The Third Horn Hangout

A superstar line-up of some of the best third horn players in the world talk to Sarah Willis about the importance of the third horn chair in this live Horn Hangout. Starring: Leelanee Sterrett - New York Philharmonic Dan Gingrich - Chicago Symphony Orchestra Jose Sogorb Jover - Royal Concertgebouw Michael Winter - Boston Symphony Orchestra Wolfgang Vladar - Vienna Philharmonic Stefan de Leval Jezierski - Berlin Philharmonic Alex Edmondson - London Symphony Orchestra Javier Gándara - Metropolitan Opera New York

Transcript

Auto-generated from the live stream, expect the occasional robot mishearing.

You hello everybody welcome back to the horn hangouts I feel like I haven’t seen you for ages and I really haven’t because we missed last week’s but we’re back it’s Friday night here in Berlin which means it’s time for a little Horn hangout party and this this time we are hanging out with some of the best third horn players that

I know and I’m so excited they’re all I can see them on my screen you can’t see them yet you will in a second you will be so happy to see who they are I just want to say welcome to everyone watching on Facebook oh it’s great to know that you’re there and where you’re all watching from

I love to see that if you have any juicy questions for our third horn players or any stories you want to tell about playing third horn or want to tell us what you’re drinking um then hop on over to the website because that’s where I get all the good questions and on the website are my my loyal favorite horn hangout as of all time you’re all there my mom is watching she’s one of the most the most favorites of all time

Jason from Reno Nevada amateur shipping’s watching Catherine woo Hong Kong Mathew hello there’s really so many okay kids stick it from San Francisco hi KITT Michael Buckwalter it’s great to see you all out there so get your third horn questions ready and with no further ado I would like to go to a full-screen of third horn legends hello everybody yeah

I don’t know what the order is of everybody’s screen but yeah Alex come on show us here she is Alex Hansen from the London Symphony Orchestra somebody’s about to go to bed hello she was she was waving to us all for the last half hour so I guess she’s she’s excused she can go to bed Alex welcome from the

London Symphony Orchestra Mike Michael winter and Elise from from Boston where are you guys now say hi Elise hi Elise hi so nice to see you where are you guys right now we’re at Boston yeah you’re in Boston you’re staying in staying safe yep good and at least he’s been practicing the [ __ ] and I hear yeah she has

Elise you gonna play me something can you play can you go like the horn like daddy does you guys cool I think she’s doing okay so the mouthpiece question is gonna come Michael the mouthpiece question always comes on horn Hangouts what mouthpiece do you plan so get ready for that you guys to my right I see that absolutely legendary

Dan Gingrich Dan thank you so much for joining us people will be wondering what on earth you’re doing here because you’ve been acting principal for how many years I did four six for six years but I’m back to associate slash certain gosh well we’ll get to that in a minute but thank you so much for joining us it’s really really fantastic to see you here

Wolfgang Vlada we find your out in them in the countryside somewhere near Vienna third one of Vienna Philharmonic seriuos Wolfgang that was I’m glad your internet is is working out let’s see how long you stay with us welcome Jose sore Gorp is that right so good oh God now Jose welcome third horn of the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and this arrived today from has a new dad and where is he we wanted to see him whoops that was my iPad upstairs reading congratulations fantastic stefan de la

Valliere tyskie needs no introduction he is not only one of our favorite horn hangout as he wears the t-shirt and I’m very proud so welcome Stefan lovely to see you and next to you on my screen is another beautiful of beauty and horn hang out t-shirts Leland Easter at hi Leland e9u you’ve also been acting principal haven’t you acting associate yes these are complicated words you know third slash yeah okay get back to where are you right now

I’m in nature so outside of the city don’t they new Joisey new Joisey oh yeah I shouldn’t even try and have you happier welfare gandara from the met the third horn from the met a legend and I’m so honored to have you here happier because you’re not really you know you don’t hang out online all that much do you

I don’t thank you so much oh it’s great we want all your secrets about playing third one and operas you involve gang I’m sure you have a whoelse has played third horn in an opera orchestra any of you Dan were you in no no it’s quite it’s quite a special job isn’t it um to all of you just watching

I’m just fiddling around with my my iPad because suddenly I got a video from Fox News instead of the horn Hangouts video page and I can see Donald Trump and I’d much rather see my third horn players so I’ve got him back now thank goodness for that yeah some people are experiencing technical issues we’ll keep keep going just refresh your pains

Joshua Pantoja from Puerto Rico says great to see you professor Gandara Javier you know Joshua absolutely yes Julio Blanco from Santander in Spain hola Jose heidi says Mazel Tov on the new baby so Mazel Tov to that good evening from Belgium from enemy so you’ve got people watching literally from all over the world Stefan what are you drinking

I’m drinking my wine cooler so it’s quite tasty you know it’s it’s good I just got back from playing tennis the wine glass has a very nice it’s very nicely placed stuff on like are you going to slurp or how you know I don’t know it’s bubbles it’s nice to see that like that when the wine this is the first thing you’ve learned about food horn players today they they like their wine right guys well

Alex you’ve got a vodka tonic they all don’t never drink alcohol and everything alcohol before a concert is that your preferred drink after a concert Alex no usually I drink I usually like gin and tonic I’ve been drinking that’s what I thought I remember you and and Jonathan Lipton on your really gin tonics was the thing oh well okay before meal during a meal after a meal before and after it’s perfect we’ll just cut out the consulate one get your courage to play if you don’t drink something both guys set an example here

