‘Solo Playing Is Essential To The Identity Of The Section'

For berlin philharmonic first principal bassist matthew McDonald, the search to find his voice as a player has been inextricably entwined with the sound of the orchestra and its emphasis on individualistic playing. In converstion with Chole Cutts, he discusses the elusive processes behind his approach to his instrument.

- Chloe Cutts

In an essay by Seamus Heaney, entitled ‘Feeling into Words’, the Irish poet and playwright explores the idea of writing as a form of excavation, referring to his first poem, Digging, as an example of ‘finding a voice’. He writes: Finding a voice means that you can get your own feeling into your own words and that your words have the feel of you about them [...] for a poetic voice is probably very intimately connected with the poet’s natural voice.

‘A lot of Heaney’s paper is poetry-specific, but some of it perfectly describes the process of finding your own voice and sound on an instrument,’ says Matthew McDonald over the phone from Essen, the last stop on his recent tour of Germany with the Berlin Philharmonic. For the 39-year-old first principal bassist, articulating ideas about the ‘voice’ has been key to crystallising his own, and to understanding how it might be reconciled with his orchestral work – and poetry has played an intriguing part in the story.

His journey began in his home city of Canberra, Australia, at the School of Music, and continued via the Sydney Conservatorium to Germany, where he trained first with Berlin Philharmonic stalwart Klaus Stoll at the Karajan Academy, and later with the Philharmonic’s principal bass (and later McDonald’s desk partner) Esko Laine, at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler. In 2008, following stints as assistant principal with the Danish Radio Symphony, and principal with the RundfunkSinfonieorchester Berlin and Deutsches SymphonieOrchester Berlin, plus three years with Frankfurt based Ensemble Modern, he finally landed – on his third attempt – the first principal role when he was 30, taking over from the just-retired Stoll.