Interview with Andrea Lieberknecht
Andrea Lieberknecht is recognised as one of the world’s foremost flute pedagogues, and many of her students have gone on to hold prestigious positions in musical establishments all around the world.
She was the Solo Flutist of the Munich Radio Orchestra, followed by the West German Radio Symphony Orchestra in Cologne. She was the winner of numerous international competitions, including the Prague Spring International Music Competition; the Kobe International Flute Competition; the German Music Competition and the ARD International Music Competition. She was the Professor of Flute at the Academy of Music in Cologne; the Academy of Music in Hannover and currently, she is the Professor of Flute at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Munich.
I had the privilege of studying with Andrea between 2015 to 2017. I learnt a tremendous amount from her and under her guidance, I was able to discover a kind of flute playing and music making that I had never imagined possible before.
I remember after each lesson, I felt like she had just given me an invaluable gift, and I’d rush away to dictate everything down in my journal (which I treasure to this day) for fear of forgetting any details. It took me sometimes double the amount of time of the actual lesson, but it was most certainly worth it.
Mark Xiao: When did you start playing the flute and what made you choose it?
Andrea Lieberknecht: I started playing the flute at the age of 10. I actually didn't really choose the flute. When I was really little, at the age of three and a half years, my parents sent me to a special music school where we sang and accompanied each other with percussion instruments. This was a really nice start into the world of music. When I was a little older, my parents then sent me to another music school where I started playing the recorder, like everybody else [chuckles].
Then things became a bit more interesting because it took me only half a year when my teacher told my parents that I was playing better than her so she felt I should have a proper teacher. So, then my parents asked around and luckily, came across the solo flutist of the Augsburger Philharmoniker. He started teaching me, still with the recorder because my hands were too small for the flute.
After a few months, he let me try to get out a tone using a headjoint from a regular flute. It worked for me immediately on my first try and then my teacher exclaimed that I am now a flute player! So, I didn't really get to decide that but luckily, I liked the sound a lot and I was really proud to receive a silver flute from my teacher at the age of ten. Of course, it was not very expensive, but I could take it home immediately and I was very proud that I now have such a big and shiny instrument. This is how I came to the flute. I didn't really choose it like other children, but I never regretted becoming a flutist.
MX: What do you love most about the flute?
AL: First of all, the sound which is so pure and so natural and if the flute is well played, then the sound seems to be so effortless, even when we have to support a lot and to work a lot on that, but in the end when the flute sound is brilliant and then it's for me just the most natural sound of all wind instruments.
Secondly, I really love how the flute is represented in music. So the flute is often used by composers when they want to describe something innocent or peaceful, but it's also the instrument through which we can try to reach God or the dead and it's able to represent nature, birds, wind, water, love, tears and so many other things.
I think we can find so many colours with the flute. We can also be inspired by other instruments or singers and try to mimic them and there's always a way to bring this into the flute sound. Through the timbre, which we create using our lips or vibrato or through our body where the sound comes from, there are thousands of colours and this is what I really, really love about the flute.
Of course, I sometimes miss the feeling of a bass. So, when I watch bassoonists, cellists, and contra-bassists and how they can make music so moving (especially in Baroque music and Classical music) I'm sometimes a little jealous [chuckles], but just a little! And of course, when I play the bass line in my lessons with students, then I can create a little bit of that feeling and that's nice.
MX: What flute do you play on and what made you choose it above other brands and models?
AL: This was similar to how I came to the flute when I was young actually. When I studied in Munich with Paul Meisen, I had a very nice instrument by Vana Ludwig in Stuttgart. I think he is not so well known internationally anymore as he passed away some time ago, but this was a really nice instrument. Of course, it was a little limited, but I was really happy, so I never wanted to have a new instrument. I always tried to make my music and my best music on the instrument I had so I always saw the challenge in myself, not in the instrument. But my teacher Paul Meisen was of course very experienced, and he knew that I could go further if I had a better instrument.
