«It's one thing with my solo assignments, sometimes it's a kind of love-hate relationship. With me as a solo flutist, there are always exposed passages, which of course gives me musical pleasure. Basically, there is very little that can get in the way of this joy. My own mood is important. At the moment I'm feeling very well. But if you're in pain or physically unwell, solo performances can be exhausting.
Of course, experience helps. Meditate, visualise the hall. Putting your feet well on the floor, feeling the backrest, all that calms you down. And I work on my breath. Because if the breath is too shallow and the heart beats loudly in low registers and at the same time in quiet passages, then you are at the mercy of the nervousness that passes directly to the sound. For example, in Ravel's ‹Boléro› or in Debussy's ‹Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune›, there are such delicate moments.
What is basically good for me is my ritual. Before the concert, I go to sleep and then take a shower. Always. That way I go on stage rested and fresh, as if every concert is the pure new day where everything starts all over again and everything is possible.»
Recorded by Melanie Kollbrunner
Translated with DeepL.com
