One in Seven: Robert Rother, Mnozil Brass
Hi everyone, and welcome to the latest edition of the Brass Band Hog Blog. This time it's something a little bit different as I have had the opportunity to spend some time chatting with a musician who will be recognisable to all of us: Robert Rother, trumpet player with the world famous Mnozil Brass.
I have been a huge fan of Mnozil Brass since I first saw their Bohemian Rhapsody video on YouTube. From the moment I saw that, on a slightly grainy, early model iPhone, sitting on my mates sofa I was hooked. I now have all their DVD's and have seen their live performances. When I first reached out to Robert over Facebook I did so with no real expectation that he would even respond. When he did, I couldn't pass up on the opportunity to spend time putting these questions to him - and it has been a real privilege.
In his initial response to me he asked who I was, and had we met before. He didn't say if he remembered, but we have met before some years ago when Mnozil were in the UK. They were catching an early morning train into London after their gig the night before and happened to be in the same carriage as me. I couldn't believe my good fortune and wasted no time in starting up a conversation with them. As a group they were so down to earth, happy to give me their time and pose for selfies. It was evident that nobody else on that train had any idea who these people were - or why I was so excited. But that didn't bother me one bit. Now, several years later, and thanks to modern technology, we've been able to catch up again and chat about his early days as a brass player, his career, the pandemic and, of course, Mnozil Brass.
A little bit about you
BBH: Robert, thank you so much for taking part in this BBH interview. Firstly, could you tell me a little bit about yourself please?
RR: I was born in Melk (Austria) and started my music career when I was 8 by learning the recorder. This was also an additional postgraduate study that I did after finishing my trumpet degree at the University for Music in Vienna in 1991. So, in total, I collected 3 Degrees in Trumpet, Instrumental Education and Education for Recorder.
BBH: Who and what were your early musical influences and playing experiences?
RR: As with most of the Austrian brass players I joined the wind band in my hometown when I was 10 years old. My first experiences with trumpet music were listening to recordings of commercial players like Horst Fischer or Walter Scholz. Later I listened to recordings of many wind bands such as the Centralorchestra Prag, or Bands like Morawanka.
Your Musical Career
BBH: Could you describe your musical journey?
RR: The journey took me to many different places very early, because I had many possibilities to practice my hobby between the age of 12 and 15 years. I played in different bands as a substitute, I had engagements for funerals, military celebrations or concerts with different formations and I also played in musicals.
When I started my studies at 15 years, I immediately got jobs in different Symphony Orchestras like the The Vienna Symphony Orchestra, ORF (Vienna Radio) Symphony Orchestra, The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and many more. With Mnozil Brass I found a home where I can bring in my strengths and take music only as seriously as necessary!
BBH: Here in the UK you are most well known for being a member of the incredible Mnozil Brass. Outside of this though, how is your time spent?
RR: After my degree I immediately started my job as a music teacher and conductor of the Stadtkapelle Mank in Mank (Lower Austria) where I met the Schagerl family. The music company 'Schagerl' now (many years later) provides the brass instruments for Mnozil Brass. At the moment I work as the Director of the Wiener Neudorf Music School, where I also work with the wind band “Lyra” as their conductor. My favourite 'waste' of time though is at the tennis court.
BBH: As we’ve already touched on, as well as trumpet you are also a proficient woodwind player – can you tell me more about this?
BBH: What is it about teaching that you enjoy?
RR: I enjoy helping other musicians who have problems for example with their embouchure or breathing. I also like to educate young students and watch them grow and develop.
BBH: Can you give an insight into your personal practice schedule? What was it like as a young man and how has it evolved throughout your playing career?
RR: In my youth I practiced an hour a day, mostly by heart and some technical stuff. When I started my studies, I practiced up to 8 hours a day for a while, but maybe, that was a bit too much…. And I'm still trying to recover from this period!
Music Teaching
BBH: Whilst peripatetic teaching and individual tuition is of a good standard, here in the UK music and creative arts teaching in mainstream education is not always given the priority and funding it needs. Vienna is famous for producing some of the greatest musicians in history and Austria is known for its conservatoires, but what is ‘grass root’s music teaching like? What could the UK learn from Austria in this sense?
RR: I don't think there is anything to learn for the UK. It depends on the economy; in Austria each little town or village has its own music school and funding which is part of the Austrian culture. The big support of musical education by the government is really great.
BBH: On the other hand what, if any, experience do you have of University Level teaching here in the UK. How does it compare to that of Austria?
RR: In my opinion it’s very different. The style of playing brass is a little bit different to the Austrian and German style and there are different ways to learn an instrument as a child. The UK has extremely good musicians, who are very famous and well-known in the rest of the world. A big difference is the brass band scene, which is actually not popular in Austria, but very important in the UK, so that the UK is able to present the best brass groups in the world!
