Our principal horn Ivo Gass on his performance of Mahler's 5th Symphony.
"Mahler's Fifth Symphony is always a new experience for me as a solo horn player. The first horn part runs through the work, the third horn takes over when the so-called corno obligato begins in the scherzo – the famous horn solo. I have hardly played a work more often in my career; it remains demanding, also technically. I performed it for the first time during my time with the Munich Philharmonic under Michael Tilson Thomas, and a short time later under Claudio Abbado. Mahler's Fifth with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich in the Suntory Hall in Tokyo with our former conductor David Zinman is particularly memorable for me; in the first part Shostakovich's First Cello Concerto with Yo-Yo Ma, in the second part Mahler's Fifth, twice famous literature for horn players.
Despite my experience with the work, I will probably have stage fright. It's part of every musician's career. It's important for your personal constitution to recover between weeks of intensive work, for example when we record Mahler on CD. Just don't catch a cold! But now it's time to discuss my position in the room with Paavo; it's important for my preparation, especially mentally. The strangest moment is when I suddenly stand up and change my position for the solo part, because 99 per cent of the audience think – what's wrong with him?"
Recorded by Melanie Kollbrunner