I mean well if can tell us about the Vienna Philharmonic what are they doing right now um we have actually we’re playing about eight concerts in June mm-hmm just with no break 8 concerts 8 concert sir hey with no break and with no money which is nice just for dreaming I think they want us to they want the people to know that we’re still here

I mean there will be about I think 100 people in the hall are allowed in the moment and we are all corona tested before we go on stage before you go on stage so I mean like I mean not exactly before the day before they want you to know that we are all corona free so we play with three concerts with barenboim two with muti and three wastes wait a minute do they get tested as well yes but that’ll be fun for you

Wolfgang because actually you haven’t been doing a lot of horn playing right yeah I have only to play Schubert Fourth Symphony and - also my work even started practicing two days ago okay okay it’s two days ago they’re Stefan and I we have a horn quartet concert coming out so we were we’re practicing a lot right yeah it’s it’s fast finger-like things that we never have to do in the orcs are just like parts that dog okay

I’m spawned off arranged and it’s it’s very very fast technically I was practicing and usually the lip gets tired no my finger my hand oh my god gotta give a hand arrest it’s so unusual but practicing you know and I just hope to have it done up to par by the time the concert comes yeah Klaus Klaus mollendorf wrote oh he sends his love to everybody today he couldn’t come but he was of course invited and he sends his love to everyone he wrote all these four corners pieces for himself he wrote all the third home parts for himself so they’re like keeps me busy

I don’t have to wonder what to practice I’m Dan Kiley white says you’ve been very graciously working with her and she says hi hi Kylie Clayton Schafer from Cincinnati your honor from Athens Greece and somebody’s asked Alex you have a cello case behind you do you double on the cello no my wife is the cellist in the

LSO that’s why there’s each other case there there you go there you go Leonie what’s happening in your orchestra nothing is happening so New York is actually we’re still not even in phase one of our recovery we’re all it’s a still under stay at home orders I think is that correct have the air we’re still kind of like we’re we’re not yes we’re not quite there yet we’ll see

June 8th is I think the date when we’re hoping to begin phase one it’s called but all the orchestra’s are there’s some not much happening but there’s a lot happening online actually so that’s kind of been an interesting pivot for to try to all become technically savvy enough to put recordings up and and it’s been a unique challenge but it’s so good to see people even if it’s just on a screen but we’re just longing to be together in person and we’re not quite sure yet so

I still don’t know when that’s gonna be yeah it’s meant it’s meant a lot I mean just to stand with you know on stage with with my my guys with Jeff on Andrew and and Andrew was just on the phone Andrew bein sorry Stefan and Rea and Stefan door it was just it was an amazing feeling wasn’t it

Stefan we didn’t we don’t realize how much we appreciate each other and the whole month of March was just nothing going on I play the last concert in the Philemon II I played the Beethoven is Christ on the olive mountain and and Strauss oboe concerto with Jonathan and I played the debt was these two horns I played together with

Andre and little did I know that that would be the last real regular concert in the film only with audience and you know I watched it on digital concert hall I was brought some scones were so not nostalgic to see that this is the way it was before everything was okay this was like before all this happened you know as soon as it’s it’s like it’s like sort of you know as soon as you you we should wake up and things would be the way they were before although

I must say I’ve enjoyed this time like being with my family and been practicing like trying to learn how to do this whole online business and it was so great to play together with Sarah and Stefan and Andre and we played actual an actual horn quartet little concert outdoors and this was it just felt so good I just really enjoyed this gets back as soon as possible but good it’s not it’s not a luxury it’s something that you know our lifeblood

I think but actually Jose’s Orchestra the concept about they played a concert last night theater now there were life oh their life now oops okay oh there was another thing already I don’t know I was busy putting my daughter in bed but yeah I did already two programs and I mean I’m in the next three programs so

I was free for these two so how is it working I mean you you they were quite far apart everybody on the stage no audience they were far apart and then I heard that for this program vortex 8 they got even farther away and yeah two meters away crazy and what about opera Xavier what about opera cuz you guys it really sucks what we hear about the

Met right now really suck every it really does it does yeah we’ve been furloughed since the middle of March and they just cancelled the fall our position officially and they’re hoping that we will start January 1st it’s not seems very unlikely now that’s just my personal opinion but judging from the way things are shaping up in New

York it’s I think we’ll be lucky to be working in a year from now because even normal businesses I was talking to somebody you know not music relator an architect and they’re not opening their office for the for the rest of the year 2020 so and I’m asking when will you you know even if you return to work right in an office will you feel comfortable going to a restaurant or a concert after and they said absolutely not and there’s there’s my answer right and our answer given me as well so

I I fear that this will go on for a long time and you know the motivation for me for practicing I’m sure for most of you as well it’s to be able to play with other people so practicing right now seems almost a contradiction when you think I’m working by myself and I can’t play with anybody else it’s a fun one someone needs to invent something please if there’s any of you out there they need to invent something where we can play together in real time because and we stuff on and

I’ve tried it it just nothing works you know basically nothing nothing can work like that that would be so much fun if anybody could could invent that I’m fortunate that my son plays horn so we play duets almost every day oh that’s that’s a luxury that most people don’t enjoy Michael you’ll be there you’ll be there with

Elise quite soon you could tell you’ll be playing that’s with her very soon and Stefan Stefan skids played the trumpet so I guess you could have a little trio going on there we played I don’t play the trumpet you know I’m a traitor it was no trumpeters like it’s I think it’s good actually practicing trumpet is good for the chops it’s like a widemouth if you can’t hurt yourself with a trumpet mouthpiece and

