Jörg Hof played in the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich for 37 years and is now retiring. Although the trumpeter will miss many things, he will be able to devote more time to his second instrument.
"My teacher Henri Adelbrecht was the former principal trumpet of the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich. I often went to his concerts as a student and at the beginning of March 1988 I became not only Henri's colleague, but also that of Markus Würsch, another former solo trumpeter from the orchestra. As a newcomer, I looked up to them and was accepted as an equal. Working with my colleagues has remained one of the most formative experiences for me over the years. It wasn't just me, but the whole orchestra was able to develop incredibly under chief conductor David Zinman. It makes me proud that I was and still am able to work here.
There are so many works that were, and still are, close to my heart. Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 1 runs like a red thread through my entire career. I played it as a newcomer under the then chief conductor Christoph Eschenbach and later under his successors Hiroshi Wakasugi, David Zinman, Lionel Bringuier and Paavo Järvi. I was able to experience Bernard Haitink with this symphony at the beginning of my career: He rehearsed almost without words and shaped the performance through his presence and body language - that was an 'aha' experience for me.
Apart from my wonderful colleagues, I will miss playing the great orchestral works of Bruckner, Mahler and Strauss the most. These are my symphonic favourites, in that order. But I will continue to make music after I retire. And I actually owe what I'm planning to do to corona, because during this time I was able to practise my second instrument, which I studied alongside the trumpet and also graduated with a concert diploma: the guitar. A few years ago, I re-established my old contacts and play chamber music and early music in concerts. And I also have plans for the trumpet: I've been learning music since I was six years old. In future, I want to free myself from the notes and play more freely. I certainly won't be bored, because I have many interests. Before studying the trumpet in Zurich and the guitar in Biel, I graduated as a microtechnology engineer. Towards the end of my engineering studies, however, I realised that my true passion was music. The desire to turn my hobby into a profession grew - and fortunately I met the very teachers who believed in me, supported me and accompanied me on this path."
Recorded by Katharine Jackson