So, he gave me one day, I think it was in 1988, a very old model Yamaha 14 karat gold flute. When I played this instrument, I found it really attractive and I liked the sound of this flute a lot. I played this flute for quite a while, including at my first audition where I got the job in the Munich Radio Orchestra, and also afterwards in the orchestra for a few years. Then I tried a really big flute competition where I failed and was kicked out in the first round. It confirmed something that I had been feeling for some time which was that this first Yamaha flute was not really a good fit for me.
My teacher noticed that also and he showed me a newer model (which is the previous model to the current generation). That was a silver Yamaha, model 874 with the EC headjoint. This for me was love at first sight and with this flute, I had one success after another. It helped me win the Kobe Competition in Japan, my solo flute job in Cologne and some other things. Everything seemed to go well with that instrument. So, it was really a lucky flute; it brought so many good things to me and I played this silver flute for a really long time. I can say that it carried me through the most important milestones in my career.
So, this flute came to me, I didn't really choose it. At that time, I never tried many brands – I was not really interested. I was always like that because I was fully convinced that you can find your way and your music on any instrument. You just need a really strong willpower and a good imagination. I was convinced that you can do everything with that willpower. Today, I think a bit differently but that's how I used to feel.
After 10 years on the silver Yamaha, I started to want more out of the high register, I missed some colours and I started to feel that maybe it's not all my fault. It may be that a new instrument could help me. So, then I ordered a new flute from Yamaha because I had a really tight relationship with them. I played many concerts for them and they supported me a lot and always repaired my flute without fail. So, then I ordered a new flute, and I came to Japan to see what they had made for me. It was funny because we didn't actually speak about the material, so when I opened the case, there was a gold flute waiting inside for me. It was the 974 with an EC headjoint. When I first saw it, I was really kind of angry because I was really expecting another silver flute, but it turned out to be a gold flute!
But I tried it and it was really, really interesting and it had all characteristics of a gold flute and more. So, it was warm, it was wide, and it really filled the hall, and I played my first concert right away on that flute. I have now played Yamahas for 35 years and this brand and their flutes are now like a part of my body. Eight years ago, I changed to the new model of Yamaha - a design they adopted for the new 800 and 900 series and this was quite a big change, like changing their brand because they worked a lot on these instruments and the instruments became even better. They developed a very fast sound, very brilliant which I like a lot and even wider and really flying. It is not so heavy, not like the Muramatsus or Brannens or whatever, which have a slightly deeper sound with more body but then this special Yamaha sound is missing which is what I'm used to. Of course, there is no advantage without a disadvantage. I think we just have to decide what we like most and go with that. For me, I'm kind of married with Yamaha and I'm very happy with that.
MX: How much do you think the player impacts the result and how much difference does the instrument make?
AL: I am convinced that we can really make a lot from every instrument; it depends on your imagination, ability, strong will power and a lot of practice of course, to get used to an instrument and to be able to make your own sound and your own special and unique music. The different brands and models of course, feature different aspects. So, for example, if you really like a very round and warm sound with a lot of body and depth, then some brands will have a little more of it than others.
With the Yamaha, I always think of it as the “angel” sound, this really flying sound as I said before, and silvery and light and which travels so far. The best word to describe it is “Heiligenschein” (translation: halo). It’s often very nice in the orchestra, because when combined with the other woodwinds, this sound adds something really nice to the section. For this, the Yamaha is a really good flute but like I said, every brand has their own strengths and weaknesses. For me, there is no real perfect instrument, it’s all about personal preference.
MX: Have you had formal training on the flute through a conservatorium or university and how important do you think that is for a career in performance and/or teaching?
AL: I entered the conservatory in my home city of Augsburg at the age of 13 and at the age of 16, I became a pre-student in the class of Paul Meisen at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich. I had fantastic tuition for 6 years, both on the flute and also piano and chamber music, but I didn’t have any theoretical subjects. At the age of 19, I became a full student, still in the class of Paul Meisen in Munich.
