Berliner Philharmoniker Trumpet Section

[Derek Reaban]

Berliner Philharmoniker
Principal Trumpet Players

Start-End________Name

2004-Current_______Gábor Tarkövi
2000-Current_______Tamás Velenczei
1973-2004_________Martin Kretzer
1974-1998_________Konradin Groth
1951-1974_________Fritz Wesenigk
1950-1986_________Horst Eichler
ca.1944-1949_______Karl Rucht
1943-1945_________Adolf Scherbaum
1927-1943_________Paul Spörri
1913-1925_________Richard Stegmann
1894-1940_________Otto Feist (Principal until 1926)


Web Site: Berlin Philharmonic Trumpet Players


Current roster for 2005-2006:
Gábor Tarkövi - Principal
Tamás Velenczei - Principal
Martin Kretzer
Thomas Clamor
Georg Hilser


All names and dates in this list provided by Hendrikje Scholl of the Berliner Philharmonie GmbH


Return to the Table of Contents
for the Project:
Historical Trumpet Sections of
Major Symphony Orchestras
_________________
Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

[Billy B]

Wasn't Bob Platt in there somewhere?
_________________
Bill Bergren

[JohnCage]

Remember it's "Principal" Trumpet Players.
_________________
Scherzer 8211 Bb
Scherzer 8111 Hoch Bb/A (Blackburn leadpipe for A)
J Michael CT-470S
Curry 3BC, Breslmair G2, JK Exclusive 5WA, Curry 2TF, Bach 1
Yamaha Custom 14a4a GP, 15E4
Wick 3B (cornet)
Amati ABG-291A, Naumann S Model

[Derek Reaban]

Bill,

Thanks for asking the question about Bob Platt. I found him listed in many different web sites as Principal Trumpet of the Berlin Philharmonic. In fact I had him on my list as Principal for quite a long time until I read his ITG interview from 1993 where he describes playing principal with another orchestra in Germany (sorry I don’t have the CD-ROM available right now to tell you which one). He mentions being in his 40s when he auditioned for the Berlin Philharmonic and he said that the age of the section was such that they accepted him (typically they only audition young players for Principal and then they move to a section part later in their careers). He was very fortunate to audition for a section position and win it. It’s a very good article, and I hope you can find a copy to read for yourself.
_________________
Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

[Derek Reaban]

Online Articles about the Berliner Philharmoniker Trumpet Players

Robert Platt and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra: An Interview with Arno Lange
Reference Only
by Arno Lange From the December 1993 ITG Journal

Exemplary Orchestral Excerpts from the German Repertoire
Reference Only
by Konradin Groth, Arno Lange, & Joachim Pliquett
From the September 1992 ITG Journal

Konradin Groth: German Virtoso
by John Irish From the March 2001 ITG Journal

Adolph Scherbaum – the man who rediscovered the baroque trumpet
by Josef Bayer
_________________
Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

[jotrpt]

Hello,

as for Bob Platt, he was - prior to his Berlin Philharmonic position -
principal trumpet with two German orchestras, Opera and Concert Orchestra Dortmund and Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne (under
Günter Wand). See

http://www.uwec.edu/brasscongress/trumpetconference/artists.html

for a bio.

Best, Jochen.

[Derek Reaban]

Jochen,

Thanks very much for directing me to that web site. I have been there before, but I couldn't remember where it was last night when I was trying to find the references to the orchestras where Bob Platt was principal trumpet.

I have added this bio to our folder. I'm certain that someday I will add section players to our list and it's good to have this information available.


Thanks again!
_________________
Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

[John Mohan]

This is rather strange. My understanding is that Robert Platt was the Principal player in the Berliner Phil - and I was studying with him right there at the Philharmonie at the time (it is down the street from where my Theater was when I was working on Disney's "Hunchback of Notre Dame" (oder "Der Glöckner von Notre Dame").

Gerd Siefert, who was the retired 1st Horn from the Berliner Phil was playing in our Pit Orchestra for Hunchy, and he introduced me to Mr. Platt whom I studied with while preparing to audition for the Radio Symphony Berlin. Gert described him as the "Solo Trompetenspieler" for the Philharmoniker which when translated means Principal Trumpet Player. This was in 2001 or early 2002 and at the time Mr. Platt was still with the Phil but waiting to retire as soon as they could find an acceptable replacement. Perhaps he had been a section player but was playing Principal in the last few years before he retired. I didn't ask him personally - I always assumed he was the Principal player since that is how he was introduced to me by another Principal player in the Berlin Philharmonic.

