Jorge Rodríguez Artist Interview From Honduras to Swizerland and Beyond
Pivotal moments that were essential to creating the artist that you’ve become?/5 career highlights?
There are many moments that I remember and I'm sure there are many more that perhaps until now I hadn't thought of as highlights in my career. It would be difficult to list them, perhaps when I had my first solo concert at the age of 15? Or when I played the Khachaturian concerto at the age of 16? Or when the director of the music conservatory in Honduras told my mother to please support me at all costs in my musical career? or when I started my studies in Europe or when I won my first flute competition? I don't know but I'm sure that each one of those moments has made me what I am now, and I'll keep adding more moments and I'll keep improving because in the end that's what life is all about, to keep transforming ourselves.
Undoubtedly it is difficult to forget your first soloist concert, especially because since we started our musical studies more than once we dreamed of having the opportunity to play as a soloist, well my opportunity came but not in the best circumstances, I remember that 3-4 days before the concert my maternal grandfather had passed away, so I had to face the situation of having to play as a soloist, So facing the situation of being in front of an orchestra preparing a soloist concert was one of the biggest challenges I have had until today, especially when you are young you don't have the experience and maturity to be able to handle your emotions under stressful situations, in the end the concert went very well but it was a situation where I felt that my feelings were on the edge of the limit because of the situation I was living at that moment.
Winning my first job in the philharmonic orchestra of Honduras when I was only 17 years old was a moment that marked my life, especially because I had to become absolutely independent of almost everything at such a young age. Not only on a personal level but also on a professional level, I came from a high school environment, and suddenly I was sharing a chair with colleagues who apart from working in the orchestra had one or two other jobs and did it to support their 3-4 children, or colleagues who were going through a divorce among other things. The reality was totally different, during that time it was a wonderful experience because I grew musically playing with my colleagues but there was also a personal growth, maturity where I learned not only to be a good musician in and out of the orchestra but also to be a good colleague.
Culturally as a Latino it has always been a dream and challenge to have the opportunity to study abroad; I could say that when I got my place to study at the Musik akademie basel in Switzerland with the famous and renowned pedagogue Felix Renggli it was a wonderful event in my career, because I think it is a gift of life when you get to the class of a teacher who is a teacher not for work but because he has that vocation, that gift in teaching, it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Felix, during my years of study, took care of me musically. We started to work in detail on the technique of the flute, and musically he took my essence as a musician and started to mould it in detail. He taught me that every time I pick up the flute it is because I have something to say. It is something for which I will always be grateful.
Last year I had the opportunity to participate in the 5th international Soloist Competition in Grenchen Switzerland, I remember that I was very scared to get to the semi-final (I know, it sounds a bit strange to do a competition and not want to get to the semi-final) the fear was that in the semi-final we had to play a contemporary piece "Melodie by Beat Furrer" which was one of the most difficult contemporary pieces I have ever played in my career, The problem was that I still didn't know the last two pages of that piece, and I remember when they gave the results of the semi-finalists I was shaking with fear/nerves not only because I had to play that piece but also because in the jury there were incredible flautists that I have always admired like Wally Hasse, Michel Moragues, Ulla Miilmann, petri Alanko and Egor Egorkin.
I remember I spoke to Felix on the phone and he told me: just practice, prepare as best you can and when you go on stage you have to be sure of everything you are going to play. On stage you are an actor and you have to sell it the best you can, the semi-final was around 17:00 hours, the day before I stayed studying until 02:00 in the morning I went to sleep for 4 hours and from 06:00 in the morning I was practicing until it was time to play in the semi-final. Thank God it worked out very well and in the end I ended up winning the first prize where we played the Jolivet concerto with orchestra in the final round. Without a doubt it was a moment that changed and influenced my life a lot.
Do you teach?
I started my online flute studio a couple of months ago, in which we work continuously according to the student's needs, covering technical aspects, teaching them a study routine of both the technique of the flute and a detailed study of the repertoire we are going to work on. It is very gratifying to be able to see results in such a short amount of time.
What do you like best about teaching?
While there are certain stylistic rules that we must follow in one way or another, the wonderful thing about teaching and music in general is that there is no absolute truth. The only thing that is different is the perspective that each of us has on that sonata, or concerto for example.
The wonderful thing about teaching is to be able to see the personality, curiosities, risks, fears, doubts that the students show through the music.
But there is something that I really enjoy when I teach and also put into practice when I practice is to be able to see the learning process, how little by little the music is taking shape, maturing, making sense, and more and more that music that we are playing is becoming our own inner voice.
What do you like most about performing?
My favorite aspect of performing is that when we are connected with music, there are no nationalities, nobody thinks if you are European, Asian, African or Latin American, there is no notion of time, there are no worries about anything and that is where we must see the great teaching that music leaves us: the barriers that we have today we have created ourselves based on our social prejudices and our own reasoning.
