jedi. Because he's one of the kindest person I've met in my life. He is open to everything and everybody. And you can see that he is so enthusiastic about everything he is doing. The bond between him and the SKO is something special. He's been playing with this orchestra that has so many friends who he knows 50, 60, 70 years. This is not a normal relationship between a conductor and an orchestra. It became one organism. He doesn't have to speak. Not at all. He just starts and everybody follows, like it would be the most natural thing in the world.
It is not often that he gets on the podium since I came to Matsumoto, but he always comes to rehearsals, Soba Parties, sitting in the concerts. He is always around and sharing his wonderful energy with us.

-I was watching the news clips from 2012 today and Ozawa san was asking the brass part to "Play maximum volume!". You looked so happy about getting that advice.

Because conductors say this very rarely. Most of the time they say "brass is too loud." Maybe that's why I was laughing. "That's my conductor! Wonderful!!!"

-Is there any rehearsals or the performance that you remember the most at the festival?

I would say Mahler's Symphony No. 5 (2015) and No.9 (2017). It is very hard for me to pick one because every performance is special. No.5 and No.9 were both conducted by Fabio Luisi. I know him since he was my former chief in the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. It was very happy to see him again. And also, you know, Vienna has a long tradition with Mahler, I was wondering how the pieces really come together with a kind of Japanese mentality. I think there is a lot of unprecise and fixed feelings in Mahler's music.
Especially with No.9, the pause comes after the last note is significant. I think the Japanese people enjoy this also. When the last note is gone, no one stands and says "Bravo!". They know this tension, and the tension lasts 10, 20, even 30 seconds. This makes the performance even stronger. This moment in Matsumoto I love the most.

All the Mahler's symphonies are very special for me, and it is for sure because we have such a great brass group. I think it's also quite unique because when you have a mixed international group, it's not that easy because everybody went to a different school, has a different kind of taste, how he wants to sound, what you want to express. I believe this difference creates beauty.
American style or European style, it doesn't matter. It's just important to make one organism in a short period. If one person saying "I played this piece 100 times, I know what I'm doing," then this would not work. We have to be open, intelligent, and need to know that we are not doing this alone.
We can bring our potential outside by playing together as a group. Playing with SKO brass members is such a nice experience. For example, my fellow trombone player Go Shinichi san. He also has been playing in different orchestras and knows everything, however, he never stopped being curious and keeps learning, and still wants the best. This is a big thing for the whole orchestra and also for the brass. That's also why the SKO Brass Ensemble idea came up. We were just working so well!

2015OMF　Mahler: Symphony No.5, conducted by Mo. Fabio Luisi. Mr. Voglmayr is at the left corner of the photo. Mo. Luisi has been conducting several times at the Festival, and his Mahler performances are highly praised by the audience every time.

Having European musicians and Japanese musicians play together creates a strong relationship.

Saito Kinen Orchestra Brass Ensemble members.
Photo by courtesy of Mr. Walter Voglmayr

-What do you think about the character of the SKO Brass Ensemble?

I think it's a friendship. I have to say I feel very honored because I never had this special, particular feeling. We often come to Japan, as a musician with our orchestras, and Japan is always a fantastic adventure, with delicious food and nice people. People are unbelievably kind, but there is always a bit, a small wall that is never coming down. I think it's a form of respect and being kind and polite. SKO Brass Ensemble is a mixed group of European musicians and Japanese musicians. Over the years we spent time together and getting to know each other and build a trust. And when I realized there was no small wall. We became real friends. This is really a big present that I cannot describe with words. We can talk with our instruments and music. Having European musicians and Japanese musicians play together creates a strong relationship. There is something really, really strong inside and for me this is priceless.

-What bring you a smile at the festival? Rehearsals? Performances? Off-time?

I don't like rehearsals actually. Rehearsals are for organizing, for everybody to check what to do. I hate general rehearsals the most, this gives me always big stress. However, I love performances because people are completely different. People are focused, and you think everything could happen at that moment. I think this makes the concert so special. The audience recognizes this too. Otherwise, they could listen to a CD. I'm happy that the technical possibilities in a recording are so high, but you never will manage to take over a live performance. At a concert, you can feel the frequencies and all the power of music. Concerts let the public also going out as a different person. Even after the concert is finished, the music can live inside them. The next day, a week later, a year later, the music is able to live in the audiences' heart. You can look back and say "Ah, three years ago, I had such a remarkable evening". I think that's the wonderful thing Matsumoto creates.
I enjoy very much after concerts by spending time with wonderful people whom I make wonderful music together. I enjoy eating, being together with good friends, being a team of Matsumoto.

-Thank you.

Chinese restaurant in Matsumoto "Kane" where is "SKO Brass Ensemble Head Office" according to Mr. Hans Ströcker. Mr. Voglmayr wanted to play his local folk song, he brought score sheets (see on table) for the members. "The food there is so wonderful, fresh Chinese, a lot of vegetables and healthy foods. And the owners are just, how to say, diamonds!".
Photo by courtesy of Mr. Walter Voglmayr

Interview on November 2020
Listener: Ayumi Seki (OMF PR staff)