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A viola already in the cradle:
Matthias Erben
Age:
56
Marital Status:
long-term relationship
Residence:
Halle/Saale
Current Occupation:
- Directior of the Academic Orchestra of the Martin-Luther-University of Halle-Wittenberg
- freelance Musician (Violin, Viola)
- Musical Manager et.al. for the Chamber Orchestra musica juventa, the Middle German Salon Orchester and the Johann-Friedrich-Fasch-Ensemble
What was your first, defining experience with music?
Maybe the time when my father played the viola, I supposedly slept very peacefully… that was around July 1955. Otherwise: the beginning of my violin instruction. I was around 6 years old.
What do you find special about your instrument?
Viola: the sound itself is great and the fact that I, as a musician, am almost always at the centre of the ensemble, whether a string quartet or an orchestra. There, I have a wonderful sense of the sound, I'm at the middle of the music. Additionally, J.S. Bach and F. Mendelssohn are said to have enjoyed playing the viola.
What was your most memorable concert experience in Bad Elster to date?
In Bad Elster: always the last thing, that I got to play. With the Chursächsische Philharmonic: playing at the Frauenkirche Dresden on 04/01/2007
To me the Chursächsische Philharmonic Bad Elster is...?
…the musical pearl of the Vogtland.
Which composers do you associate with Bad Elster and/or the Chursächsische Philharmonic?
No particular names, it's more the entire music from the periods of the late Baroque to the early Romantic.
If you were stuck on an abandoned island, which composers would you take with you?
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Sebastian Bach
Why should I go to classical concerts more often?
In order to organise one's thoughts and dreams.
Which credo would you pass on to up-and-coming musicians?
If you want to do this professionally: practice, practice, practice! If music is just your hobby: try everything possible. If you have lots of time: both!
Which question would you have liked to answer?
What will the Chursächsische Philharmonic look like in 10 years?
Mr Erben, thank you for your time!