Speaking of the Olympics – high-performance sport music
Speaking of the Olympics – high-performance sport music
“No music is worth anything if you first have to tell the listener what is experienced in it, what he has to experience. You have to have ears and a heart and – last but not least – willingly surrender to the rhapsody. A bit of mystery always remains – even for the creator.”
Gustav Mahler
At the moment we are informed daily about the top sporting performances at the Olympics, but did you know that there is not so much separating musicians from high-performance sport?
As with sport, music-making also requires top physical and mental performance. Fast fingers, long breath, maximum concentration on the conductor and notes – always at the same time, please… and of course a lot of stamina, as an opera can last two and a half hours….
As with top athletes, who always try to be in top shape for the Olympics “on the dot for the decisive day” in order to be able to perform at their best, musicians also have to constantly push their physiological limits. And the following applies to both: minimal health “disturbances” can significantly impair the performance to be delivered and therefore always lead to the profession being put at risk.
There is hardly any profession in which it is always possible to check immediately whether the quality of the service is right – and mistakes cannot be corrected! I can think of surgeons in particular… This permanent quality control also leads to permanent psychological stress, because if I lose quality, I’m quickly out of a job.
Photo – Orchestra rehearsal © Mariella Weiss
Above all, we should not forget hearing damage, which is the second most common cause of retirement after orthopaedic problems. We in the audience enjoy the harmonious coexistence of the composition, but those sitting in front of percussion or brass instruments have a completely different sense of hearing….
And as far as conductors are concerned, the heart rate, which is around 80 at rest, rises continuously over the course of a concert and then reaches 165 beats per minute over a longer period of time – depending on the length and intensity of the piece, it can be an hour or more! A marathon run, on the other hand, seems like a leisurely affair to me, because the emotional strain is enormous: responsibility for the musicians, constantly supporting and preparing, driving and slowing down, always keeping an eye on the score, at the same time keeping an eye on all the musicians so that the entries are coordinated, and the enormous pressure to be perfect, because that’s what the audience expects after all.
Photo – Orchestra rehearsal © Mariella Weiss
This weekend we can look forward to Gustav Mahler’s 5th Symphony, and Mahler always demands top performance! In his symphony, of which Mahler himself said: “The Fifth is a cursed work. Nobody captures it.”. But it is about the world, especially the inner world. From a funeral march to a cheerful children’s song, from a lament to a confession of love to his future wife Alma, everything is included and it is not for nothing that it is considered the most popular of his symphonies.
After so much emotion, we can then enjoy George Gershwin, with the special treat of Chinese star pianist Haiou Zhang, who is very familiar with venues such as the Elbphilharmonie, the Meistersingerhalle in Nuremberg and the Leipzig Gewandhaus, to name but a few.
Dear audience, when you experience Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 and the lively melodies of George Gershwin on Saturday, when our festival orchestra under the direction of Cornelia von Kerssenbrock once again performs the tender and powerful sounds with heart and soul for our enjoyment, then remember – when the last note has faded away, everyone has actually earned a gold medal! Your applause, these are the musicians’ gold medals!
And so I wish you endless joy and enjoyment at this great concert! See you on the hill….
Yours sincerely, Christiane Berker
Photo – Orchestra rehearsal © Mariella Weiss