BY ZOE DOUGLAS-KINGHORN
When Maraika Smit was in primary school, she saw a performance by the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra that changed her life.
Inspired by the horn, she started playing in high school after a brief stint on the trombone (“because the horn was apparently too hard,” she scoffs).
Cut to the present, and the recent University of Tasmania graduate is in her first year of study at the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne. She’s played in ensembles such as the Tasmanian Discovery Orchestra, Australian Youth Orchestra and many more.
In the TSO’s upcoming concert The Swan of Tuonela, Maraika will be playing with the musicians who brought her passion to life, including her previous teacher Geoff Lierse, who is the soloist for the Richard Strauss Horn Concerto No. 1 on the program.
We chat to Maraika and Geoff – pictured below – about their mentors, important lessons they’ve learnt, and storytelling through music.
Maraika, how does it feel to play alongside your mentors?
It’s just really fun, sometimes slightly scary.
I can’t believe I get to play with the people who inspired me to play the horn in the first place!
Geoff, it must be great to see your students grow musically, to the point where they are able to play alongside you in your section.
That’s spot on. It’s great to be there at the beginning and share a few different perspectives, as someone who’s made all the mistakes.
So Maraika, what is the most important thing you have learnt about playing with an orchestra?
The main thing I learnt when I first played with TSO was how good they were at listening to each other. It felt like everyone was passing around this story amongst the orchestra, and it was something I had never experienced in any other ensemble before.
I think the most important thing I have learnt is the value of knowing everyone’s parts, not just your own – or even just your section’s – and listening, and working out how you fit in.
Geoff, if you could go back in time, what advice would you give to yourself as a young, emerging musician?
If I could go back in the Tardis and meet myself, I would say: ‘Avoid the temptation to treat any gig or rehearsal lightly. You never know who’s going to be there, listening’.
Did you have a teacher who particularly inspired you?
Graeme Evans (former Melbourne Symphony Orchestra principal horn) and Richard Runnels (former Orchestra Victoria principal horn) were both awesome teachers of mine, who I fortunately ended up playing with as a member of their section.
Rob Johnson (former Sydney Symphony Orchestra principal horn) was also a massive inspiration while I was with SSO, and just being in the next practice room overhearing any of these three gentlemen warm up was a lesson in itself. Barry Tuckwell recordings were always on high rotation at my lair.
You’ve played across a whole range of genres. Tell us more about being a punk horn player.
I’ve played, recorded, and toured with a lot of punk, metal and rock bands on electric guitar, bass guitars, upright bass and horn. One of the best underground music scenes on planet earth is Melbourne.
When I was a teenager, I wanted to play guitar and become a rock star, but I eventually put my head down and did 10,000 hours on the French horn. I played with KISS and I realised how much fun it is playing rock ‘n’ roll. I went out the next day and bought a bass guitar and just let my freak flag fly.
Is there much difference between music communities in the bigger cities, and more regional townships such as Hobart?
One difference between large-scale orchestras in big cities, and the smaller population centres and venues, is that the personal interaction with the audience is unavoidable. This creates instant feedback and personalises the experience for the performers. You walk across to the bar and the audience are all there; they all know the music and they’ll tell you about the last time it got played.
Maraika, what repertoire are you most excited about in the Swan of Tuonela concert?
I’m looking forward to the Concert Românesc – I played it with the Tasmanian Discovery Orchestra a few years ago and loved it.
Obviously, Strauss one will be my highlight. I’ve never seen a horn perform as a soloist live before, so this will be a real treat; especially with one of my favourite people playing the solo! The Swan of Tuonela is also incredibly beautiful.
And Geoff, the Strauss concerto is said to be the most performed horn concerto of the 19th Century. What does this piece mean to you?
Like all great pieces of music, it works on several levels. There’s some epic storytelling to be had in the piece. For me, the backstory is Richard Strauss growing up with his father practising compulsively all the time.
Franz Strauss was the principal horn in the Munich orchestra, where he played a lot of premieres of Wagner’s operas, so Richard would have been hearing endless Wagner loops.
Music’s not a competitive sport. It’s an art. It’s the sort of thing where helping other people to be their best or showing them another way of enjoying something should be the prime objective.
Hear these musicians perform together with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra at the Swan of Tuonela matinee, 2.30pm April 6 at the Federation Concert Hall.
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