My Gewandhaus Solo: An Inteview with Lothar Petrausch, Lead Attendant

Just as each player's role in a symphony is vital to the sound as a whole, so too is the role of each behind-the-scenes player important to each production put on my an orchestra. From the lighting and sound technicians to the promoters searching for the ideal venue to showcase an orchestra's sounds overseas, each person has his or her own role to play in ensuring that a performance comes off without a hitch.

For the Gewandhausorchester, one of the central characters behind the scenes is Lothar Petrausch, the orchestra's lead attendant. Petrausch has been part of the orchestra's backstage team for decades, accompanying them overseas since the mid-1980s. A so-called “man for everything,” Petrausch has the confidence of every member of the orchestra as well as a supervisory role making sure that every element of a concert is well-organized – from the timing of the players' entrance to the stage preparations to ensuring every instrument and its accessories are in the right place at the right time.

While out on the road, Petrausch works with a team of experts from DHL during the instrument transport to ensure the invaluable instruments are handled with care and arrive on time in the right location. For a tour like the one to take place in Europe in September 2014, that means accompanying the players on extremely tight turnarounds as they move from Leipzig to Berlin, Lucerne and London over the course of just a week.

It's a different experience from the day-in day-out schedule at the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig concert hall. While at home, everything has its place, on tour, the team must be flexible, able to adapt to the variations in each venue. For Petrausch, that means organizing in advance where the instrument cases will be stored, sorting out the details to make sure nothing vital goes lost out on the road. It is, as Petrausch says, “a bit complicated.”

Still, with his hard-won expertise and respect from the troupe of players he accompanies, Petrausch has a vital, if non-artistic spot in the Gewandhausorchester. To see Petrausch in action, check out the video at the top of the page. And for more on the European tour the orchestra is about to embark, click over to the official website of the Gewandhausorchester.