I think formal study is important, in order to have the best musical and widest educational background possible. But I have to say honestly, I was (and I think 80% of my students are) not so interested in every subject. When we are so young, we are interested in everything which directly influences our playing, our repertoire and so on. And some things, such as music history, or classes on the musical form of compositions, are not so interesting for younger people. To be interested in that, to widen our horizons, I think requires a more mature and open mentality. Maybe because everything else in our persona needs to settle first, and then we can focus on broadening our horizons. But I do think formal lessons are very useful. It’s not so much that it’s important to have theoretical or practical lessons every week but as an example, I don’t think I would ever have learnt how to read a Generalbass (translation: Figured Bass) otherwise. This was an obligated subject when I was a student. It was not so easy to learn to read all the numbers, how they sound, to connect the chords etc. This is something that I am very thankful to have learnt. Musical form and structure was also something that was really interesting for me. We learnt to analyse pieces which would not have been easy to learn on our own and I’m really thankful for that. Music history was really hard because we had to spend three hours on a weekly basis in these lessons and this, I felt, I could learn on my own by reading books. But at the end, they were all very interesting and these lessons made me feel inspired.
In formal study, you also have organised chamber music, choirs and orchestras. Of course, this makes learning much easier but there are also people who never really studied. For example, my husband Dag Jensen (Bassoonist), who never studied. He got his first orchestral job at the age of 17. He never really studied until he took a one semester sabbatical in Hannover. So, he made his career just by having good private teachers and practicing on his own. My husband has a really strong imagination about everything he wants, and he is also very interested in many subjects. He is very open minded, so he is a good example of someone who didn’t need to go through the conservatory process. Of course, he is also a bit jealous of me because of all the things I learnt during my studies which he never really learnt, but to have a career in music, I think it's not so important to have a formal study, at least in Germany. Maybe in other countries but in Germany, when you apply for an orchestra job, they do not really read about your educational background or your scores etc. No, they just read [about] your experiences as a musician. So, I think that formal study for this is not so important.
For a teaching job in music schools, it's really important. They really want to see your diploma and certificates. But again, my husband got his professorship without ever really studying. I think the most important thing is your musical experience and also your reputation as a musician. For a teaching job, it is important that you have taught in a university as a Dozent (translation: Lecturer), but the formal study [for performance] was never so important in Germany – but I know it’s very important in other countries!
It's very funny – we had pedagogy when I started (it was an obligatory subject) and I got the second highest mark. I wasn’t very good at pedagogy on paper, but now I am a professor at the same school, and I think this is really funny [chuckles].
MX: Did you always have a passion for teaching or did it develop later on in your career?
AL: I started teaching [at] the age of 15, and it was, again, my first very ambitious teacher who thought now, I am good enough (at 15) to share my knowledge with other young people… there was a young man [at] the age of 16 who wanted to have lessons with [my teacher], but he didn't have time. So, he asked me if I would like to teach him, and I just said “yes” and I started working with this young man. So, my experiences as a teacher happened very early on, how to solve problems, how to explain things. Also to explain things which had been so easy for myself which I was doing [subconsciously]; suddenly, when somebody was not able to do it, I had to find solutions, and I started thinking about how I can do that. It was really interesting for me and already two years later, at the age of 17, I had five or six students which I taught [on] the weekends, after school, or whatever. It was really nice! I earned a little bit [of] money – of course, I was not a very expensive teacher – but it was nice for them, and I think it was the best thing to happen for me.
I taught all my life without any stop until I entered the Cologne Orchestra, and because I didn't know this city so well and nobody knew me so well, I didn't have any pupils there. But, after half a year, people started asking me after they [had] listened to me in the orchestra or watched me [on] the TV… it took me just half a year and then I had quite [a few] private students and I could go on with making new experiences.
