"The New Year's Eve concert will be my last time as a clarinettist with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich. I started here in 1983, shortly before the opera and Tonhalle orchestras became independent. At the beginning of the nineties, the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich went through a difficult phase without a chief conductor. I was about to return to the UK, where I had been offered a position with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Fortunately, I decided to stay, because David Zinman became our chief conductor in 1995. I will always have fond memories of the many recordings I made with him.
I am only retiring at the age of 66 because we wanted to create a stable situation in the clarinet section. We are delighted that our new colleague Calogero Palermo has recently been confirmed. It also means I can play with my lovely wife Antonia Siegers for another year.
Zurich will remain my main place of residence, but I will be travelling to my Scottish homeland more often and picking up the golf clubs more frequently. And apart from that: bagpipes, mountain climbing, barbecues, baroque music with recorders and learning to cook better. Maybe I'll travel to the Himalayas again, which have fascinated me for a long time.
I feel very privileged to have been able to practise my profession in such a beautiful concert hall for so long. I will miss it and the stage. And of course the many colleagues. A great team!
In my very last concert, I'll be performing Brahms' Clarinet Quintet - my favourite chamber music work and the perfect end to my 41 orchestral years."
Recorded by Katharine Jackson
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