Bruce Weinstein is also known as “The Ethics Guy.” I consider him a friend and enjoy and approve of his work. He has a blog which I recommend you visit, favorite, and return to often.
And now he has a new book called, The Good Ones: Ten Crucial Qualities of High-Character Employees. You can get it on Amazon, here.
His theme is that character is critical to success but…
Meet the Musician: Bruce Weinstein, Principal Oboe
This interview is from April 2012
GETTING STARTED
Q: What drew you to music and specifically the oboe?
My father loved music and was an influence early on. Aside from playing numerous instruments, he always kept the classical music radio station on. I started first on the piano, but wasn’t crazy about it. I later tried the saxophone and clarinet, but the vibrations bothered my teeth. In junior high, the band needed an oboe, and I drew the shortest straw among my peers, determining my fate to play the oboe. I was a natural, picking up fingerings and the embouchure within 15 minutes.
Additionally, I regularly watched Bernstein’s young people’s concerts on TV. After seeing the oboe in the Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall (where I saw nearly every major U.S. orchestra), I thought, I really want to play like that.
Q: How did you pursue your music?
I auditioned for New England Conservatory at the age of 16 and was accepted into the class with Ralph Gomberg, Principal oboe of the Boston Symphony at the time. However, I ended up studying with Ralph Gomberg’s brother Harold, the Principal oboe of the NY Philharmonic, at the Manhattan School of Music (Harold Gomberg’s schedule at Julliard was full, where I was also accepted).
After working in orchestras in Indiana and Michigan, I landed the Principal position with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. When asked about moving to Israel, I say that living in Michigan and Indiana was already like living in another country for a kid from New York. My Audition process took one day; Bronfman was the soloist of the orchestra my first night, quite a turn around.
Q: Music is usually a hobby for people, what’s your hobby if music is your career?
I like to read, be outside, walk in nature (particularly during the changing seasons), and exercise. I have three kids, (ages 32, 30, and 15) to whom I devote most of my free time.
FUN WITH MUSIC
Q: Where would you tell someone to start who was curious about music but had no significant musical training or experience?
I highly recommend Leonard Bernstein’s young people’s concerts (which you can find on YouTube): this is the stuff people will get interested in, if Bernstein can’t interest them in classical music, I don’t think anyone can; expose yourself to as much material as possible. There is also a good classical music station in Israel.
Q: What are your favorite solos and composers to play?
I favor French (Berlioz, Debussy, and Ravel) and German (Beethoven, Brahms, and Schumann) repertoire because these composers write pieces that show the oboe’s full potential, that of its singing quality and color range. Some pieces include Berlioz’s Romeo and Juliet, Brahms’ Symphony no.1, or Schumann’s Symphony no. 2.
Q: Do you have a favorite guest performer or conductor? If so, why?
Kurt Masur: he is one of a kind and has a long and happy relationship with the orchestra. Masur is a man committed to music – not performance, or show, but to the music and the details of the music and what makes the music communicate a particular idea.
Aside from favoring the “old school of conductors,” such as Riccardo Muti and Lorin Maazel, I like Vasily Petrenko - he’s wonderful, he did something that to me was remarkable by making banal accompaniment into a piece of music. The IPO has been fortunate to get the best conductors and soloists, which I believe to be one of Secretary General Avi Shoshani’s many achievements.
AS A PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN
Q: What are some of the challenges of your instrument?
Even with the perfect reed and instrument, oboists are still going to have problems. At least my instrument, a Laubin, is designed for more stability, and even then one needs a decent piece of cane to make a decent reed. My first teacher George Tudor, one of New York’s most popular freelance musicians, advised: “you have to know how to make your own reeds.” Ralph Gomberg said his brother [Harold] was always trying to make a perfect reed, whereas [Ralph] wanted to make a reed he could use, an attitude I share. I never feel I have a perfect reed and I don’t want to look for a perfect reed, it doesn’t last, just make as many as you can; the more you make, the more you learn to make it play how you want it to.