I think it’s good for the high register I don’t find it at all problematic switching bad it’s so easy though it’s the only thing I have like a lot of respect high range of trumpet players I can play really easy like if I had to play Eleonora over to a fanfare you know the call that would be really absolutely no problem

I could pick up any trumpet and I could play that and it would be any trumpet players watching I can hear you but you know trumpet is uh I started with trumpet I still have my trumpet from the sixth grade when I started and I had a talk with my father whether I should start playing horn or keep playing trumpet and he only horn is the intelligent choice each one has more horn players there are a lot of fantastic trumpet players but if you play horn reasonably well then you can have a good chance of getting a job so he was a really smart guy

So I’m fun I played it with my jazz band for a few tunes I got a flugelhorn where you gotta get on to third round stuff to all of you watching off on Facebook I know you’ve had a few technical difficulties Facebook threw us out and then Jakob starting the stream again but I know you’re all there now because

I can see you yeah there’s some amigos watching who go and Eric are watching oh hi guys nice to see you and and also some of my dearest friends in LA are watching Andrew Bain is watching and Dylan and Annie Basler and Annie actually gave me these can you guys see these yeah Annie had those made so they have and actually um amy-jo should be with us right now

Amy to Ryan but she had a union meeting or something and it’s going on a bit longer so she might she might join us let’s hope she does because she’s also one of my favorite 3rd horns in the world okay we’re getting on to third horn question guys you ready ready for this okay people somebody’s asked mature has just thought what is the most funny excerpt for third horn in the symphonic orchestra now if

I will answer for Klaus Valen Dorf because I know which his would be it goes boy I’m gonna go in the order I have on my screen and I did probably I don’t know how soon works but I have Michael right up here at the top Michael your funniest excerpt for third horn funny a sec sir I mean there’s look there’s an awful lot of stuff that we play in the

Boston Pops that we sit down open the phone and go oh really that’s okay I don’t have a specific one you know we get these weird charts and it says somewhere to book that should be fine it would go oh alright well I guess I have to do that today that’s most of our most of our weirdest things that we have on the job end up being off starts as somebody you know threw together three hours before a concert

I might never get hurt again right exactly okay all right Alex do you have a favorite or one that makes you giggle or we get we’ll get to the to the mean ones terms of funny exit the one the one that you always get a massive shuffle for and for some reason no matter how well it goes you always feel like

I don’t know really silly or stupid playing as in malat three thereby oh yeah and you always get a massive shuffle from it and you sort of one no even if it goes absolutely fine it’s just something highly embarrassing about playing that I don’t know why why by the Noggs I see everybody agrees with you and I must say as a horn player who sits next to the person on either side of the person who’s played that

I agree it’s embarrassing when it’s what we do it andris always wants me to just like annihilate it which is I’m always going really I mean people are looking at me like I’m just the drunk-person have wandered into mala tree you want it to be over as quickly you just want to sort of play quietly no getting no like that’s a very good one

I like that choice Dan what about you um I’m sorry I got so confused I don’t know what’s the third horn excerpted what is think about the 200-inch bagel they if you if you never heard that piece before that tea change is so sudden that suddenly the third horn takes over in a brand new key I think for a listener that might that might be yeah a listener might that

I find that funny but I don’t think a third horn player would find that funny or maybe they do I don’t know Michael D is just suggested academic festival overture Wolfgang would you agree with that with what with academic festival overture that’s my own it replaces we did it I think in fall in China in Wuhan almost one week in

November right well moving swiftly along the word so maybe nobody was sick no I was seeing you were well and yes still alive I’m glad to see that I’m Jose put your drink down and tell us about your the third one except we think it’s funny I can think of a few I must say but at least two but one that

I always feel a bit excited excited like gives me a lot of stress is in Bruckner 7 I think it’s the last movement order I don’t know it so it gives you more stir it’s like everyone is like Tchaikovsky 5 [Laughter] I prefer to play the solo it’s like it’s that is the most annoying ok so Stefan ok that would be yours fist

Tchaikovsky you would not like but that’s not a funny well that’s not the funny one my funny one is a different one but I’m working what’s your funny one so what’s your anyone it’s when you’re playing like that Dvorak violin concerto bah bah bah just off nothing you know no one else is playing another other winds just pop up and then and

I played this I don’t have any problem with this register I enjoy I have fun playing this and we did this one salty motor and it was just we had a really good communication for this passage did you kiss and me you weren’t claims only so anyway what’s going on just we just had a nice talk before because

I had we played together with carrion when she was 14 so I’ve known her long time and this was an interesting thing we’re both waiting backstage in Dusseldorf or Dortmund or something two to go we were the only two people that were would enter for the Dvorak by Lincoln so there was a piece beforehand and it had only two horns and no solo violin so we were both waiting backstage and we had a nice talk about the carrion days she tell you any she tell you any juicy gossip that you could tell she said you know um she said well

I said why she didn’t come back for the whole number of years that she wasn’t she was never there for for a long time I asked her why hadn’t she had been in solos with us and she said well I thought the orchestra tweeted carry on very badly and I said well I really agree because I was calling on fan carry-on you know hired new for the orchestra and and when when when people were complaining about carry on my older colleagues just don’t know just appreciate what you have there

I mean he had an amazing charisma and when carrion was conducting was something special so we were talking about these all days on Sophia we’re talking about the days with Kerry and I told her also I thought the orchestra had not treated carrion well and so we had an immediate rapport and then so after the convert it went rather well my passage was okay and she blew me a kiss like this you know and this was very surprising for all my colleagues that was with the

Dvorak violin concerto real highlights Leland ich if you move your head a little bit you look like the Statue of Liberty move it a little bit [Laughter] yeah I was drifting off in your story about an Sophie motor so I was looking at no this is what we love we love all these inside stories on the horn hangouts is fantastic so