Still very young, [at] the age of 27, I was asked by my colleague in the orchestra who wanted to take a sabbatical [from] the Cologne University… if I would like to replace him during his sabbatical and yes, of course I wanted [to] because I really liked teaching, and so I made my first experiences in a music university as a Lehrbeauftragte (translation: substitute lecturer) and after he came back… the professor of the Cologne University and the Director of the University asked me if I wanted to teach the students who didn't want to go with [my colleague]. So, I got a second chance to enter a university, and from that day on, I had my own class, I was not just replacing somebody; I had my own class, I had my own auditions and then, of course, the ship was running! It was really extremely nice for me to have students who [specifically] came to study with me to begin their adventure as a professional flutist under my guidance. So, I got kind of addicted to that, and it was a perfect [compliment] to my active playing: I learned a lot from it. In the university, of course, I didn't have beginners, I had students who could already play the flute.
I continued [teaching] all the time, and I really loved it; I was never thinking about giving up teaching. It was [as much a] part of my musical life as the active playing.
MX: As someone who was Principal Flute in high-profile orchestras such as the West German Radio Symphony Orchestra, was it a difficult decision to leave that behind and focus on being a professor?
AL: Oh, yes, it was extremely difficult to leave the orchestra. I never actively applied for professorships. I only applied because my future colleagues asked me if I could imagine [having] a teaching job – professorship – in Hannover or later, in Munich.
So, when I was still sort of rooted in Cologne, I was asked by the oboe professor at Hannover if I could imagine going there as a professor and… I thought “oh, yes, how interesting!” I was looking into the train timetables, and I saw yes, it's manageable; it's two and a half hours one way and it's actually a Hochschule (translation: university) with a very good reputation, especially in the wind section. So, I thought “why not?” Then I applied actively, and I won the position.
Of course, the university asked me “When can you start? When you will you leave the orchestra?” And this was quite the discussion – I didn't want to leave the orchestra. Anyhow, I managed to do both jobs at the same time. So, I was still in orchestra and I had the half professorship in Hannover.
The other half of the professorship waited for me but after three years, the other half of this position would have been free. This was the deal: if I don't come as a fulltime professor, they have to open auditions for half the professorship. This is always a question of negotiating. So, in 2002 I decided to leave the orchestra for many, many different reasons: financial reasons, love reasons… I was already together with my husband, and he was already the professor in Hannover, so I decided to make a really, really big step in my life and to become a professor and a freelance musician. But it was a really, really hard decision – really hard. I think I was quite depressed for one and a half years but in the end… I felt kind of relieved because the decision had been made and I was looking forward to my new life, and I have never regretted that; I'm very happy about that important step in my life.
MX: Did you have any musical or even non-musical heroes that you looked up to?
AL: When I was a young girl, of course, I had many heroes. At first, [it was] my teachers. My first flute teacher, he was really a hero – I admired him a lot. I was kind of falling in love [as a 10-year-old girl] [laughs]. But also… a classmate could have been a hero because she had blonde hair and I have brown hair. I think [when] children don't really know who they are, of course, they need heroes, and heroes are everywhere.
But today – I hope it doesn’t sound too arrogant – I don’t have any heroes anymore. If I would have to say one name, I would say maybe my hero is my husband because he has so many good Charaktereigenschaften (translation: characteristics, personal traits) which I really admire and can learn from.
For me, in general, a hero is a person who is able to see the glass half full, because it needs a lot of discipline sometimes when you are [experiencing] difficulties to see the good things in a situation and to still go on and think positive and have a positive aura [towards] other humans. I think everybody who is doing that is kind of a hero; everybody who lives with a good consciousness and who is able to always influence himself, other people, the world, the environment in a good way.
Musically, there's no real hero, and I'm not looking for that because I want to do [those] things myself. There are many, many colleagues and players which I admire, and which can play in a way that I get most inspired, but this can also be just a sentence in a book or a word by somebody which really is a strong inspiration for my own doing.
