Interview
1. Your trio is named after Adolf Busch, a late violinist not universally known. What in particular about him that drew such inspiration that you decided to name the grouping after him?
We named the ensemble after Adolf Busch primarily because of the violin Mathieu plays on, which is a 1783 Guadagnini instrument previously belonging to Adolf Busch. Adolf Busch was a hugely important musical figure in the beginning of the 20th Century, being the first to record the late Beethoven String Quartets, performing a huge amount of concerts, to in 1933 renouncing his German citizenship and continuing to perform in Switzerland, UK and the USA, where he was also one of the founders of the Marlboro Festival.
2. How at did you meet and what point did you decide to form the grouping?
had known each other for quite some years already, we met during our studies in London, and in 2012 we decided to form permanently as a piano trio.
3. Do any of your families have musical backgrounds?
None of our family members have professional classical music background, although we were exposed to music in several ways, Omri’s and Ori’s father having played jazz saxophone, and Mathieu’s parents having met through folk music.
4. You are Winners of the 2012 Royal Overseas League Competition, London. Can you tell us what pieces you performed and the atmosphere at the time?
We were still a very young group and went in without too many expectations, however we were very happy to reach the finals. There we played Haydn Gypsy Rondo Trio, MacMillan 14 Little Pictures and Mendelssohn Trio no. 1. We were extremely delighted to win obviously!
5. You seemed to have had rave reviews at the recent Wigmore Hall appearance. What pieces did you perform and how did this accolade feel like?
We performed Schubert Sonatensatz, Beethoven Ghost Trio and Tchaikovsky Trio. It was an honour to play at Wigmore Hall to an absolutely packed house, and to then get the review afterwards, was a great encouragement for us to continue working the way we are.
6. Who would your dream accompanist be?
As a piano trio one doesn’t often have an accompanist unless we would play the Beethoven Triple Concerto. However if we could have a dream, The Berliner Philharmoniker with Bernard Haitink conducting.
7. How often do you practice?
In general we rehearse a lot, in periods around concerts practically every day.
8. You recently completed the prestigious ChamberStudio Mentorship Programme. Can you tell us more about this programme and how you benefitted from it?
Being part of the ChamberStudio Mentorship Programme gave us the opportunity to learn from several great teachers. Our mentor was Richard Ireland who guided us musically and practically throughout the year, and we also had several lessons with people like Shmuel Ashkenasi, Ralph Kirschbaum and Eberhard Feltz.
9. You are currently receiving guidance from members of the Artemis Quartet at the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Brussels. Can you tell us how it feels to be mentored by these masters?
The Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Brussels is a fantastic institution. It gives us the opportunity to rehearse, perform and try out at their incredible facilities, as well as receiving guidance from the Artemis Quartet. We see them monthly and their advice is extremely valuable, them being one of the greatest chamber ensembles of today.
10. How do you balance your social and professional obligations and keep a sense of balance? What are the biggest sacrifices?
Luckily we are great friends as well as colleagues. This means that we also share a lot of our social life together. It always takes very careful planning, but when we are not rehearsing, we enjoy watching football together, cooking, and cycling.
11. What advice would you give to music students today aiming for a professional career?
Take as much time to prepare for things, and try to prevent jumping into ventures that you are not ready for when you can control it. With today’s opportunities available through social media and advertisement, a career can develop incredibly fast, but never give up working.
12. Any plans for the future you would like to divulge?
We would very much like to record our first CD with the trio in the very near future.
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