Back Page: Six Horns

As Cleveland Orchestra musicians prepare their long-awaited return to Severance Hall, we asked the six members of the horn section what it feels like to H R N S come together for the fi rst time in more than a year, what they’re looking forward to, and about their notoriously Q: What was it like this summer at Blossom to come together diffi cult yet rewarding instrument. as an ensemble for the fi rst time in over a year?

PHOTO BY ROGER MASTROIANNI

PHOTO BY JANE MEDORO Jesse: Having been away for 477 days (I counted), the anticipation had certainly built up. Returning and gathering as an Orchestra again was an amazing feeling, like making a full recovery after a bad injury. It is very nice to feel artistically whole again, and to be sharing our art with our audience.

Nathaniel: To say that our fi rst rehearsal back was incredibly special would be the understatement of the century. The rehearsal began with Copland’s Appalachian Spring, which opens with a clarinet solo, played beautifully by Afendi Yusuf. I remember Jesse and me looking at each other and sharing this silent moment that we were just so grateful to be back!

Alan: I had actually considered retiring during that sixteen-month ‘Covid hiatus.’ Sitting in the middle of the exquisite beauty of that fi rst piece during the fi rst rehearsal, I was EXTREMELY grateful to be there.

Rich: I think we all were very excited to be back at work and playing together. Nervous, as well, at least for me — was wind playing without masks going to be safe? But, after such a long time, it was absolutely wonderful.

Q: What will it be like to return to Severance Hall this fall? What are you most looking forward to? Hans: The start of the fi rst full season in Severance in two years will be incredibly special. I don’t think we realized how much we’ve missed our audience. I was extremely touched when we returned to Blossom on July 3 for the fi rst concert of the summer and the audience — even those seated on the lawn — stood up and gave us a standing ovation. It made my spine tingle. Coming back to our audiences at Severance Hall will be extremely powerful.

Nathaniel Silberschlag

PRINCIPAL George Szell Memorial Chair

Michael Mayhew

ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL Knight Foundation Chair

Jesse McCormick

Robert B. Benyo Chair

Hans Clebsch Richard King

PRINCIPAL EMERITUS

Alan DeMattia

Nathaniel: I am so thrilled to be back at Severance Hall for the upcoming season. It’s a long-awaited return! This is probably not a surprise, but as a horn player I’m so excited to be playing so much Richard Strauss in one season. I’m really looking forward to my fi rst time performing Till Eulenspiegel with Franz conducting.

Alan: I had originally planned to retire in January 2022. But in discussions with the Orchestra’s chief artistic offi cer, Mark Williams, who was a horn player himself, he pointed out some interesting projects with Franz Welser-Möst after January. So together we decided that those Sibelius and Bruckner performances would be meaningful and agreed to delay my retirement.

Jesse: Schubert’s Symphony No. 9 was the very last piece the Orchestra performed before the pandemic shutdown in March 2020. Not knowing when we would be able to perform together again, the Orchestra poured every ounce of soul into these performances. For this reason, Schubert Nine will always be special to me, and I look forward to performing it this season at Severance and Carnegie Hall.

Q: What do you love most about the horn? Hans: The sound. That was the reason why I wanted to play the horn. In fourth grade, we were given a choice of an instrument to play in band, and I thought the sound I was hearing was coming from the trombone. Luckily, I discovered its true source.

Michael: The sound of the horn is probably the thing that attracts most of us to this instrument.

Alan: I love both the physical horn and the sounds that it makes. Over the course of my career, I have had the chance to purchase several old and neglected horns that had once had professional potential. Buying them and having them rebuilt has been a pleasure. A few of these have seen service at Severance Hall or in chamber music settings!

Q: What is the most challenging aspect of playing the horn? Michael: The horn is known as an instrument on which notes are easily missed or cracked. I think that’s something most horn players would rather not focus on.

Jesse: Math: 2+2 = 4 Horn: 2+2 = usually 4, but not always. Good luck!

Rich: The horn has a gigantic range. High notes, low notes, and everything in between. This makes it challenging to play the whole range evenly.

Q: What else are you looking forward to this fall? Nathaniel: In all honesty, football season! I won’t divulge my true allegiances, because it would come as an unpopular opinion here in Cleveland, but I will be rooting for the Browns to the best of my ability when I can. I’m all in on the Guardians though!

Rich: Time with family, time with my Cleveland Institute of Music students, LOTS of cycling.

Michael: It will be nice this fall to spend time with family, especially during the holidays.

Jesse: The cooler weather and everything that comes with it: changing leaves, sweaters and scarves, vibrant coff ee shops, backyard fi res, soups, stews, and baked goods, etc. The list goes on and on. We all yearn for a new season, a normal kind of fall. Let’s be hopeful, and thankful.