Vienna Philharmonic’s Chairman on The Orchestra’s Vast History, Upcoming Hong Kong Concerts

How would you describe the Orchestra’s musical DNA?

Beethoven conducted his Symphony No.9 for the first time in 1824, and when the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1842, it wasn’t quite experienced enough to “conquer” this difficult piece of music. So at our inaugural concert we played Beethoven’s Symphony No.7 instead; at the second concert, we played Beethoven’s Symphony No.5; and at the third concert, we played Beethoven’s Symphony No.9. I think Symphony No.9 marked the true start of the idea that our orchestra was gearing towards excellency. Beethoven is our musical DNA. This process just shows how we want to do the best we can for music.

Tell us about yourself. How did you become a violinist?

My father was a musician, so I was exposed to a lot of music all the time. Pretty much from the moment I started, I knew that the violin was going to be my path.

In an orchestra, the violin is the top voice. I love expressing my feelings with the violin. To me, being a violinist is not just about playing at Carnegie Hall or Santorini Hall. Sometimes I play in hospitals on a one-to-one basis. Sharing the music that comes out of me with another person is a gift and my calling as a musician.

How would you describe Vienna’s education system and support for musicians?

In upper Austria, the school music programme is very good, all children [are taught] the trumpet, horn or trombone. Most of our orchestra’s brass players come from that area. They all know each other from when they played in youth music groups, and that friendship lasts into their professional life.

In the generation before me, most kids went into other careers—they aspired to become doctors or lawyers, but not a musician. But what I now see is that many of the children from my generation grew up to be very good musicians. This is nice to see.

What future plans does the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra have as the world slowly opens up again?

After Hong Kong and Taiwan, we’ll return to Austria for a couple more concerts, and then we have our regular Summer and New Year concerts. Next year, we will have our tour to Asia again, potentially to Japan and Korea. I’m sure there will be a little bit of China; maybe Shanghai or Beijing.

“Up-close with Stars” is a monthly cultural series where Tatler spotlights top performing arts talents on their latest achievements and get to the heart of subjects that matter to culture and society.

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