EDUARDO VASSALLO RETIRES FROM THE CBSO

                                                          By Christopher Morley

 

The end of an era comes on Wednesday evening December 10, when Eduardo Vassallo plays his final concert with the CBSO after 36 years as principal cellist. When I asked him to reflect upon his career, his reminiscences virtually wrote themselves, as he begins.

“My journey with music started early because my father was a double bass player in the Teatro Colón opera orchestra in Buenos Aires. That meant from a very young age, I was going to concerts and operas.

​“Our home was always full of music, too. My mother would play the piano a bit—she wasn't a professional, but the sounds were always around. One day, when I was barely six years old, my father asked me, "Would you like to play the cello?" I immediately said yes. The very next week, he had bought me a cello and a bow, and I was set up with my first lesson.

​“I had an excellent teacher who guided me all the way until I came to Europe to continue my studies when I was eighteen.​I started playing at six, and truly, I've never looked back!

​“As a side note, when I was fourteen, I also started playing the bass guitar. I absolutely love it—maybe in my next life, I'll be a bassist, who knows!”

Eduardo then goes on to tell me about his appointment to the CBSO.

​"I actually started my professional career quite young—I joined the National Symphony Orchestra of Argentina when I was just fifteen!

“After spending several years studying and freelancing in Switzerland and Cologne,  my wife Cathy and I were actually back in Buenos Aires for a trip. It was at a friend's party there that we first met Peter Thomas and his wife, Constanza Lezama.

​“Peter was the new Leader of the CBSO at the time—he had just left the Philharmonia to join the orchestra under Simon Rattle's invitation. Since the CBSO was expanding and looking for new musicians, Peter kindly organized auditions for both of us.

​“For me, it was a bit complicated because relations between Argentina and England were strained back then, so even getting a visa just to audition was tricky! Cathy actually came over first and won her position in the viola section before I finally managed to come for my trial. I officially started my position on August 28th, 1989.

​“To be honest, Cathy wasn't completely sold on the idea of living in the UK. We came over with the mindset, ‘Let's give it a year—if we don't like it, we'll go’. ​Well, we're still here 36 years later, having become fully adopted Brummies!”

What anecdotes was Eduardo remember from his time with the CBSO?

“There are loads of anecdotes, but a really funny one comes from the early nineties. We were recording with the orchestra at the Warwick Arts Centre. ​It was a three-day session, and one of those days happened to be Simon’s baby's due date. He had rented a mobile phone—and I mean one of the very first in the country, one of those enormous bricks!

​“The thing is, Simon had this phone sitting right next to his podium. Of course,  in the middle of a take the phone starts ringing. There’s total, absolute silence in the orchestra…​Simon, ever so calmly, picks up his phone, with everyone absolutely silent, the whole orchestra there on tenterhooks, listening in... and suddenly we hear his voice, and he just says, 'Wrong number!' "

​"It’s genuinely difficult to put into words exactly what Simon Rattle’s years with us were like, or the sheer transformation the orchestra went through, let alone the change the city saw with the arrival of Symphony Hall. I mean, the hall was practically made for us! ​The way the orchestra grew, what he did for us and for the city—the brand he built across Europe and the world—was utterly incredible.

​“This was down to a couple of things: First, the brilliance with which Simon handled absolutely everything, from the programming to those fantastic educational projects. And second, the sheer ambition he had for us. I honestly think we all learned so much from him. ​Looking back now, we truly realise just how monumental his contribution was to the culture of this country."

Was it a difficult decision to make, leaving the CBSO?

​"Yes, it's a difficult decision, but I think it's ultimately a very logical one. I've been doing this job for a fantastic 36 years, and I've genuinely enjoyed every single day of it. ​But I believe it's time we gave younger people a chance; the orchestra needs to continue its journey, and nobody is truly irreplaceable—we’re certainly not immortal

​“It's time for me to pursue some personal projects: some teaching, both here and in South America, a bit of freelance work, some chamber music... that sort of thing."

As we conclude, is there anything else Eduardo would like to tell me?

​"On a very personal level, I’m incredibly proud that my son, Dany, has joined the band as a double bass player. I've been lucky enough to work alongside him since September! Plus, my older son Diego is playing in the Teatro Colon Opera Orchestra where my father worked for 35 years! I'm also thrilled to have watched my former cello student, Alpesh Chauhan, develop into one of England's leading conductors.

​“I genuinely consider myself a very lucky person to have worked under such wonderful musicians as our Music Directors, Sir Simon Rattle, Sakari Oramo, Andris  Nelsons, Mirga  Grazinyte-Tyla and now Kazuki Yamada. ​To have been part of the CBSO's journey has been an extraordinary experience. I truly love this orchestra, and I’m going to miss it terribly.

​“What a lucky man I am!"

*Eduardo Vassallo’s final appearance as principal cellist of the CBSO is in an all-Richard Strauss programme at Symphony Hall on December 10 (7.30pm).

 

ends