Leland II is now going to tell us what her her favorite moment is I like the last movement of symphonie fantastique year like how are you gonna do that every time I feel like everybody’s always waiting to see what they’re going to have figured out in the horn section so if we talk about it all the time so how how much have fell how much just kind of glitzy stuff but that that moment always feels like it lasts a long time though too when you what do you do

I do a half trigger on the way down and I it’s been a while since I played it but it’s written in my music whatever it is I do but there’s a there’s a way there’s some some alternate fingering some way to slide through with a half valve on the thumb and I think that’s how I did it the last time we did it so yeah we can keep an eye out for that next time you guys play symphonie fantastique everyone

I want to know that check have you there are so many fantastic moments in the opera for third horn there are also some really Klaus voluntour used to warm up with third horn excerpts did learning littler to look something like that or I mean that’s in the first one as well and Salome but what about can you either put the ones that you find particularly funny to play there is there is last lack of

Meistersinger there is one moment where it’s a 3/4 and it goes into very fast one it’s one two three one two three and it’s all a notes and it’s all slurred and it sounds like you’re trying to yodel it’s it’s very quickly but it goes on for a while it goes back section and it always feels like

I try to approach it seriously when I brought this in it because you know you want to everything on the page and and we were justice but it really your your my colleagues always look at me like I’m having a seizure because there comes out of nowhere nobody’s playing anything like that and it seems like you you what overwhelmed with joy and you started doing something that you shouldn’t be well

Wolfgang is is nodding his head you hate it because you you never can do it right doesn’t sound right those are great excerpts thank you you guys I will also want to know about the the scariest ones and the ones that always come on auditions but we’ll get to that but can I can I just get to quite a serious one and and

Dan if I may every when we start with you even though you’ve you know you spent the last years playing principal associate note acting principal associate acting principals / yeah but there’s a good question from Jason froggit he said what would you say is the role of the third horn in Orchestra can you describe it what what is what what is your know is your ideal third horn if someone if you were if you were trying to coach someone to be an ideal third horn what would your advice to them be well

I don’t know who’s listening out here right now but a few people do we need to explain you know I remember my first job was in the Rochester Philharmonic a second horn and the following season they offered me the opportunity to move to third and I said sure and then I found out that a lot of my friends thought

I’d been demoted because oh it’s too yeah yeah so you know the way the horns traditionally work in pairs maybe everybody needs to understand that and is that we all need to be flexible if you’re playing first horn you know once in a while you get a baseline like in the pictures at an Exhibition after you play your promenade melody and sometimes if you’re playing for thorn you get a cadenza like the

Beethoven 9 and everybody has to be able to do everything and I think that applies to third horn in spades where you’re in the middle and sometimes you’re leading and sometimes you’re following and sometimes you’re above everybody else and sometimes you’re way near the bottom and you have to be very flexible and do everything so if you have to do everything but there are certain characteristics or are there certain characteristics that a third horn must have or do you think it’s really important that a third horn well

I guess I guess knowing your place is something really important for anybody in a section you know is knowing your place and I don’t mean that in in a discipline well maybe I do but they’re also knowing what your role is how would you describe the third horn well you have to be able to match I think of freshets where in that sort of writing you shouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the first and the third they need to sound like they’re doing the same exact thing other times you’re offset from the first horn

I think of Mahler 7 of course you’re you’re muted as opposed to the first storm being open but then I think you have this individual voice with this question and answer so again it’s both you have to you have to match and and you have to have your own voice and you have to know which is appropriate right now my

Michael can I ask you something when you when you got your job did you that was that is that an ambition to become a third one just the job that you got cuz you play first on - yeah I do actually don’t you yeah I mean I think a lot of works is if one of the first ones

God the expectation is that the third horn steps up for you know kind of whatever it is and sometimes it’s the first half for a second half depending on what what the other person wants to do my ambition because I went to school in Boston and studied with a bunch of the BSO players and I loved it here moved downtown for some other jobs but

I love I love the city I love the scene all of the orchestra so I wanted to be back in Boston playing with BSO this is my dream job and if they’d been anything I would have I would have gone after it but all my jobs were first horn before this so it’s easy enough for me to kind of flip a switch to just go back into first hormone well like what’s it like being a first one and then getting a third horn job do you have to

I mean which one of you you were all for a story that’s before ya Jose you were you were principal or what what what did you have to adjust because you were first one before you came to the concept about yeah I was low horn and and then I went to first horn in in Spain and I was there very very short but what

I realized I don’t know of course the muscles that we use and somehow different way I don’t know I see it a bit like if someone running 5,000 meters doesn’t have to be a good marathon run it’s different but but I had to practice more physically but what I realized is that my bigger switch was here from lot of to first horn and from first to third

I think I what what Dan said I quite agree I think you have to know when you are there and when you just one more of the section and when you have to you know we work first second third for sometimes I think first third is a new third I know is the new first something like this but just yeah just sometimes you are there sometimes you’re not but yeah it’s a sort of first

Horan job because we have many excerpts quite open as well of course your nerves have to be as good as the first one if not better because the first one gets to play first of all places all the time and then I mean there’s a low horn you know you one note can ruin your week that I had it a bit when

I was low horn that I wasn’t used to hear my sound to listen to myself alone so when it happened I was Tony Jaa Tony I used to be is it just wrote in the chat hello ton Jay used to be our Academy he’s from Turkey and he said playing first tone is much easier than playing third horn leland ii would you agree yes in some ways yeah absolutely