What I always try to have when I perform is to try to understand what the composer wanted to express on a sheet of paper through the music, looking for more information that helps me to understand in which moment of his life he was, historical, social context, analysing the harmony, in that way I will be able to create a more natural connection between the listener, the music and my performance.
What does your schedule look like for the next 6 months?
Well, at the moment next season I start a temporary contract with the Hannover Opera in Germany, as co-principal flute. It is a great pleasure to be able to enter the world of opera with an incredible orchestra.
I am also working on some proposals for solo and chamber music concerts in Europe and Latin America which are still to be confirmed.
What has been your biggest challenge?
This season I was called by the Basel Symphony Orchestra, as the first flute was ill and if I could replace her for three concerts where I had to play the carnival of the animals by saint Saens and a contemporary chamber music piece that had many quarter tones, among other extended techniques all this in less than 24 hours, as I would only have one rehearsal (dress rehearsal) and then the 3 concerts. It was certainly a wonderful challenge that I enjoyed very much.
Undoubtedly I think that playing as a soloist in Marc andre Dalbavie's flute concerto with the Basel Symphony Orchestra has been one of the greatest challenges I have ever had.
Who were your musical mentors and what did you learn from them?
In Honduras I studied with Laura Sierra, who was in charge of guiding me in my first steps in the world of the flute.
During my time in Argentina I had Renato Ligutti who taught me that love for the flute and opened the door to an endless world of learning.
Then I was studying at the Colón theatre in Buenos Aires with a teacher I have great appreciation and respect for, Néstor Garrote, Principal Oboe of the Buenos Aires Philharmonic Orchestra, Néstor was my chamber music teacher, with him I prepared my audition for the entrance exam in Basel, and with him I learned that if I limited myself to listening to the flute repertoire I would hardly find musical ideas when playing. That's when I started to listen to a lot of repertoire of other string instruments, piano, singers, chamber music, operas, read classics of literature like Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Midsummer Night's Dream and others. Paradoxically, studying with an oboist I learned that to be a flautist I don't have to play as a flautist. That you must have good technique on the flute but the important thing is the finesse that I will achieve when making music.
Meeting Felix Renggli undoubtedly had a significant influence on me. When I started my studies in the flute class in Basel, it was a big shock, I came from a totally different reality, the level of the Basel class was extremely high, students with a very high level and I think that also influenced me in a positive way because I listened to the classes of other colleagues and that motivated me to continue studying and improving. I watched my colleagues in the class winning places at the Karajan Akademie of the Berlin Philharmonic for three years in a row, or winning international competitions, or preparing the Ibert or Nielsen Concertos in one week. All this was a great motivation. I remember listening to their lessons and remember being very motivated, picking up the flute and starting to practice.
With Felix I learned that you must have a routine for studying technique, sound, the air column, the mastery of extended techniques, that you had to be organised when you studied, that you must have a musical speech when you played. He made me play repertoire on all instruments, alto flute, bass flute, piccolo and I also did a minor in historical instruments (traverso).Be able to play all musical styles. From baroque to contemporary. He always told me the more versatile you are as a musician the more job opportunities you will have when you start your professional career.
He would always take his flute and show you what he was asking for in class. That was simply marvellous, because apart from understanding with words, he made you understand audibly.
At the moment I am a postgraduate student at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg Austria with Michael Martin Kofler (principal flute of the Munich Philharmonic). Undoubtedly Michael has become a great influence, especially in the preparation for orchestral auditions, having an exact organization, a well-thought-out plan in every single orchestral solo, but in general all the music. To take care of the smallest detail, of what we are playing, to prepare everything in a smart way. Every lesson with him is a great learning experience which I always enjoy.
Can you tell us 5 quirky, secret, fun (don't think about it too much) hobbies or passions?
1. I like to take photographs.
2. Moments before an audition or Competition I'm listening to System of a down or some other heavy metal or rock band.
3. Watching football and tennis
4. I like wine tasting and I love coffee (especially Honduran coffee)
5. I would love to visit Asia, for example Japan, Korea, China and other countries.
What advice would you give to a young flautist?
Life can change at any moment, so always prepare yourself the best you can, maybe the person who will open doors for you in the professional world is sitting in the audience listening to you play.
Be curious, do your research, listen, take breaks, give your opinion when the time is right to give your opinion.
Surround yourself with people who push you to bring out the best version of you, take care of your mental health that is too important, develop your social skills, be empathetic. Try to have a normal life beside the flute or music.
Choose wisely who you will have as your teacher, don't just go by who is famous, go by their pedagogical qualities, their methodology when facing a technical problem of the flute or music making, their human qualities are very important!
There is no point in being a flute genius or being famous if you don't know how to develop your social skills and always remain grounded. Winning an international competition or having a position in a renowned orchestra does not make you a better person than others.
In the end when we die we will take none of these things with us.
Your greatness will be reflected in how you treat others, your actions reflect what you have in your heart.