Meeting with Ib Lansky-Otto

When Ib Lansky-Otto recently paid a visit to Brass Bulletin, it seemed the right moment for an interview. The outstanding Scandinavian horn player is not only principal horn of the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, but is also widely respected as a teacher of the horn. First and foremost, however, Ib is a musician.

His answers to our questions were therefore not simply spoken — they were almost sung, illustrated by gestures and animated by the expressive play of his face and eyes. A personality like his cannot easily be captured through a few questions and then fixed on paper.

After our long conversation, Ib finally said:

« You cannot explain music — you simply have to play it. »

That was the end of our so-called interview: a fascinating discussion, of which only these four photographs of an extraordinary man remain — and four rather unimportant questions.