Ronald Dangel has worked in various roles in and around the orchestra. Here, shortly before his retirement, he gives a brief insight into his great commitment.
"Staying focussed - that was the biggest challenge in my various roles as solo double bass player, member of the orchestra board and member of the administrative board: when I play, whether in a rehearsal or in concert, there must be no room for thoughts about what was said in a meeting or what I should have said. It was both important and difficult for me to be fully focussed on the task at hand.
In my 39 years with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, there were two kinds of highlights: On the one hand, the projects in which conductors such as Kurt Sanderling or Franz Welser-Möst opened up new perspectives on a work, on other worlds of sound. And on the other hand, moments when the whole orchestra got into a flow and it became a rousing concert as a matter of course. Probably due to my age, I tend to remember earlier concerts with David Zinman, Sir George Solti or Bernard Haitink, for example. I experienced both at the same time with Yo-Yo Ma on our 2006 tour of Japan with Dvořák's Cello Concerto under David Zinman.
It will be difficult for me to leave behind the close collaboration in a large team. I hope that society will continue to recognise and appreciate this achievement. By that I mean that more can be achieved musically in a team than alone. A horse act in the circus was a formative experience for me. I was hugely fascinated by the performance, but my children found it boring as hell. 'Why?' 'Because that's what horses always do in the circus As they had never had any connection with horses, they couldn't experience the years of preparation and then the excitement and intensity of such a performance.
I am optimistic about the future, especially when I look at the many youth music schools. There is a growing understanding of how difficult, but also how beautiful, it is to play together in an orchestra."
Recorded by Katharine Jackson