I mean even if you’re just talking about an endurance standpoint you know in the States we always have an assistant you can you have an assistant on whatever piece you want and you know third horn that you’re on your own for the whole program all the time I mean just the level the level of endurance that you need is is quite different so that was that was probably the biggest adjustment for me too when

I started my job was just figuring out how to survive week after week after week with all the playing on the face but yeah people forget that the third ones didn’t have a bumper but they have it but they’re still expected to take over when the first horn is tire I mean she’s F on Stefan door never uses a bumper and so [ __ ] but he that really takes a note off does he

Stefan but you’ve got to be there to provide volume provide sound for the section so with our system without an assistant third one player should be able to take were like the heavy lifting of playing the big Tootsie passages and make sound so that although Stephane your does not need this but other people know that maybe would sometimes use an assistance we had guest principal sometimes and so that’s the role of the third horn players to like we’re sitting between the first horn and the fourth or so you can really influence the section and we have to be sort of like the core section

Stefan have you moved your microphone oh there it is are you there somewhere it’s not on we can hear you we can use just quite quiet yeah I don’t know yeah that’s better fantastic that’s really good you were about the horn the third one being the the support no 1s that one has to be able to provide a lot of the volume and the near the sound of the section so in case the first horn player would need to rest which in our case doesn’t happen in my orchestra normal first horn players need to have a break and so that the job of the third

Or players to like carry some of the sound but when has to really know you know window when to blend in when to when to come out when to stay back when for me when I first started one of the most difficult things was playing unison hi loud stuff because I was used to I was so low horn in castle

I you know was used to going for it I like it was difficult for me to play along this was the most stress ething for a long time is to playing playing together hi Eunice and passenger with Garret ciphered who never missed and so yeah I had just switched from Mike on ad to a german-style horn mouthpiece and so this was very stretchy for a while now

I’ve been in the orchestra for a number of years I’ve got music the way things go at the beginning like unison hi Alex the blood in New Jersey there’s another judge in New Jersey someone says Alex wins today’s prize for the most interesting background all right there you go decorated by my wife it’s not by me very nice very nice what do you prefer as a third horn do you like to sit

I know you guys sit one two three four but do you also sometimes sit two and two what does the third one play I think of that you asking me sorry Sarah yeah because you have the nicest background thank you well I’m personally I don’t really mind III different people have different preferences it’s really brought up in the discussion in our section and because we

Jonathan Lipton our previous fourth horn he retired last and last July and we’ve been having different different people coming in his fourth on since then and then Angela our second horn said actually she’d really like to sit - in - not just because she likes and she likes sitting - and - and she finds it’s good for the balance and hearing everyone but also being able to hear the fourth horn so particularly in that sort of process it’s good for me personally

I’m not too fussed I’m happy to sit either way I’ve I don’t notice a huge difference I think as so long as you don’t when you sit - in - I think it’s important not to be sort of on certain staging like in you know in Frankfurt it’s that all that was black the sort of red stage the woman whether

Frankfurt it’s like the the right there they’re really they’re really deep the Rises so if you sit - you could end up being really far away from a two in front which is not nice you don’t want that so it’s sort of it’s it depends on their on the whole butts in certain yeah often on tall so you might see it - and - just because it works better in the whole my personal thing is that yeah

I don’t I can’t say that I notice any profound difference people easygoing third horn player and now the question to both Gong Wolfgang why do you guys sit like you sit can you explain that to the people watching who don’t know about the Vienna Philharmonic sitting the wrong way round you think I work you know you think it’s the right way round okay hey now this goes this goes back to the time where

Gustav Mahler was the director of the Opera and he made this dating I think there are two reasons in in the Opera the first one wants to see the stage that’s the reason why he is sitting right and I mean I think that it makes us playing softer to hear the first one better if it blows away from us but then you have that you have the fourth one right in your ear yeah that’s nice

I think what an honor you know come on happy we are sitting sometimes the other way around yeah it’s it’s okay as well have yay what did you wonder I had a question for him so that means that if that horn section would play on the other side of the pit you would be sitting in the correct way because then the first one would be able to see the stage that’s true good thinking

Batman I know I know the pits I was going to add I was going to add that there’s one thing you guys didn’t mention the benefit of sitting - and - is that the third horn gets a sill a little bit farther from the conductor that’s always a plus [Laughter] so I don’t care where I’m sitting okay let’s not get into the conductor situation

Nancy Thornton keeps asking was Michael at NEC yeah I was yes you were I know you were but I wanted you to answer where is the glass closet in Stefan’s room I think that was because he was another goodness and very funny questions coming in today turned I said when he plays third horn for me it’s difficult to play after the first strong passages with the same sound of the first torn in unison and that’s why it’s dressy would you guys agree with that are we matching a sound to the first one is that is that what makes it stressful not only the sound it’s

The intonation and the rhythm it’s it can be anyone asked or played together that’s the job you know what one needs to play together with the first horn player and so it really is helpful if one knows the player and knows how to react and but that’s really part of the thing you know just doing your own thing is not ideal although sometimes with sometimes one has to just play as though you know okay

I’m just gonna play this part the way it needs to be played depends but it’s you know in play in an ideal section which we try to have it’s important to just you know sometimes blend in and and not you know have such a big ego but maybe really be a team player and that’s difficult sometimes because everyone who had a certain level is like you know a soloist but you shouldn’t have a big ego because usually if you have a solo they congratulate the first tour and so jealous but if if you if the first one player messes up then the horns were bad

