Nicolas Roudier - Historical Horn Player

A lovely photo by Yuichi Yazaki during rehearsal with PastForward Ensemble, with dear Emiko in the window 🥰
In my hands, my faithful Barth in B-flat from c1890. I have played this horn extensively in the past 4 years, mainly in the Wagner Cycles of course but also in Brahms, Paderewski, in solo recitals... And even John Williams. Definitely one of my very best players. This horn is so good that sometimes I think I don't need anything else... Large and free, accurate, terrific high register, and able to play anywhere between 430 and 440. I'm in love with it.

What happens when a dozen of horn players are having a drink at a restaurant's terrace after concert, and one of them start unpacking a horn ?... Others follow the movement... And before you know it, the inhabitants of Bayreuth are enjoying an after-concert horn party in the middle of the street... Captured by photographer Rob Freiberger who was passing by.
With Edward Deskur, Stephan Katte and Stefano Rossi (And Jörg Schulteß turning the pages on the screen 🤣)

***o

Götterdämmerung in Hamburg last week. There is always something mesmerizing about playing in the gorgeous Elbphilharmonie Hamburg ! Acoustics are quite challenging for singers because of the size of the hall; nonetheless, it was a fabulous concert in Elphie and the crowd just exploded. Continuing the horn section photo tradition... this time with the Stierhörner !
We are already half way through the Götterdämmerung production, and it feels like this is going way, way too fast. Luckily the summer break will bring a bit of a breath in this marathon.
Next stop, Köln !

This one mattered a lot to me. Last week, we have played our historically informed Götterdämmerung with Dresdner Festspielorchester and Concerto Köln... in Bayreuth !
Bringing a historical Wagner opera to this legendary place is just like attacking an impenetrable fortress. The Festspielhaus of Bayreuth is where the Wagner festival takes place every year, and it is nothing short than a temple of inamovible tradition. Although we didn't play there, but about a kilometer away in the Friedrichsforum of Bayreuth, the implications of such a bold move are huge ; and while I was not sure what kind of welcoming we would get, the concert was a great success, with a long silence following the last chord, immediately followed by a standing ovation. It was a huge achievement.
But this concert meant more than that for me. I have spent a lot of time in Bayreuth as a teenager, and was fortunate enough to listen many times to the music of Wagner in the Festspielhaus. My love for this music started there. And I remember sitting there, thinking : I will never do this, ever. And there I stood, on that day, after playing the last opera of the Ring, close to where it all began for me. With this concert, a cycle truly got closure for me. I am grateful.