Bruno Delepelaire and Máté Szücs in conversation with Sarah Willis (17 min.)

As the Berliner Philharmoniker are a collection of outstanding virtuosos, every concert where a member of the orchestra appears as a soloist, is looked forward to by audiences with eager anticipation. In June 2014, Semyon Bychkov conducted this concert which in addition to Schubert’s “Great” Symphony in C Major, included Richard Strauss’s tone poem Don Quixote, in which the tragicomic hero of the title is portrayed by the cello, and his servant Sancho Panza by the viola. The solo parts were taken by Bruno Delepelaire and Máté Szücs, two young musicians who already hold leading positions with the Philharmoniker: The Hungarian Máté Szücs is principal viola and has been a member of the orchestra since 2011, while the French Bruno Delepelaire moved directly from the Orchestra Academy to principal cellist in 2013. In an interview with horn player Sarah Willis, the two musicians talk about their view of Strauss’s symphonic poem and perform some of the sound effects the composer created for the musical characterisation of his heroes.