Six concerts in seven days—the Konzerthaus Orchestra, Principal Conductor Joana Mallwitz, and soloist Alice Sara Ott are on tour from Hamburg to Linz and from Nuremberg to Cologne. On the program: Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 and Mahler’s Fifth.
 

We have three concerts behind us and three ahead of us—we flew from Hamburg to Linz early Thursday morning. On a travel day like this, there’s no concert in the evening, and Friday also gives everyone some free time until the dress rehearsal that night to stroll through the old town with its Baroque main square and winding alleys and let their gaze wander over the wide Danube. The athletes among us go for a jog, while hikers and those eager to swim head out into the surrounding area for a few hours. “We’re really in the south now,” our Italian social media manager, Eleonora Gelmetti, notes with delight.

Our first concertmaster, Sayako Kusaka, has also more than earned a break. Since 1898, the little Pöstlingbergbahn has been rumbling from the main square past the music academy, groves, and meadows up Linz’s local mountain. We hop on, because we’re on the hunt for the one and only, original リンツァートルテ— in other words: Linzertorte! It’s been available since 1929 at the Jindrak pastry shop, which cleverly secured a spot for a branch with a view at the top of the mountain, right next to the Baroque pilgrimage church. And as is always the case on tour: other orchestra members have the same idea.

“What’s nice for me is that I have the opportunity to chat with many colleagues for longer when we’re traveling together. We rarely have time for that in Berlin,” says Sayako. “And it’s always fun to try local specialties and discover little shops.“

“I love Mahler in general because he manages, in such a brilliant way, to evoke the greatest emotional expression. The way he uses every single instrument and pushes it to its limits. It’s like oversized chamber music, in which every detail interlocks to form a grand whole. The fourth movement of the Fifth Symphony moves me particularly with its incredible intimacy and, at the same time, expressiveness. It is, after all, intended as a love song.

I would write a love song like that for my wife, too, if I could. Fittingly, the harp plays a central role, and our daughter plays the harp, so the movement has a very personal significance for me.

But it is more than a love song. In it, Mahler captures the cosmic aspect of love; everything transcends the purely human and enters into the eternal. That’s obvious, because I believe all of humanity longs for love, needs love. The Bible even says: God is love. As a Jew, Mahler would have known the words from the Song of Solomon: ‘Set me as a seal upon your heart. Strong as death is love, a flame of God.‘ (Song of Solomon 8:6).”

Which aspects of the months-long preparation for a tour are the most labor-intensive?

In the early stages, it’s the logistics. I have to carefully review all route options and make decisions about transportation based on that. If there’s no concert agency, I also handle bus and hotel arrangements. That involves a lot of coordination—every schedule has to line up. Right before the tour, there are hotel lists with name changes, the check-in procedures and the question of when the rooms will actually be ready have to be clarified every single time anew. Our soloists may have different hotels, itineraries, or needs than the orchestra. That means planning the whole thing all over again for one person.

What experiences have you gained over the course of the seasons?

(Laughs). For example: Right up until the very last moment, when we arrive back in Berlin, something can still happen that you can’t prepare for in advance So you still have to stay focused. You have to have a lot of trust in the musicians, the bus company, your colleagues at the venue, and your own preparation. Also: Don’t give up! And: There’s always a solution for everything. 

What was a particularly emotional moment for you during a tour?

Saying goodbye to our colleagues at the Japanese agency who managed us on the 2023 tour. We worked together very closely on the same projects for days on end and had an unspoken understanding that we would do everything in our power to make it happen. You’re already overwhelmed by all the sensory impressions in a distant land. And when you say goodbye, you don’t know when or if you’ll ever see each other again. 

What are you most looking forward to when you’re back home after a week of hustle and bustle on the road?

My family and my own bed, because air-conditioned hotel rooms always start to get on my nerves after a while. 

After five concerts in six days and a train ride from Nuremberg to Cologne—which, due to detours, took two hours longer than planned—none of us are feeling as fresh as usual. A shower at the hotel, a nap, and ramen at the restaurant around the corner—which we already know from previous trips—aren’t always enough. Art is an effective “elixir of life” for her, says cellist JaeWon Song: “It helps me clear my head after this exhausting trip so I can focus on tonight’s final concert.” Fortunately, the Museum Ludwig is right next to the Cologne Philharmonic Hall. A good hour was by no means enough for JaeWon and violist Peiyi Wu to view all the works on display by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama in detail, but it was enough to delight them among polka-dotted pumpkins, mirrored rooms, and endless inner landscapes. “It felt so good to briefly immerse myself in this world,” Peiyi says happily. And from there, it’s only a few meters to the dress rehearsal.