Page 65 - ELITE PLUS MAGAZINE Vol 3

‘It’s different when you play alone or play as one of the musicians in an orchestra. To play solo I needto be responsible for myself, but when playing in an orchestra I feel responsible for all members of the team’degree in music at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt in Weimar, Germany, on the advice of German pedagogue Martin Grund, with whom she studied cello from a young age.Her career has taken around the world to perform in front of audiences and compete in music competitions, both as solo artist and member of an orchestra.“It’s different when you play alone or play as one of the musicians in an orchestra. To play solo I need to be responsible for myself, but when playing in an orchestra I feel responsible for all members of the team. You have to practise very hard to get in sync with the other musicians. Sometimes it takes six to eight months to play together right.”There is also a difference between playing concerts and competing for musical prizes.“In a concert it’s all right to make some mistakes as long as the audiencecan enjoy the music, because the performance is meant to give pleasure, not be too rigid or controlled. But in a competition I always feel that people will look to find fault.”Despite the pressure, Ms Tapalin tries to perform publicly as much as she can.“I always get excited and nervous when I’m on stage. So I need to conquer my demons by performing often.”She admitted that she was suffering from nerves during the earlier performance. This admission seemed hard to reconcile with her demeanour on stage, as she looked focused, calm and in control. “Inside, my heart was beating and I was very excited,” she said with a laugh.Offstage she is more relaxed, and life does not rotate around the cello. “I live my life as a normal person. I go shopping, I watch TV and movies. Of course, I dedicate time for practiceevery day.”Musicians need to strengthenmuscles and habituate movements, much like athletes do. Every day she practises on a cello that her parents gave her years ago. Finding the right musical instrument is important for a professional concert performer. Ms Tapalin had tried to find the right cello for 10 years.She finally found one when a friend of her father’s sent her a picture of a cello in Prague. She took it right away despite never having played it. “Musicians shouldn’t buy a musical instrument without playing it,” she admitted. But in her case she made the right decision. “When I played it for the first time, the sound was just right and it felt right, like a glove,” she said, a gleam in her eye.Her cellist idol is the late British musician Jacqueline du Pre, whose biography was made into the film Hilary and Jackie. “There are notElite+ 63