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Principal Trumpet for A2SO, Bill Campbell, Answers Questions About Preparing for Mahler 5 Solo

By: Apr. 11, 2015
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Q: What was it like to hear Mahler for the first time? How did the distinctive trumpet solo strike you?

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A: Mahler, perhaps more than any other composer, excites my imagination. When I listen to his compositions I feel a visceral connection with the music. There's so much emotion there for the listener to experience. The opening solo in the Fifth Symphony brings a picture to mind of a funeral in the 1800s. I see a horse drawn wagon with a casket on the back. The trumpet plays the part of the tam tam in the funeral procession. At first it's a distant call that echoes in one's subconscious. But as it approaches, the listener is drawn to it's haunting call. The wagon approaches and at the peak of the trumpet solo (F# to A) the listener realizes that the person that has passed was a loved one crying out "My God" at those two notes.

Q: What do you do to prepare for the opening trumpet call of Mahler 5?

A: There are many things that go into preparing for a solo like this and that preparation is years in the making. One of the critical aspects is staying calm and controlling one's emotions. Along with this, many hours of work on articulation, pitch, sound and style.

Q: Describe any rituals that you do before a performance?

A: I've performed this piece numerous times and each has been a bit different. Once on a simulcast performance that was broadcast throughout Europe. This was tricky just due to the cameras and the thought of tens of thousands of people listening. Another performance was outside in about a 90 degree temperature. That one was tough due to the perspiration on my face. All in all, I just try to stay in the moment and involve myself in the music.

Q: What thoughts go through your mind before the first note of the trumpet solo of Mahler 5?

A: I am immersed in the solemnity of the moment and my vision of what the music represents.

Q: How do you choose what texture you are going to play in the different interchanging parts?

A: More than texture, the issue that I am concerned with is timbre and making that timbre fit the emotion and

orchestration that Mahler has created.

Q: There are many directions given measure to measure. How do you interpret and meet the standards of Mahler's direction?

A: Mahler is perhaps the most descriptive composer I can think of. The many directions he gives the musician need to be followed explicitly. At times they don't feel right given what is happening around you in that moment, but for the listener in the audience, Mahler is able to create multidimensional musical experience through these seemingly contradictory markings.

Q: The Fifth Symphony was said to be completed during one of the happiest times of his life but is focused on death-- particularly the opening call of the trumpet. How does the history of this piece affect your performance?

A: The emotional scars that Mahler experienced might not have been open wounds but they are there none the less. His struggles, which were many and profound, shaped him and can be heard in all his music. There are moments in this symphony that I envision myself playing many characters: Hero, Tortured soul crying out to God, Plotting my conquest, In the depths of mourning, Ghost, etc.

Q: Which is your favorite Mahler piece and why?

A: This is a tough question and has changed over my life. I believe that Mahler's Sixth Symphony is one of his most powerful. The answer, however, must be the one I'm currently playing.


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