There are famous role models such as the 12 cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, which was founded in 1972. Is there a connection to the repertoire?
BN Of course, a lot of things were initiated by the Berliners. But there is also a long tradition of composing cellists that goes back much further. Boccherini, for example, often wrote for two cellos in his chamber music. The Schubert Quintet is also a famous example. Bernhard Romberg, Julius Klengel, all these cellists composed original works very early on. So I suspect that this complacency on the part of cellists is historically conditioned ... (laughs). And we have just given two masterclasses in the Netherlands. It turned out that there is still a treasure trove of over 80 original compositions for cello octet from the 20th century lying dormant there. I hope that we will be able to revive some of them. But in our case, there are also promising new impulses from our own soloists. Paul Handschke arranged Dvořák's cello concerto for solo cello and four cellos for his diploma when he was still a student and an intern with us. I played in his graduation concerto. We still perform this arrangement very often and are explicitly invited to play it at concerts and festivals. Paul really has a great talent, his arrangements are marvellous. And Christian has put together the programme for our new project, which he does very well. It's simply a great cello group with incredibly good musicians. We've been talking for years about the fact that we should actually do something about it.
CP There are more and more good orchestras with established cello ensembles. The ElphCellists would be another example. Some are becoming more serious, and that goes hand in hand with the development of suitable repertoire. Overall, it's a process of growth. I think that fits in perfectly with our cello group, especially as it really does harmonise well and is quite balanced. We've just got a new member, Sandro Meszaros, and we're complete again. So it's a wonderful fit right now.
Why is that? What does that mean for the interaction in the orchestra?
BN The appeal of this line-up is that everyone has to play something really demanding individually. That is a challenge. And in the context of an orchestra, it's important that the young colleagues in particular feel this appreciation from us who have been there for a long time. In the ensemble, we play as equals. They are heard and appreciated. And last but not least, the fun factor is simply enormous.
CP Competitive would be too strong a word. But it's about distributing the voices well and evenly. It's not about some people always playing in the lower range and others always being able to make a name for themselves. It should be fair. But that's already the case in most well-set pieces anyway. That's important. And when there are twelve of us playing without a conductor, we have to function solely through contact. This is a win-win situation for us as a group, which we can transfer from chamber music to the orchestral context.
Is this really still chamber music? Or is there someone who leads the group?
BN It is chamber music, but with a plus. And in terms of leadership, I believe that this is distributed quite appropriately among us due to the respective personality structure. There are colleagues who like to express themselves and others who are more reserved. There is actually no hierarchical thinking in chamber music. Everyone is important because only he or she has this voice to play. This also means that everyone sees the piece from a completely different perspective. And then suddenly there are middle voices that you want to bring out. In my view, this in turn speaks strongly in favour of arranging symphonies, for example, for such a formation. With works that we know very well, we can bring out completely different things.
CP I'm already curious to see how this will work out in practice. In such a large group of twelve, you need some kind of structure. One of the twelve Berliners once said in an interview: The most important thing he had learnt was to think carefully about when to say what and whether it was really necessary. That's true, of course. Because the rehearsal time is manageable. BN Play more, speak less! That's always a good thing. And I'm personally very sure that this project for the cello group will also have a positive impact on the orchestra. We musicians are sensitive animals. You don't just want to swim along, you want to be part of this project. The appreciation and being challenged kindles a certain fire.
