Three orchestra principals blow out the ARD flute final
NewsTomorrow’s final round of the closely-watched ARD competition will be fought out tomorrow between three young musicians who are already employed by leading orchestras.
Yubeen Kim, 25, is principal flute with the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra.
Mario Bruno, 25, is principal with the Kassel State Orchestra.
And Leonie Virginia Bumüller, 27 plays in the NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover.
It’s not clear what difference winning this competition will make to their lives.
Good training to orchestra upgrade…
That’s a a little demeaning don’t you think?
So violinists Akiko Suwani & Viktoria Mullova, for example, win 1st prize at the Tchaikovsky Competition & embark on flourishing solo careers. Wonderful!
But flutist Matvey Demin wins 1st prize at the Tchaikovsky – the exact same competition – & he gets “good training” for an “orchestra upgrade”?
Sorry, that’s a serious double standard.
If the Tchaikovsky Competition had an exclusive Triangle (as in the percussion instrument) Division, would this mean that the first prize winner is now comparable with Suwanai as a musician? I’ve personally played in chamber orchestras with Suwanai. Since we happened to be on the same stage, does this somehow elevate my status? Hell no!!! People like her are giants in this industry…true geniuses…we should feel honored that we are even in the same building let alone performing with them. But of course you would need to know a little something about music in order to understand that! Matvey Demin is “just another flutist” who had a good day. Would the general public rather listen to Suwanai or Demin? I think they have already given us their answer. Have a problem with this? Well find some planet in the universe where flute is more popular than violin.
You’re judging “true genius” based on the instrument someone plays? Yeah, that doesn’t work.
Of 2 first place Tchaikovsky winners, one is a genius because you’ve played with her & she plays the violin. The other is not because you haven’t played with him & he plays the flute.
Right.
“what difference winning…will make”
A better orchestra.
As for a solo career, today, wind players can just forget about it.
There is no more market in the standard repertory (not even for Galway, paradoxically because he succeeded so well in recording the entire repertory).
These days, one has to do magic with one’s instrument in order to break through, like what Martin Frost does with his clarinet, and find a unique angle, like Martin Frost doing kletzmer music.
Martin Frost became a conductor.
I’m not sure I’d call it that.
LOL best statement on the arts:
“It’s not clear what difference winning this competition will make to their lives.”
Why? Norman makes a good point: They all have good jobs, better jobs than any flute “soloist” is likely to have. This won’t get them a better orchestra job, as they’ll have to win an audition for that. But it’s still interesting to see three top young pros go at it.
how about: they still have the motivation and drive to learn an insane amount of repertoire for the competition and play a job at the same time? that, to me, is inspiring.
What’s telling here is that world class players who are well qualified for solo careers are holding orchestra positions. Solo opportunities for these young musicians just don’t exist.
Maybe it’s time for artist agents and audiences alike to go beyond their comfort zone to include more instrumental soloists who are not just pianists and string players. Encourage chamber music programming which includes winds, percussion, brass.
And for any musician aspiring to an orchestral career: take a look at these 3 ARD finalists. When you’re out there taking orch auditions, this is who you’re competing with. Players of this level need orch. jobs to survive. They are capable of much more, but those opportunities just don’t exist.
Imagine being a violinist & having to compete against a young Anne-Sophie Mutter for an orchestra position. Or you’re a cellist & Yo Yo Ma auditions because he needs a job, too. Recent winners of major international flute competitions are, almost to a one, holding orchestra positions. Because performance wise, that’s pretty much the only way they can make a living.
Naive question: is a life as a solo musician necessarily preferable to a life as a tenured member of a good German orchestra?
The ultimate dream is to have both like Pahud.
On one memorable occasion, I had opportunity to address a single question to bansri artist Hariprasad Chaurasia, who has raised the art of flute playing to previously unimagined levels transcending genre, querying him as to whether it was more difficult to play slow music or fast music. Hariprasad gave a wonderfully magnificent reply, with a deep sigh stating how both were monumentally difficult to execute properly, including mentioning breathing and delicacy for Alap (slow music), and technical mastery for Drut Gat (fast music) among other pertinent qualities demanded of both extremes.
http://azuremilesrecords.com/546pageand59329notemusicodyssey.html
How sad to read so many times over that in the end it all bogs down to winning a job, a career, or making money. As if that was the ultimate objective of music, and competitions.
ARD and other major competitions are like the Olympic Games. It is not enough to “do well” in a craft. One must outdo self and the established realm of possibilities.
Jobs will follow. Career and money too, of course. But the real test for these top flute players is seeing who can withstand the pressure and reach up to the truly superlative. Music – and art – are their own reward. I wish them much success.
Headline is misleading. Leonie B is not principal but second flute. Easy to find out on Google if you bother to take the time.
Yes, but now the flute community is abuzz with speculation as to where we might see her as principal flute!
An invitation as guest principal, a promotion, a new orchestra? It will be interesting to watch how her career takes shape now!