15 Questions to the Tecchler Trio
TobiasHi! How are you? Where are you?
Very well, thank you! At the moment we are sitting on the train to Augsburg, where we will be playing a concert at the “Mozart-Fest” tomorrow.
What’s on your schedule right now?
After tomorrow’s concert we will head back to Switzerland for another concert in Appenzell on Friday. Then we’ll have some sort of a “Trio-break” until we’ll play our debut concert at the “Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele” on June 9.
If you hadn’t chosen for music, what do you think you would do right now?
Esther: No idea...maybe something with German literature or biology?
Benjamin: I’m not sure, maybe I would have studied history or I would do something with computers...?
Maximilian: Abitur... what I would have done after that I have no idea...
What or who was your biggest influence as an artist?
Benjamin: Probably my first real Piano teacher with whom I studied between the age of 15 and 22: Adrian Oetiker.
Esther: Old recordings...
Maximilian: I studied with Eldar Issakadze for 7 years (between the age of 9 and 16) and I think he influenced me the most.
What’s the hardest part about being a musician and what’s the best?
The hardest part: TO KEEP PRACTISING!
The best part: Being able to do exactly what you want to and presenting great music to the audience!
What’s your view on the classical music scene at present? Is there a crisis?
There is definitely an image problem. A lot of – young? - people think of classical music as something very sophisticated and boring. There shouldn’t be any kind of fear that makes them stay away from concerts. Classical concerts can be very exciting and fun, if they’re not, then it’s probably the performer’s fault... or then it is bad music being performed.
Some feel there is no need to record classical music any more, that it’s all been done before. What do you tell them?
A CD shows an interpretation of a piece. Every artist is different, and so is his or her way of playing a piece. Music used to be played differently 50 years ago, and if there would be no Cds recorded any more just because they have already been recorded, people in 50 years wouldn’t know how it’s played today. There’s a reason why great music wants to be played again and again, otherwise you might also ask why the same pieces are still being played in concerts.
What constitutes a good live performance in your opinion? What’s your approach to performing on stage?
In a good live performance the artist should perform in a way that the audience gets the impression that there is no other interpretation possible in that very moment. In order to get there the artist needs to know what he wants to do with every note of a piece, and feel the music so it becomes part of him.
We all try to be as well prepared as possible in order to then be able to let go in the performance.
What does the word “interpretation” mean to you?
Finding a way to express the composers intentions in our own “words”.
True or false: It is the duty of an artist to put his personal emotions into the music he plays.
True
True or false: “Music is my first love”
Stupid question, because loving a person is completely different from loving an art.
True or false: People need to be educated about classical music, before they can really appreciate it.
False
You are given the position of artistic director of a concert hall. What would be on your program for this season?
A lot of chamber music; Great artists, chosen by their musicmaking and not by their fame; Good contemporary music put into a context with older repertoire; Combination of music and dance or music and acting; More vocal music.
What’s your favourite classical CD at the moment?
Benjamin: Chopin, 4 Ballades with Krystian Zimerman
Esther: Schubert, Piano Sonata in B flat major with Alfred Brendel
Maximilian: No preference at the moment...
Have you ever tried playing a different instrument? If yes, how good were you at it?
Esther: Piano (mediocre) and Viola (very, very bad...)
Benjamin: Violin (very bad), Recorder (no better), Percussion (acceptable) and French Horn (parallel studies together with piano until my first diploma).
Maximilian: Violin (too long ago to remember...) and Piano (very mediocre).
Discography:
Tschaikowsky & Ravel Piano Trios (Ars Musici) 2005
Homepage:
Tecchler Trio