Berlin Philharmonic has a new horn
OrchestrasThe Estonian horn player Paula Ernesaks has passed her probation period and is now a pwermanent member of the Berlin Philharmonic. Her response: ‘My first thought was that the next 40 years of my life are already mapped out and that I will spend them with a dream job.’
Also qualifying for tenure in the Berlin Phil are two Slovenians – clarinet Matic Kuder and bass clarinet Andraž Golob.
Competition for Sarah Willis
But she will never manage to feature on a original soundtrack album by John Williams like Sarah did recently.
who cares about a few notes in a minor cue in some really bad and shallow Hollywood flick?
It wasn´t an original soundtrack album.The original soundtrack albums of the films were played by other orchestras,i.e.studio orchestras,the LSO and,in two cases,the Boston Pops( Schindler´s List and Saving Private Ryan).
Saving Private Ryan featured the BSO, i believe.
Well, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” does have an original soundtrack album, and Sarah Willis was part of the studio orchestra for this and is credited at the end of the film (and in the liner notes of the album).
That’s a pretty sexist comment. There is plenty of room for all women who qualify. They are not in competition with each other.
Sarah Willis is a low horn specialist. I doubt she’s wanting to move up chairs. She’s very good at what she does.
Paula is also a low horn player. The wonderful Berlin Phil horn section has 8 members- 4 high and 4 low. Needless to say, they don’t compete with one another. At the moment the section is only missing a second Principal Horn, for which auditions have [again] been announced.
They play together in a section.That´s how an orchestra works,especially a world class orchestra
How does the lady know she will still be there in
40 years time.
Why would she move jobs? There is no better orchestral section for horn than the Berlin Philharmonic. Assuming she enjoys good health for the next 40 years, she’ll stay there until she retires. Some people have enough sense to know when they have it good.
some musicians have left the
BPO.
Rarely, yes
Who knows! –Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans…
She’s tenured. She leaves only if she wishes to.
Great news! I wish her well playing in one of the best horn sections on the globe.
There is another new horn, her colleague László Gál: https://www.berliner-philharmoniker.de/en/news/detail/ernesaks-gal-golob-kuder/
40 years of playing “Glücksspirale”…Good luck!
The name Ernesaks rings a bell…
It sure does – especially with Gustav preceding it.
Andraž
Old news – Paula has been a permanent member of the BPO since April.
Congratulations to Ms. Ernesaks and the BPO.
That is what great orchestra do: they give tenure to outstanding musicians, to remain great.
Small orchestras, on the other hand, kick their best musicians out, while giving jobs to family members, pupils of friends, and confer meaningless titles to unethical conductors, even as they bleed 40% of their audiences compared to pre-covid levels.
Should I remind you that the same BPO refused tenure (or in your words ‘kicked out’) to the same principal horn who was then hired and again refused tenure by the CSO?
French horn rated second hardest instrument to play. I should know…I play jazz on one.
Which is the hardest, Robin? Every note is hard on the horn. I have tremendous admiration for horn players. They have nerves of steel.
The violin is in my experience the most fraught with difficulties, both aurally and physically with the very different demands on each hand and arm…
That definitely explains the huge dropout rate of string students who realise that those long hours of practice alone will be the routine for the rest of your life.. The violin is merciless!
I thought this was a myth put about by horn players so they can charge absurdly inflated fees for a few minutes worth of B minor Mass!
Must been very long probation period? Berlin Phil already in December of 2021 announced her as new member
https://www.facebook.com/155862318493/posts/we-are-beyond-happy-to-announce-that-the-wonderful-paula-ernesaks-from-estonia-j/10158642893298494/
Not that long. Audition was in December 2021, she probably started somewhere March/April 2022 and I read somewhere that it was already known in April 2023 that she became a permanent member. So probably a one year probation period, which is common.
You already covered this back in April…
https://slippedisc.com/2023/04/berlin-philharmonic-confirms-two-horns/
How about we just all say congratulations and Bravo!!!
Thank God someone to take the spotlight from Sarah.
What a mean-spirited comment. Who cares about the spotlight? What’s it to you? Plus, there are men in the horn section too. Why focus on the other woman?
Gustav’s (great-) granddaughter?