{"id":25896,"date":"2017-05-15T06:10:05","date_gmt":"2017-05-15T05:10:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/eg-reeds.com\/?p=25896\/"},"modified":"2025-02-20T11:42:26","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T10:42:26","slug":"interview-jonathan-kelly-oboe-berliner-philharmoniker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eg-reeds.com\/ja\/interview-jonathan-kelly-oboe-berliner-philharmoniker\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Jonathan Kelly, principal oboe of the Berliner Philharmoniker"},"content":{"rendered":"

Interview with Jonathan Kelly, principal oboe of the Berliner Philharmoniker.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

It is a pleasure for me\u00a0to interview\u00a0Jonathan Kelly, principal oboe of the Berliner Philharmoniker, teacher at Karajan Akademie and Hans Eisler and also member of the Berlin Philharmonic Winds and\u00a0Ensemble Wien-Berlin. I want to thank Jonathan Kelly one more time\u00a0for this interesting interview.<\/p>\n

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How were your beginnings in music \/ with the oboe? Were there more musicians in the family?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was lucky to go to school at a time when musical instrument lessons were free for everyone. \u00a0My first teacher was a clarinettist, who demonstrated on the flute, which meant I felt pretty good about my oboe-playing capabilities right from day one! \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My grandmother was an excellent organist, but she was really the only member of the family who could tell whether I was playing the right notes. \u00a0I used to practise the oboe in the kitchen for hours and hours, because the acoustics there were best. \u00a0My mother was very patient. \u00a0One day, after I had been playing for six months, I finally had a lesson with a \u2018real\u2019 oboist, a girl from the local county youth orchestra. \u00a0She suggested to me that maybe i shouldn\u2019t blow quite so hard. \u00a0That evening I went home and started practising in the kitchen as usual, and I can remember my mother looking over and saying, \u2018wow; that sounds so much better!\u2019 \u00a0That was my big breakthrough, and from then on I never looked back. \u00a0My father had a nice record collection, with a lot of Berlin Philharmonic recordings, and as a teenager I used to say that, some day, i would be solo oboist of that orchestra.<\/span><\/p>\n

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When did you decide that you wanted to be a professional oboe player?<\/strong><\/p>\n

As with most musicians I know, there never was a specific day when I made that decision, it was always clear to me that was what I would do, even though I went to University and studied History. \u00a0The oboe was always my vocation.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Which teacher has influenced you the most?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I loved all my teachers, even the clarinettist! \u00a0My second teacher was a Miss Marple look-alike called Miss Armstrong. \u00a0She was a true representative of the old English school. \u00a0She spoke of line the whole time. \u00a0I even had to play scales for her as if they were part of the most beautiful slow movement ever written. \u00a0My next teacher, Helen Powell, insisted on proper diaphragm support and developing a real \u2018stretch\u2019 in the sound. \u00a0After that came Celia Nicklin, who had such a strong belief in me that it gave me wings. \u00a0That prepared me for my year in Paris with Maurice Bourgue, who challenged me to listen honestly to my sound and my musicality and work out solutions for myself. \u00a0I have been blessed with great teachers, but also learnt much from masterclasses, remembering particularly one by the soprano Emma Kirkby, which changed my whole musical outlook!<\/span><\/p>\n

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What type of oboe do you play with?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Marigaux 901<\/span><\/p>\n

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How were your beginnings at Birmingham Symphony Orchestra? <\/strong><\/p>\n

That was an enormous adventure, to join an orchestra which was riding the crest of a wave with Simon Rattle. \u00a0We toured the world, recorded CDs, TV series, and I was just 24. \u00a0The second oboist was Karen O\u2019Connor, who sadly recently died. \u00a0She was like a mentor to me at that time, and taught me a lot about reeds and orchestral playing. \u00a0The CBSO had a wonderful wind section, we had a great friendly and mutually supportive atmosphere going on.<\/span><\/p>\n

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If you had to highlight an oboe repertoire, what would it be and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner and Mahler \u00a0gave us this incredible treasure of our orchestral repertoire. \u00a0Mozart, Wagner, Verdi and Strauss made the oboe prima donna roles in their operas. And then there\u2019s Ravel, and what about Schumann, the second symphony? \u00a0I could go on all day\u2026It makes me wonder why any oboist would ever want to be \u2018just\u2019 a concerto soloist and not play in an orchestra.<\/span><\/p>\n

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What would you highlight about your work as a soloist with the Berliner Philharmoniker?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Berlin Phil is actually the easiest orchestra in the world to play in, because you are surrounded by such active and committed musicians. \u00a0You feel constantly carried along by a wave of communication and creativity. \u00a0Maybe that is sometimes challenging for the conductor to bring under control, but for me it is heaven!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What is the repertoire in the orchestra with which you feel most identified \/ the one you like the most?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I always used to feel most at home in the baroque and classical repertoire, but as time goes by I really enjoy the romantic repertoire more and more. \u00a0A highlight for me are our annual opera performances in Baden Baden. \u00a0Last year we played Tristan and Isolde, and the oboe part is really extraordinarily beautiful. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Which conductor or soloist has impressed you most?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I am so excited about working with our Music Director elect, Kirill Petrenko. \u00a0I admire how he maintains the attitude of servant to the music, particularly in an age when there is so much hype in the classical music world. \u00a0It troubles me how so many musicians nowadays seem to crave fame. \u00a0Petrenko is not like that at all, he just wants to make the best possible music.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How do you see the music scene nowadays?<\/strong><\/p>\n

As I said just now, there is far too much emphasis on publicity and self promotion in classical music. \u00a0I think the most important thing to do is cultivate your own unique musical voice and put it to the service of the music. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What advice would you give to oboe students to prepare for orchestral auditions? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Know the orchestral excerpts inside out, and preferably by heart. \u00a0Think about the emotional message of each excerpt, and not just the technical challenge. Play with perfect intonation (especially all the Gs in Mozart concerto) and good rhythm, that means practising with a metronome!<\/span><\/p>\n

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What are your future projects (upcoming concerts, masterclasses \u2026)?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I am recovering from an accident in February when I dislocated and broke my shoulder, so my plan is just to get back to oboe playing as soon as possible! \u00a0Apart from the orchestra\u2019s busy schedule, I teach at the Karajan Akademie and also have a small number of students at Hans Eisler. \u00a0I am on the faculty of the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan, this summer, and will be back in Asia in autumn with Ensemble WienBerlin for solo and quintet concerts. \u00a0I am slowly beginning to think it might soon be time to record the Strauss, but we will see\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n