That’s true this happened to me that we had a concert with with Klaus tentative conducting Bruckner 4th in Salzburg penny well anyway the section was good there were some problems um to the left of us I don’t want to talk about it but in newspaper it said that the horn section was really bad and actually we were the three of us were very good that day what it is you know we live and die with your principal horn player player is play is fun it’s great to play

I’ve played with many great first horn players you know with GERD ciphered with Norwood help Mom with Roddick Barbara Stefan door and many other guests principals some of them great and it’s just you know it’s still it’s a tough job Dan then what’s it like after all these years to be playing third again do you feel like you’ve been promoted

I’m just confused I bet I played 15 years of 4th horn before moving to third and sometimes I would just find myself playing the 4th horn part even though I was looking right at the 3rd horn part sometimes I don’t know if I’m on foot or horseback but it’s all fine it’s all fun that’s good what EXO can we get we just have to get

I mean time just goes I don’t know how we’ve been we’ve been online for ages it’s amazing and and everyone is so they’re so excited to see you all there and absolutely all of these of these legends all on the screen let us know where you’re watching from and if you have any 3rd on questions because actually we’ve got to wrap it up quite soon but

I still have some third on questions of my own and I know many of you want to know if you’re preparing for an audition what third horn EXO’s will always come in your particular orchestras Dan what would your orchestra always want to hear from a third horn Brahms Piano Concerto definitely yeah but somebody else take it from there yeah

Alex ELISA for an audition yeah yeah Brahms Piano Concerto as Dan said and also Mendelssohn Scottish Symphony a little bigger that one just lovely so his balance is out good and bad Michael I would add Brahms four and Queen mob to that list we just played that in the orchestra Stefan got that no no Stefan you are off that week

Wolfgang when you do auditions in the in the Vienna Philharmonic they have to do opera excerpts as well right that’s true but there’s no special audition for third tone it’s the same like for first time the same exit right mainly main either solo stuff okay that’s good to know if you’re gonna if you’re trying to gonna join the monocle as typically for the high horn do you have to do myself singer you sing alone yeah which one of you don’t you think that one in an audition it’s so it wouldn’t when you get to the second night you’re so tired anyway and it that all

That one comes out you have to pop that out of nowhere don’t you oh that’s right that’s right although in the context of the orchestra you are you played with the trumpet the first one plays it without help but we have the trumpet playing you know most of it with us so that was a little bit of a disappointment but at the same time it makes it easier for us that’s that that will always be on the last time there also some of their first act

Mike’s a singer and the rosenkavalier participation of the Rose but that’s also an artist but there’s a really good tips to have because you know when everyone’s at home right now and everyone’s looking for stuff to practice and and we’ve been talking about you know low horns within and first horns and what to practice so to have this this list of tips from you guys

I don’t know if any of you who want to write these down in the chat so that we can can look at that look them all out later that’d be really fantastic leaving Lee how about you I’m sorry it’s really raining here but this it’s it’s it’s raining it’s pouring here too it just started actually I’ve got slanted roof so it sounds like doing timpani exercises on my sorry about that if you can hear it yeah

New York Phil well you guys are looking for a first one right now yeah and actually the last couple auditions we’ve had our last third horn audition was also an associate and assistant audition so it was a lot of first horn excerpts but a lot of third horn lifts I’ve seen have the Sam saw organ symphony of course which

I love those excerpts but those are always on the list lately it seems like in the States okay well and there’s a good question here just just do this really quick random around the around this has nothing to do a third one playing but I love these sort of questions what is something you have all been doing more of during this pandemic more of horn playing more of sport more of drinking

I’ve been eating now what about you guys Dan start with you I have no piano skills but I’ve been spending some time at the keyboard in hopes of becoming a better musician oh that’s nice Alex you’ve been changing nappies yes I’m taking care of my daughter who’s you know she’s all the hangout I didn’t tell you that she’d taken her first steps walking so she learned the crawl lock down and then she’s been standing up a lot and she’s just done a little bit of walking before so she’s yeah that’s sort of been the main thing

I’ve been doing during lockdown as being a death and watching her develop which is have been made to have the time to be here as much as I have been just so cute she really is Michael well at least I guess you’ve been you’ve been a full-time dad that’s what you’ve been doing more of than usual because you allow your post horn players so have you guys been playing duets you got a whole trio now we do have a trio yeah we’ve been doing a little bit not a ton because actually like trying to if

Elise is taking a nap that’s when we’re both like all these things we have to get done so it’s usually our time that we could dependence is scramble time doing other things and is there anything else you’ve been doing more of you’ve been doing [Music] cycling yeah you and tank you and Gus going around the tank going oh by the way speaking of you and

Gus look I brought this in your honor hey this is Gus Gus is Sebring’s Boston hat and he gave it to me and tangle with this summer so that I brought that in our honor you guys were like all-rounders you’re gonna miss that this year huh everything just sucks big time right now yeah baby tangled being canceled

Wolfgang what have you been doing more of I improved my skills in work turning practicing the horn with my son I mean he was practicing I was a little bit of doing teaching with him and I cooked every day so that’s what I did all the time good and Jose was preparing for the new birth weren’t you we were preparing and

I bought an electric bass just bass electric bass cool have you got it data can you play something now upstairs is very it’s really upstairs I had a couple of guitars already I’d like to pick some music oh but I’m now changing diapers Mosley has had to watch all the Star Wars movies right my sons I’ve been practicing

I’ve been playing tennis almost every day I’ve been cooking I’ve been eating I’ve been drinking been spending time with my family and fortunately rehearsing every now and then with my I’m teaching online also that’s another three night target to Korea to a happy yeah gosh hi honey if you’re watching it’s early middle of the night yeah but