Current Events
BBH: Based on your recent social media posts you are passionate about current, real-world issues such as coronavirus and the environment. Do you believe you have a responsibility to use your status/platform as a force for change? Can your position as a musician be used to share a different message to a wider audience?
RR: Probably not more than any other person using social media. The Covid crisis divides society in a way I never could have imagined. And I believe I am the opposite of a V.I.P., who maybe is able to influence a small amount of people. In this case we all are just fellow travellers with very different views on the crisis.
BBH: It doesn’t need me to say but the impact of Covid has been, and is being felt keenly around the world. Here in the UK, amateur playing such as brass bands have really felt the impact and the Government has had to intervene to ensure professional arts venues and theatres are not forced to close permanently. How have music and the arts been impacted on the continent? Do you think Covid will have a lasting impact on music, and do you think it will be a negative or a positive one?
RR: I think the impact is similar. In Austria we also had to stop amateur playing and hardly any concerts are allowed. I don’t want to be negative, but of course the lasting impact is and will be gigantic! Not only is it unclear which and how many concert agencies will survive but also how people will start to enjoy and consume the arts again. To me it seems that we are moving into a new age of dictating rules, less democracy and a completely new social behaviour. Things which were accepted yesterday are inconceivable today. More than ever before, the mainstream media and social media platforms play a very important role in this crisis.
The shutdown brought many challenges in teaching but it also showed, that teaching has no borders. By switching from in-person teaching to online I can reach interested students no matter where they are. And as mentioned before, I enjoy supporting and coaching trumpet players on their musical journey.
Mnozil Brass
BBH: What are some of your highlights from your time with Mnozil Brass?
RR: There are so many highlights, it’s not possible to pick out one of them. Playing in front of 50,000 people at the “Rathaus” in Vienna was as exciting as playing in Portugal in a small and ugly concert house in front of 300 unbelievably growling and frenetic people. Other highlights were the short 20 minute concert in the Royal Albert Hall in London, and to win an Austrian comedy award “Salzburger Stier”. The uncountable talks with fans are very fulfilling for every musician’s heart.
BBH: Conversely, with the time taken by touring and rehearsing there must be an impact on your ability to have a personal life – how do you separate the two?
RR: Traveling around the world for more than 25 years was very hard and sometimes boring. It’s hard to leave home while your young children stay home. But, children grow up and it seems that travelling will be greatly reduced in the future.
BBH: As a group, how much time goes into the preparation for your tours, your programme and your stagecraft. Do you utilise the skills of a choreographer and how has the group's approach to performances and tours evolved over the years?
RR: We are used to preparing a new show in strict rehearsing sessions. Sometimes we invite other artists and professionals to support our work – for example a choreographer or a director. During the touring season everyone in the group is obliged to show up well prepared but everyone has his individual practice routine to ensure that.
BBH: When you are on tour, what do you as a group and as individuals do to relax when you’re not performing?
That is very diverse and we all have individual rituals, for example: running, cold water challenges, sleeping, social media and of course the only really relaxing activity – playing tennis!
A bit of fun
BBH: If you were given the opportunity to meet a famous musician (player or composer), past or present, and ask them just one question, who would it be, what would you ask them and why?
RR: Of course W. A. Mozart and I would invite him to join me at a 21 century tour through the concert halls and music classes and movies and radio stations and so on, to see how durable his music is. The question I would ask him …. Hmmm…. Maybe what his best joke was…
BBH: If there was to be a film made about Mnozil Brass, and you were placed in charge of casting, which seven actors would you cast to play the seven band members and why?
RR: We have discussed this in our group! There are many actors I would select like Sean Connery, Robert Redford or Steve Martin maybe even Arnold Schwarzenegger would be an option Rowan Atkinson would be fun to see or Daniel Craig, Sir Ben Kingsley or John Cleese (he might even consider doing it)… I think it would be a very long but fun discussion among us seven about who should be casted for whom!
To wrap up
And with that, it leaves me to thank Robert for taking the time out of his extremely busy schedule to participate in this interview. It's clear that as well as being a world class trumpet player, the sheer amount of teaching Robert is involved shows him to be a passionate musician dedicated to bringing through the next generation of players. He also comes across as extremely humble when it comes to discussing his own skills. I was particularly taken by his tale of learning all the other brass and wind instruments in order to ensure his pupils had some specialist teaching.
The other standout for me was his choice of question for Mozart. I can honestly say that's not something I would have thought of at all, but I'd be very interested to know the answer!
I'm now off to binge watch my Mnozil DVD's (who needs Netflix!) and strongly recommend anyone who has never seen this awesome group, to check them out on YouTube. Thanks again Robert for taking part, and I look forward to seeing you and Mnozil Brass back in the UK once life has settled down again.
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