MetSO's Murray Phillips
Murray Phillips
One of our warm and wonderful cellists.
What instrument do you play with the MetSO?
Cello (and I love it)
Why do you play the Cello?
Increasingly I found that my Double Bass was getting too heavy and cumbersome to manhandle between gigs so I needed to play something smaller. Also I love the timbre of the cello and its wide range.
Other instruments I have played.
This all started at age nine when I learned to play piano accordion; in my teenage years I took up trumpet and with four friends we formed a dance band (Glenn Miller stuff etc.) whilst also playing cornet in the RAN Reserve Marching Band - allow some gap years here for marriage and family - the next instrument change came when I took up electric bass and played in a couple of gospel groups in Perth.
Eventually I took the plunge and bought a much used double bass and learned to play it (sort of) and was encouraged by Roger Tuffley to play in the Subiaco String Orchestra, directed by Sonia le Tourneau….from there I graduated to play with the grown-ups in the Karrinyup Symphony Orchestra (with a new DB).
What instrument(s) would you secretly like to play?
Piano – its voice is so versatile, it has a huge musical range, variation of tone, hand-eye coordination and prepares you with a wide range of musical knowledge.
Voice - Choral Singing.
How many years have you played with MetSO?
My Time with MetSO: Joined the Karrinyup Symphony Orchestra (MetSO's original name) when it was still rehearsing in the Karrinyup shopping precinct. That was in 1992, so that would mean I have been a member for 28 years – 18 years on double bass and 10 on cello.
Favourite Concerto?
Elgar – Cello Concerto Op. 85 in E minor
Favourite Composers?
Bach JS: over the past 2 years I have faced some seriously difficult cello parts and getting them up to performance standard has been stressful and frustrating. To wind down I would choose some music by Bach to play and gradually this restores calmness in my life.
Beethoven: his music is exciting whether you are playing or listening to it.
Tchaikovsky: incredibly exciting and sweet. A genius who wrote, for instance, Serenade for Strings – I’m speechless here.
Favourite MetSO Concert?
One of my many favourites is the Chris Dragon Farewell Concert.
Favourite MetSO moment?
Every rehearsal is a special moment for me;
it is the time when we are patiently guided by a range of gifted conductors;
also it is being a part of the MetSO team of highly skilled musos who all have a single aim of creating an incredible concert for an appreciative (paying) audience.
Favourite 3 instruments by sound quality/ timbre?
Cello
Oboe
Viola
“and the Force be with us”
Best practice tip?
Start slowly with your new music, mark the best combinations of fingering, then do your preparation for the next orchestra rehearsal.
Best tip for overcoming stage fright/performance nerves.
Be confident that you have done the best possible preparation of the music you will play; get to the venue early; trust the conductor and your leader.
What is the oddest thing we would find in your instrument case?
A small plastic pencil sharpener - its plastic casing has fine corrugated sides which very effectively remove any resin build-up on the cello strings.
Me … BEFORE practising Dvorak’s 7th
What is the hardest thing you have ever played?
Without doubt, Dvorak Symphony No. 7.
It is a brilliant piece of music.Why was it so hard for me? I had trouble with the constant clef changes, the key changes, tempo changes, and then the printed cello part was so condensed that on some pages you could hardly see the white paper for the mass of black dots.
Bring on Beethoven 3!
When and where do you most like to listen to music?
Being a morning person I like to listen in bed between 3.30 and 5.00am (approximately). I am rested, alert and it is soooooo quiet. The range of music available now on streaming radio is awesome.
The sound I love to listen to?
The soprano ensemble in a choral performance, especially when they are really good and can soar up to the high parts in tune.