Sincerely,

John Mohan

[John Mohan]

One thing I will point out that might help clarify things for Stateside players: In German Orchestras they almost always have two full-Principal Trumpet Players. It's a nice cushy job, as they both get full pay but get to divide up the work 50/50 between them.

When I auditioned for the Radio Symphony Berlin, it would have been a dream job - half-time work for full time pay! Unfortunately, no one was ever hired from the auditions for that spot. With the economic woes of Berlin, they are getting by with one Principal Player, a gentleman named Lars Ranch - great all around player - he was one of our top-call subs on Hunchback of Notre Dame (and had the spare time to do it since for a while he had a co-principal helping him out at the RSB until the co-principal didn't pass his Probezeit and get tenure, hence the reason for my opportunity to audition).

If you look at the Berlin Phil Website, you will see the name of one player as Principal, and then the letters "N.N." listed also as Principal. "N.N." refers to the german words for vacant position (can't remember the exact words - I'm rapidly loosing my Deutsch). As of when ever their Website was last updated, the position that I believe Bob Platt had before retiring was open - it has since been filled I think by the player listed in the first post, Mr. Tarkövi.

Cheers,

John Mohan

[Derek Reaban]

John,

Interesting comment about the N. N. listing at the Berlin Philharmonic web site. I had wondered what that meant. I’m assuming that “N. N. Principal” in this case would be Martin Kretzer’s chair since he moved to a section position beginning in the 2004-2005 season.

Have a look at that 1993 ITG Journal interview with Bob Platt where he describes auditioning for a section position. I’m assuming that once a principal trumpet, always a principal trumpet, though. I’m certain that he sounded marvelous in any role that he played in that section, but from a pure “book-keeping” perspective, he acknowledges that he auditioned for a section position and the records at the Berlin Philharmonic do not show him in the Principal chair.

Thanks for your posts!
_________________
Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

[gus]

I don't think that Bob Platt was officially 1st trumpet.

For the last 30 years the principals ( they have 2 ) were Martin Kretzer and Konradin Groth. They were replaced by Gabor Tarkovi and Tamas Valenczei respectively. Martin Kretzer didn't resigned but he is not solo anymore. Perhaps Bob Platt acted as principal before the new solo players were hired, considering that Groth left in 1998.

[jotrpt]

Hello,

Gus is right, Valenczei and Tarkövi are the successors of
Groth and Kretzer, respectively, where M. Kretzer ist still
in the section. As far as I know, it was actually the retirement of B. Platt that gave Kretzer the possibility to
move to the section so that his principal position became
open then. It is filled by Tarkövi since this season, why there is still the "N.N." on the web side I don't know...
What I know quite for sure is that B. Platt never filled the
position of the principal, also not temporarily when Groth
had already left and Kretzer was the only principal. I lived
in Berlin and visited many concerts at that time and can state that either M. Kretzer was playing 1st or they had some substitute who was tried in the course of the audition process for Groths succession. When T. Valenczei was finally selected, he and Kretzer shared the position as usual before.

Jochen.

[JohnCage]

Where is Tarkövi right now?

I found that recently the other solotrompeter is empty according to BPO website.

It's very strange that I've heard nothing about it (in TH).
_________________
Scherzer 8211 Bb
Scherzer 8111 Hoch Bb/A (Blackburn leadpipe for A)
J Michael CT-470S
Curry 3BC, Breslmair G2, JK Exclusive 5WA, Curry 2TF, Bach 1
Yamaha Custom 14a4a GP, 15E4
Wick 3B (cornet)
Amati ABG-291A, Naumann S Model

[Derek Reaban]

JohnCage,

I received a message from Hendrikje Scholl at the Berlin Philharmonic at the end of October related to the current and historical trumpet sections, so the information in this folder is more up to date than the web site. Martin Kretzer moved from one of the Principal chairs to a section position at the end of the 2003 – 2004 season. Gábor Tarkövi was appointed to this position beginning in the 2004 – 2005 season.

Roster for the 2003-2004 Season:
Tamás Velenczei - Principal
Martin Kretzer - Principal
Thomas Clamor
Georg Hilser

Current roster for 2004-2005:
Gábor Tarkövi - Principal
Tamás Velenczei - Principal
Martin Kretzer
Thomas Clamor
Georg Hilser


Thanks for the question.
_________________
Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

[guenni-trumpet]

[Jordan Ku]

[John Mohan]