Leland Lee and and have you you guys as you say you’re in New York you guys can’t go out actually so you know what what what are you doing what are you doing more off Lila me you want to go first sure I’ve been I’ve been practicing I don’t know why but I’m playing Bach cello suites on the horn laughs and enjoying it and there is no say you’re playing with a cello not that one oh

I wish I wish yes I’m imagining what that would be like I’m getting up the courage to maybe ask a cellist in my orchestra for hear of me maybe I’m one of them make some suggestions but also cooking a lot and around here going to the grocery store is like an all-day affair you need a list and you need time and you need to wait in line and so that’s cooking and and it’s become a job have you been holding zoom sessions with your horn section yes yes one section are most also in the orchestra committee so there’s a lot of those meetings going on

But I’ve been spending a few hours in the kitchen every day which is great because I like cooking and drinking wine has been something that I’ve been doing very often more often than usual and yeah I’m just trying to practice and keep in shape but yeah every day is the same day Groundhog Day so basically basically we’re all the same you know we’re all the same we all play in in great orchestras and we all but we’re all the same it’s something this happens we’re all doing the same we’re all spending time with families we’re cooking we’re eating we’re trying to practice we’re struggling with

Practice and we miss playing in the orchestra so you know and I think everyone watching they’re all that they’ll all agree with that as well to finish off with do you do any of you guys have a really cool third horn story or a third horn moment that you’ve experienced during your careers that you would dare to share with us the crazier the better like have you had to like stop it have you seen like remember

Alex in your Orchestra when when the principal oboe was playing in his oboe broke and then he just grabbed the first the oboe from the second oboe do you remember that something crazy yeah Olivier yeah it’s gone sort of yeah yeah this moment where he was I can’t remember even with Pisa is it damnation it was damnation of

Faust and he was playing and he was playing the solo and literally if I put air bubbles and he went like sort of some kind of he like hid the key to try and get the e well I don’t know the exact story but he hit the the oboe to get the air bubble out but it sort of broke the reed so he quickly he gave his oboe to

Rosie our second oboe grabbed her over and carried on playing but she I don’t know the exact but I know she plays on a different keying system or something and he carried on also joy it was the most amazing thing is not just that he carried on but Rosie you know bless her heart she just sort of

I think she kind of just started kind of making another Reed and mixed the fix the oboe whatever was going on made another Reed us and gave us action so he could carry on with his oboe pretty amazing fast thinking I’ve know I’ve never had anything like that you never have has anybody had any crazy third one moments come on guys

I’m packin dream career big onstage fight that scared ciphered with the seventh mallalieu’s with hiding conducting in in the concert it was a recording session well tell us you know it was like okay I was playing the echo and this one thing my my my predecessor good to cook said here if he kid if he ever played the 7th mile or take this mute use this mute you’ll be held heavy as throwing mutes on the ground right now so

I played it and he was right the string players a lot shuffled after I played each time television everything then we had and and Garrett had played the introduction to this solo in it that he played but no one with the string players love it when you play softly if you may think if you’re sensitive you can play softly the string play so that’s how you get points in the orchestra playing softly so you need this soft muted for this solo and and and then so we did the recording session and

I think said told me I got there well late I didn’t we’re back in those days I was not conscientious and I was not warmed up and I had to come on my bicycle I took allergy medicine that I had never taken before guaranteed not to make you sleepy so I was kind of like hype and so in sweet sort of looks it

I thought we would start off with some movement but no we started with the night music so well over there then and so I played it and I messed it up and give me air played the call and I played the answer to not long no then we did it again and I miss a different note and you know and so

I think said because we had already done the concerts and they were all they went really well and and hiking said well why don’t you go back where you were sitting during the concert it was always really good then and and so I said we’re going back there and Garrett Caron said it’s not because where he was sitting and no one paid any attention so he said a bit louder it’s not we had this like and it can’t it kept carried away when then we had this argument then we played it again and you know he was he accused me of missing the notes on

Purpose just to mess him up you know and then so we played it again then and he missed a note we just was very rare but he must’ve said okay was that on purpose and you trying to mess me up you know so if the first one player is like messing with you you have to defend yourself and this was an extreme situation but it was in front of the whole

Orchestra and this was like and I’m just really glad that things are have since those days those like 20 years ago very harmonic and we work together and try to get a good result in this section but it was really stressing back then make sure you can mention frustum names because GERD is no longer with us but

I guess all of you guys I don’t is a great player but he was sometimes just really difficult to deal with did you ever meet him down did you ever meet yeah was he nice to you it was very nice to me I’m nice to my wife Mary who was playing 8th and bottom Wagner tuba Bruckner and every time he saw her he would sing you know

I just have to add to this Garrett had his negative signs but we had also a lot of really fun times together I do not want to cast him in a negative light he was in so long we had a lot of good times and this was one of the bad Alex is shoveling whatever back to the subject gets like it was a first roll player but back to the third one’s because we’re about to sign off in a second and um

I just I just want to give give everyone watching who’s who’s you know our home player friends who are watching just some third horn pearls of wisdom because we’re all here you guys are my third one heroes I’m really sorry ain’t a me Joe just texted me she’s still in the meeting and she’s probably wasn’t supposed to text but she says lots of love to everyone and we’ll have to do another one with her there but she’s really sorry she she couldn’t make it but hi to everyone a third third horn pearl of wisdom if you had a student come to you and say

I want to be a third horn player Wolfgang what would you tell them I think I knew what you’re gonna say no what would you tell them no I wouldn’t recommend anyone to try to be a third horn yeah but what say somebody really wanted to do that someone said okay I don’t want to be first thrown

