− Concentrate. Imagine that the music is coming from you. That you are the music. It’s often the case that the most accessible music is actually the least accessible. Concentrate. The more you put into it, the more you get back.
Hans Morten Stensland
Violinist Hans Morten Stensland grew up in Oslo and was spurred on by the musical profession’s seeming unattainability:
− I think I became a musician because it seemed impossible, he says.
He studied music in Oslo and in Utrecht, and fondly remembers his student years:
− Those who have had the greatest influence on me as a musician, must be my fellow students during my studies.
− The more you put in, the more you get back
Hans Morten has been working in the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra since 1994.
− The greatest pleasure I have as a performer, is to be found in the moments when I feel that my playing is quite good. The second greatest pleasure I have as a musician is when I notice that works I have played many times are not fading, but brightening. If I have to mention a favourite composer by name, it has to be Beethoven. And then I have to add Debussy, because people don’t realise how good he really is.
He is reluctant to single out particular experiences with the orchestra as highlights, but first encounters with halls such as Musikverein and Royal Albert Hall are high on his list. The violinist has this advice for listeners seeking a good concert experience:
− Concentrate. Imagine that the music is coming from you. That you are the music. It’s often the case that the most accessible music is actually the least accessible. Concentrate. The more you put into it, the more you get back.
In his free time, he cultivates his other senses:
− When I’m not playing, I like looking at things. I get a lot out of that.