‘Make mistakes to find your own musical path’ - Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt’s life lessons

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My ‘cello father’ is most definitely David Geringas. I first met him when I was 15 years old during a masterclass. I remember playing the slow movement of Haydn’s D major Concerto, after which he said, ‘It’s very nice, but now play a C major scale.’ And I didn’t know how to do it! My previous teacher had taught technique only through repertoire. And so, when I became a student of Geringas a few years later, he gave me all the technical equipment I needed.

At the time of this masterclass I don’t think I was better than other cellists my age, but I soaked in information quickly and had an urge to improve. Geringas picked up on this. The most important thing is that musicians are always interested in improving themselves. I learnt everything from Geringas, and what stayed with me most is how he taught us to be independent. While he would explain technique in a detailed way, he would also throw us in the deep end and force us to find our own way.

Geringas was from the Rostropovich school of playing, so when I myself started taking lessons from Rostropovich it was in line with that style. That said, Rostropovich would never play his cello and concentrated much more on the music. He was a great influence and really was my idol. As a consequence I tended to copy his playing at times. Luckily, during my time with Aldo Parisot in New York, I received very wise advice about this. He told me: ‘You’re a good player, but no one wants to hear a second Rostropovich. But if you’re lucky, people may want to hear the first Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt.’ He encouraged me to make mistakes to find my own musical path. And I’ve found that ever since, many so-called ‘failures’ in my life have been blessings in disguise. When you make mistakes, you also make discoveries.

When you make mistakes, you also make discoveries

I’ve been lucky to take on many roles in my career, including as a section principal, soloist, teacher, conductor and chamber musician. And while everyone must choose their own path, I would encourage young musicians to be open and accept chances. You must also recognise when something is a great opportunity. I also believe it is vital to have other things in your life that are important to you. It helps to put your music into perspective. There may be moments that are frustrating with your daily practice routine, so in those moments it might help to do something else to refresh your mind and then return to your instrument with new enthusiasm.

Of course, we all aim for some kind of ‘success’ and it’s nice to be successful, but the real question is: ‘What is success?’ Is it to play 100 concerts a year as a soloist, to play chamber music possibly in small venues, or maybe to teach children? That is a question that only you can answer.

INTERVIEW BY RITA FERNANDES

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