‘Always be truthful and loyal to yourself’ - Maximilian Hornung’s life lessons

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I can still recall precisely when I decided I wanted to be a cello player. I was watching my father play violin in his quartet and was sitting right in front of the cellist. I was transfixed and knew I wanted to do that for the rest of my life. I was already playing the violin and piano at that time, so I had to be extremely stubborn with my mother to convince her to let me switch to the cello!

My most important teacher was probably Eldar Issakadze. I studied with him between the ages of 9 and 16 and actually learnt quite a small amount of repertoire in those years. I remember working on the Dvořák Cello Concerto for a whole year, and sometimes playing only a few bars in a lesson. It was a fantastic approach because it taught me how to be really technically secure. In stark contrast, my next teacher Thomas Grossenbacher flooded me with repertoire. Crucially he also combined this with plenty of performance opportunities. If you don’t have the chance to perform what you learn, you can’t try out new things and gain valuable experience.

We can always find a solution if we are creative enough

Of course I learnt so much from watching David Geringas play when I studied with him. But another thing during that time was playing with his other students outside lessons. It was almost like a cello laboratory: we would exchange fingerings, show each other how we played certain passages and, most importantly, we learnt how to argue. If you know how to do this (politely, of course), you can only discover new things. It brings you closer to finding solutions to problems, which is one of the most vital things to learn as a musician. We can always find a solution to a problem if we are creative enough and never give up. And it is important that you find that solution yourself.

If you decide to be a musician, you must be willing to go through difficult times and always be switched on. I have therefore found it important to keep up my physical and, perhaps more importantly, mental health with as much energy as I put into my instrument.

To have a sustainable career and feel fulfilled, you must always be truthful and loyal to yourself. Don’t be disappointed when things don’t work out. Just keep pushing yourself in a direction that you are 100 per cent convinced is right for you. You must learn to be empathetic with yourself. Even in this fast-paced world, honesty will always cut through.

Finally, it’s very important just to enjoy the beauty of life and gain energy and creativity from this. Whether that’s from a hobby or from concentrating on other parts of your life, I truly believe this will also make you a more convincing and complete musician.

INTERVIEW BY RITA FERNANDES

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