The Newcomer

Over a period of 25 years Herbert had made his position in the orchestra and in the music college secure. Where the trombone was concerned he was the unchallenged expert in the large German-speaking city whose symphony orchestra was one of the country's cultural treasures.

But things had not been easy for Herbert. The war had interrupted his studies and it was not until 1949 that he was able to perfect his technique at music college. The post-war period was hard. People had to learn to get by. Having lost his best years, he had to work hard to acquire a solid technique. He did paid work wherever he could get it. Germany was trying to recover her cultural appetite and orchestras were being formed without any social or financial foundations. The German musicians were few, the foreigners not yet drawn to what was to become the German economic and cultural miracle. It was easy for Herbert to get a job in the renowned symphony orchestra which was then being reconstituted. His section-mates were mostly old musicians who had returned to the work or others less shrewd and less gifted than he. He was the unchallenged solo trombone in his section, respected by the other members of the orchestra, by the permanent conductor (who was a pain in the neck to many of the other principals) and by guest conductors. He had been offered the job in the music college — that went without saying — and in 25 years he had probably trained a hundred or more students.

Apart from the Ravel "Boléro" and two or three other repertoire pieces with perilous passages he approached his work with serenity and calmness and with a pride which many of his colleagues envied him.

In 1983 Walter, his faithful second trombone, retired. This departure troubled Herbert deeply. His other three colleagues were nice but crazy, settled in their beery and musico-bourgeois ways. They did not play very well but that did not worry them. Walter made up for all that; he was faithful, devoted and reliable.

As for Herbert, he calculated that he had six years to go before retirement and he wondered anxiously who would be sitting beside him during these last years.

The auditions were held in June. There were 58 applicants from 17 countries (in 1951, when he had auditioned, there had been four!). He was struck by these young players' skill, virtuosity and amazing standard.

To decide between the two short-listed candidates (both impeccable!) the organisers asked Herbert to give them some orchestral excerpts to sight-read. He walked uneasily on to the platform and put the first part on the music stand. It was read voraciously, straight through, without difficulty.

Not bad for a second's job, he thought. What are these two doing here? They're too good. They would only have to apply for a first job, somewhere else.