I can’t really do it then I would tell him just do it just try to do it but I try not not to too to charge someone for playing low horn - third home first turn because especially as a horn player most of the stuff is going on in the whole section so you need everybody to be as good as possible as trying to do the same musical way to sound the same like like the rest of the group so

I don’t see any difference except that the first horn players they earn more money but good answer very very very good answer did you tell them no you should be a first one because I mean we play concerts and opera and I remember a time we had in one week we had rehearsal for Salome and rehearsals for

Gotterdammerung and rehearsals for Mara 3 so we have with the Saturday afternoon subscription concerts we played Mara 3 afterwards we went to the Opera and played Salome the next day on Sunday we have the subscription concert at 11 Milo 3 again and the same day at 5 o’clock we had got the demo so it was pretty fun that’s going back to what you see

Lenny about not having an assistant on 3rd horn that’s like that is the other changing and aunt having an assistant and is it their own you you have to stay because we have three first turns but only two third ones Wow Dan do you find it more tiring now playing third one having had an assistant the last six years yeah that would be my advice as has been said that you want to play third horn be prepared to work hard yeah totally

I think being horn is a tricky like balancing act I think a really really good piece of advice given to me before I started in the other so from my teacher and Jeff Bryant well it says my internet connections unstable because okay - to know we can hear you we can hear you for you but I was told to remember that many not many horn players have been sacked for not being able to play loud enough but many have been sacked for not being able to play quiet enough

I found very interesting is that they don’t pathol yeah I’ve got to do the heavy lifting but you have to also be prepared because you have to play those yeah one thing that’s really important is - you have to be able of these notes like e d F F sharp G you know you have to be able to enter those know those in like completely alone that’s the thing that’s what you get paid for as a third one player you have to be able to hit play those notes and play them softly or loudly whatever and accurately and it’s a matter you know those are

The things that you know Brahms symphonies that’s what one has to do is a third horn player one has to write that’s an effort it’s much more fun that’s very true absolutely you guys you guys centered if you really have it in your lips and your air then it will you will be able to play it on the

F for the B flat one or whatever well I don’t high F Warren sometimes it can lose hot overtones and and and you know the short of the tube the more generic the sound so it’s I really appreciate that Wolfgang playing things on the long F horn it’s a very characteristic horn sound I must have no choice hey

I admire the Vienna horn sound it’s always been an ideal for me so cheers to you both here’s to the V anyone I admire all of you guys and I must say I’m so some of the highlight concerts I’ve had have been sitting next to some of you Michael this summer the last summer and Tanglewood for John

Williams sit next to you for that was just amazing Wolfgang our quartet concerts in in Japan where your colleague forgot his trousers and had to wear mine for the concert yeah you remember that one Jose I missed you when you were at the Berlin Phil but next time you come back I will be there Stefan I love playing with any

Alexes with some great concerts with you and Dan many years ago but but still I remember with my time with you guys I was in the back though I was like 20th horn and mala whatever it was that we were playing Leland II we still have to play together here as well I hope that happens soon I hope we’re all just gonna play the the the best thing if there’s anything good about this kovat time is the fact that we can actually meet like this because we never would have normally would we we would have waited

Tony what for but thank you so much really I mean you guys don’t go away we’re gonna we’ve got to go offline now because Paul Jakob our webmaster I told him 45 minutes and it’s like we’ve gone way over that but thanks so much Matthew just wrote and Jeff Brian amazing musician yeah he really was doesn’t he he still is a wonderful person and a wonderful horn player musician but a wonderful person and yeah yeah

I think really like a pedagogue that’s where the way I would describe Jeff well all of you are thank you so much for joining us thank you for joining us on the horn hangouts on Monday we are having a natural horn hangout with three absolute legends Anthony Halsted Tony Halstead Anika Scott and Roger Montgomery who are three

I think v3 three of the top natural horn players in the world and I don’t know much about natural horn Alex do you approve of that choice I look I think there’s been uploading these her playing these ridiculous sort of gallery studies everything crazy I’ve never met her but I can’t wait to meet your money so if anything 3 p.m. on

Berlin time 9:00 a.m. New York Times so yeah so all of you can actually get up for that so that wish you guys all the best yeah yeah cope will say will turn off the stream say goodbye to all of you on the horn hangouts and hey we got to do a selfie don’t forget the selfie okay oh by the way you guys there’s a prize for the best selfie today what we do dan you’re probably very confused by this you could smile or if you have a horn or you are good can

I show you look at this there are I’ll eat one of its important hangouts a horn hangout um horn hang on apron Stefan door did a cooking horn hangout and I made him one out of out of a t-shirt so and everyone wanted them so we’ve had them made and I thought they’ve just arrived and so I thought

I’d modelled them so for the best selfie today you’re gonna get an apron if any view of any of you guys would like an apron I’m more than happy to send you one I mean my guess not everyone online the best and the most creative selfie today gets a horn hangout apron all right so we’ve got Jose you’ve got your wine know you’ve got your yeah what are you got to show us there we go okay ready one two three smile see

I can hear all those screenshots going chick tick tick tick tick all over the world I wonder what we’re gonna get today we’ve had horses guinea pigs country gars you name it okay Stefan what was that imposter you put you’re gonna play us out how about that everyone play their favorite low a ver third one excerpt and

Yaqub can turn it off when he’s had enough thanks for joining us everybody here we go [Music]

Horn Hangouts are created by Sarah Willis of the Berlin Philharmonic. Brassbanned is a proud long-time collaborator and streaming partner.