MX: Do you have some favourite pieces of music?
AL: No, I don't because I think we musicians are a bit like actors: we have to slip into roles, we have to become one with the piece. Maybe, we can just say there [are pieces] that take a bit less time to become one with and other pieces, we need to work more until we really understand and until we can live in [the] piece.
I think sometimes – or maybe most of the time – those pieces [which] are a little bit more difficult to understand and to really adapt become really interesting for me and, in the end, when I'm happy with my performance, I really love them. Maybe, they are favourite pieces [but only] until I start practicing the next piece. So, I think every piece which we are playing should be – in the moment when we are playing or practicing it – the favourite piece. Otherwise, it does not work.
MX: What has been the highest point of your career or the most memorable?
AL: As life is divided into different sections, I have maybe – as everybody else – quite [a few] most memorable or important moments in my music career. When I was a child, I won our youth competition in Germany, the first prize which was a really, really big success. I will never forget this feeling.
Just half a year later when I became a full student in Paul Meisen’s class (which so many people wanted to be in, of course), it was kind of the same feeling, and, of course, every success, every won competition, audition or whatever was a very important step in my life. Now, it's the same feeling of success when a student wins something. I don't really feel it's my success, it can just feel like this feeling when I was young; I really can [empathise] with the student, and I can understand what the feeling must be like, and it makes me so happy. And of course, I'm very happy that this student found a job under my guidance; it's a really big responsibility being a professor and I'm happy for every student who can survive by playing the flute [chuckles].
Today, it's the special concert situations or very good concerts or touching concerts which are really special. It's just too many to name them now.
And, of course, in my life besides the music, there are many, many important and memorable situations, which there are also just too many to mention. But one of the most important moments [was] when my husband and I came together and later, when we married. I have the feeling since then [that] this was really life-changing… I feel much more relaxed since then. Also, good situations with my family; when I can feel a good relationship with my family, this is also something [memorable].
MX: Do you think of yourself separate from the flute or do you think being a musician defines who you are?
AL: I would say neither, nor. I have been making music since I was four, and I think music influences my person very much. But also, all humans around me influence my person. Also, everything influences my music.
I am sorry, I can't divide this. Maybe we have to wait another 14 years when I will be retired and then I can tell you who I am without being an active musician – we will see [laughs].
MX: What advice do you have for someone wanting to pursue a career in music performance?
AL: What is the musical career? It can have so many faces; you can have a musical career as a soloist, as a chamber musician, orchestral musician – you can be a bit of everything [laughs] – you can be a teacher, you can be a freelancer, whatever. What you really need is quality because I'm sure quality will always survive, and quality will be successful.
Musical quality has two aspects: of course, perfectionism. We live in the world of perfectionism, and we need to have that when we want to succeed. Together with perfectionism we need personality and something unique and this is not so difficult because I think everybody has something in his inner ear, which he can listen to. We can nourish this inner ear by lots of inspirations, from the life around you, from other musicians, from everywhere, and the product is what we have inside. [Our inner ear] always has something which we can listen to, we just have to learn and listen to it – it’s a mental thing. Then, we just have to try to play what we, ourselves, wish to hear.
And this needs hours and hours of practicing, and it's very, very interesting; it never gets boring to just follow every phrase, every tone, every little moment, every slur, and to ask, “is this really what I wish to hear?” I think when we practice like this, our music will become unique and I think we will find our place, where we are good instrumentalists and interesting musicians.
On the other hand, we have to be human beings who other human beings enjoy having around; most of the time we make music with other people, in the orchestra and chamber music, in teaching rooms and also as soloists. I think we have to be really open-minded – no borders. We have to look at each other with really open eyes. I think the audience can also feel this when there is somebody on stage who is really open-minded, and who has strong willpower, and no fear, and somebody who always wants to discover, somebody who is curious, and keen to make experiences. I don’t think there’s a simple advice on how we can be successful musicians; we have to work on us and on our playing.