The oboe is a difficult instrument from which to get a special sound. I was attracted to Harold Gomberg’s playing because, from an instrument that was not known to be colorful, he got an array of sound out of that thing – he could take my instrument and my reed and could make the same sound on his own. I always pushed to get that singing quality, which very few people can emulate.
Q: How do you prepare for a solo or concert?
I learned from Harold and Ralph Gomberg to practice again and again and again and again. All the parts and solos were on music stands in my teacher’s apartment, one must always be as prepared as possible. I also suggest trying to find something new and interesting in an excerpt - we all get stuck in a routine, but we have to try to find some little blaze of excitement that wasn’t there before to help keep it fresh.
Q: Can you hear music the same way as an audience member even though you’re so highly trained?
I inevitably can hear differently; however, audiences, whatever level of sophistication or music appreciation, can always see when a performance is not real. When people burst in applause, it is because they really felt something, whether their level is the same as a professional’s doesn’t matter. The true essence of music is communication – you are communicating a musical idea, the composer is using you as a vehicle to express his idea, he wanted to give his idea to express himself about something, and people will know if the performance is connected or not.
Q: How do you keep it fresh when you play numerous concerts of the same pieces?
(Immediately with a chuckle) That’s hard. When the orchestra played Shostakovich’s 10th Symphony 11 times day after day, or the Franck D minor Symphony 14 times – there is no way anyone can pretend that night after night will be as great, we’re all human, how you feel, what happens . . . it is very hard to keep it fresh, but we keep going and certain conductors can convey enthusiasm that motivates us. It takes real teamwork.
ABOUT THE IPO
Q: What do you find special about playing with the IPO?
From the beginning this was a different ball game – this orchestra was so important to the public with all the strife and stress that Israel has gone through over the last 63 years, which is not diminishing. People need something spiritual for their souls, emotions, and to come and lose yourself in a concert for two hours is important as potentially the only respite from day to day life. Audiences emerge into another world listening to live music. The importance of a live concert cannot be understated, and the orchestra understands and capitalizes on that by trying to make audiences feel they’re valued and that we need them.
The IPO represents the country, and the orchestra tries to give an impression of Israel that is lacking in the media. The orchestra travels and plays on the world’s stages, which is a good vehicle to demonstrate a side of Israel. In this way, the IPO carries with it great responsibility.
TALKING TO FUTURE MUSICIANS
Q: Advice to aspiring musicians?
(Jokingly) Give up! One must be completely passionate and committed. There is no perfect way to do an audition, but you’ll have exactly 2 minutes to show them that you’re the person they should consider for the job, to show them you’re something special. The audition process is much more rigorous and competitive nowadays.
The style of playing today is very accomplished, though something is missing, the old NY Philharmonic personality, that something special that comes from the past, the traditions and styles that they brought to create something special, is missing in music today more than anything else. Ultimately, aspiring musicians must bring an indefinable personality into their music.
You want to achieve a good level of consistency, which is very difficult to do, so you have to be good to yourself. You have to say, I will do the best I can and if I feel I did the best I could and it wasn’t perfect, it’s ok. If you beat yourself over every note and attack and phrase, then you won’t make it. You can’t subject yourself to this stress level all day long every day. It is not a license to play badly, but be good to yourself.
Having just flown in from Tokyo after a tour, the orchestra had a three hour rehearsal followed by a one hour break. I was gone, I couldn’t control myself and I was very annoyed at myself, but what could I do? Half the orchestra fell asleep on stage. After the concert, Kurt Masur shook my hand and said "bravo,” but I said, “not for today.” Masur put his arm around me and said, "a musician of your ability doesn’t have to apologize, I know what you went through today." It taught me a lot – these great musicians see something in you that you don’t know, just as Harold Gomberg always had the same standard for me as for himself. That says it all, doesn’t it? Forget that I’m a student, a kid, have no experience – forget all that, I was expected to push myself to be like him because I could do it. And at the end of the day, we do the best that we can.
Harold and Ralph Gomberg were two of the 20th century’s greatest oboists, as well as teachers – I still have supportive letters from their correspondence over the years.
