by Austris Apenis
AA: Welcome Ben! It’s a pleasure to interview you, and there is so much I would like to ask you. You have built quite a portfolio, having performed in many of the worlds famous concert halls with top orchestras as a soloist and chamber musician. Congratulations! Of all the great things you have done, one spoke to me particularly: premiering new pieces for horn. I personally find that very important for our community and the future generations. How did you convince so many composers to write for you?
BG: Thank you for showing such an interest! My biggest passion is to contribute to the development of the repertoire, and so working with the composers of today is something that I both spend a lot of time doing but also greatly enjoy. To convince them, however, is a very personal thing! A few of my closest collaborations, for example with Mark Simpson and Huw Watkins, came about because I also perform with them on their respective instruments. This, of course, gives you a very deep musical relationship, and they really know you’re playing from the inside out. In other cases, I simply write to composers and express my admiration for their music. It’s not always a straight “yes,” but I can be persuasive! It also helps if you have the possibility to program the work—this is very attractive to a lot of composers at a time when getting performances is becoming increasingly difficult.
Some of these pieces you are performing on natural horn. Are there particular challenges in performing new works on the natural horn?
Again, it really depends. The latest work that I commissioned for the natural horn requires the horn to be tuned to a quarter tone higher than D. So, making sure that this can work with the intonation of the midi keyboard (which is fixed) and then also jumping back to equal temperament for the rest of the program is a challenge for the ears. In terms of horn playing, the challenges are, frankly, easier than having to travel with more than one instrument!
I can relate to that! How would it compare to performing new commissions on the modern horn?
Well, the material is obviously less complex simply because you don’t have so many options for notes. So, in that respect, my experience has often been less frantic than learning millions of notes on a modern horn when the piece is inevitably delivered later than expected. Composers seem to love the more raucous and brassy sound of the natural horn in comparison to the darker sound of the modern horn. One has to be sensitive to their desires and try and really make a strong difference between the two different instruments.
Do you also play period repertoire on the natural horn?
I don’t, actually. There are wonderful musicians who I admire hugely that can do a much better job than I can. My passion is for that which is new.
Let’s go back to the beginning. How did you choose the horn?
Actually, I started on the cello when I was six years old. At the same time, however, I was diagnosed with a lung condition called bronchiectasis which, to cut a long story short, meant that my lung function was only 50%. The doctors knew that I loved music and suggested that I should take up a wind instrument to help strengthen my lungs. My parents are professional string players, and they loved the sound of the horn…they chose it for me!
It is amazing that you can play like you do even with your condition! Has playing the horn helped a lot with your lung capacity?
In combination with lots of sport, I think it definitely has. Aside from anything else, it made me much more conscious of the need to make sure that my cardiovascular health was in the best possible condition.
You mentioned that your parents are professional string players. As a musician who doesn’t come from a musician’s family, I am always curious how it is to grow up in one. How was your dynamic at home with your parents concerning practicing? Did you learn a lot from them?
Actually, they never pushed me to practice! I think that’s maybe one of the things I’m most grateful for; they let the desire come naturally from myself over time. I had the best possible education from them in that I went to countless concerts throughout my childhood.
You were the finalist in the BBC Young Musician concert in 2016. How was the experience performing there?
This was a life changing experience! Not only was it exhilarating to be part of the process—which is nine months long—it really acted as a catalyst to help move my career along. It’s also where I got a taste for contemporary music. In the Brass Final, I performed Salonen’s Concert Etude and was really pleased that people enjoyed hearing what the horn can do.
Amazing! It is a fantastic piece! Wasn’t it a bit intense to perform in front of so many cameras?
At the time, it was all so new that you didn’t really have so much time to think about these things. In hindsight, I think I was much cooler than I might have been had I done it a few years later. At that age and in such conditions, you don’t have anything to prove or lose—I really just tried to focus on the music.
You have also studied at the Barenboim-Said academy with Radek Baborák. How is he as a teacher? What did you learn while studying with him?
Radek is my horn idol! To study with him was a dream. He really stressed the importance of putting musical wishes at the forefront of what we do. So often, we get so bogged down with questions of technique, and actually, if we focus on musical objectives, a lot can be fixed by itself.
Interesting! Why do you think that happens?
Well, I think the embouchure is so personal and sensitive that we often immediately jump to the conclusion that it must be wrong if we are unable to achieve something in our playing. What I think is needed is a more fundamental understanding of the function of the embouchure, in other words to realize that providing a few essential things are in place, it really is just the steering wheel of the car. So much can be achieved with a relaxed breathing technique and the true intention in musical terms. It is not taught enough to really commit to one’s playing with all of our energy and a strong air stream; we are always too worried about cracking notes!
Those are wise words! If you think about it, we play a wind instrument. Air is the basis of everything. Thank you for sharing your story! It was great to have you with us for Horn and More!
My pleasure, thank you.
Learn more about Ben at https://www.bengoldscheider.com.
