Júlia Váradi: You have been playing the clarinet since you were a child in Italy. But what came before? How did you end up with the clarinet?

Andrea Caputo: I had played the piano together with my mother from the age of three; I just loved the sound of music. So the piano was the first instrument in my life. But, to be honest, it is not easy for a child to learn from their parents. We would often fight. But I came to understand fairly soon what is most important when one is playing an instrument. That you should not pound away at it. Just touch it lightly. When I turned ten, I realized that I was far more interested in the clarinet. I grew to love the clarinet at the high school I attended in our small town of Campagna, where we lived. I was then accepted to the music school, and received pretty good instruction there.

J. V.: Why was that?

A. C.: Probably because the region where I lived was rather well known for its brass wind ensembles. Every small town has a brass band or a marching band that parades down the street and plays music. I found this so exciting even as a young child; I really wanted to be part of such a band. I had four options when choosing an instrument: the clarinet, the recorder, the trumpet or some kind of percussion instrument. From the time I joined as a clarinetist, I never wanted to do anything else. One time my mother called my teacher because she was worried I was practicing too much and would wreck my lips.

J. V.: I don’t imagine your teacher suggested practicing less.

A. C.: No, not at all; just that I should take a break from time to time.

J. V.: When did it become clear that this instrument would be your career for the rest of your life?

A. C.: To be honest, for a long time I didn’t care about a career at all; I don’t even like this term. We musicians are very fortunate that we can play music and travel the world with our instruments. Of course, it does entail difficulties, because we are often forced to be away from our loved ones, which makes it hard to maintain or deepen relationships. As for what I want to achieve, the only answer that comes to mind is that I want to be happy with the music I play; to get to know as many people as possible; and to give as much as I can to the audience.

J. V.: I understand that photography and the culinary arts are also among your favorite pastimes. Is that correct?

A. C.: That’s right. I always have compact cameras and film cameras with me, and like to use them whenever I have the chance. What I have noticed recently is that people don’t really pay attention to real beauty. They don’t notice what they should be seeing because they don’t take the time. They’re afraid they’ll miss something important. It’s these very moments I like to focus on. But I don’t use a mobile phone – only real cameras. I develop and enlarge my own photos. I have a lot of albums with hundreds of beautiful photographs.

J. V.: I imagine the joy of cooking must be similar to what you’ve just said about photography.

A. C.: Exactly. There are a few recipes which are particularly dear to me, because each one tells a different story. One of these is my grandmother’s recipe for Ragù alla Bolognese; whenever I make that, I always think of her, and it is a great feeling to be thinking of her. We shared wonderful moments together.

J. V.: What connected you with the Budapest Festival Orchestra?

A. C.: I heard their recordings first. My mother had CDs with performances by the Budapest Festival Orchestra, and I was mesmerized by the sound of the BFO. And then by complete coincidence I met them at the Verbier Festival, where I was a member of the chamber orchestra and had a part in a joint performance. From the first bar of music that we played together, I felt that this orchestra was like a family, with members who know each other intimately. This made the BFO different from all other orchestras I had encountered before, in terms of both the human side and the musical side. And then Iván invited me to perform as a guest musician; unfortunately, I have rarely been able to accept his invitation in recent years, having moved to Los Angeles in the meantime. One can learn a lot from the BFO, and I try to arrange my work in such a way as to be able to learn as much as possible. I love learning, and never want to stop learning; this is the only way to grow as a person and as a musician.

J. V.: Weber’s clarinet concerto is a very interesting piece of music. It is almost like the musicians are quarrelling with one another.

A. C.: You know, there really are no “wrong answers” when it comes to how one feels about music. Weber was an opera composer above all, and most people know about him because of the opera Der Freischütz. To me, this concerto is also full of opera-like elements. Which means the clarinet cannot forget about the singing, either. The piece was intended as a virtuoso work. Weber wrote it specifically for Heinrich Baermann, a noted soloist of the time, and it was he who performed it at the premiere. Later, his son, Carl Baermann, added further ornamentation to the clarinet part, along with the cadenza of the first movement. This piece, you actually have to sing it like an opera even when you are playing an instrument, and not only when the score is all black from the myriad notes, the sixteenth notes and other short notes. You can’t forget about the singing even for a moment.

J. V.: What are your expectations for working together with Gábor Takács-Nagy?

A. C.: I know him. We were on tour together a few months ago with the Chamber Music Orchestra of the Verbier Festival and three exceptional piano soloists, Alexandre Kantorow, Vikingur Olafsson and Alexandra Dovgan. The tour was fantastic, and I am delighted that he will be conducting the upcoming performance. Taki is a phenomenal musician and a fantastic conductor!