Born in Erlangen on 3 June 1965 Albrecht Mayer is an internationally known oboist and conductor and has made numerous recordings for Deutsche Grammophon. His recordings have remained in the classical charts for many weeks at a time.He took piano, recorder and singing lessons before he began playing the oboe at the age of ten. His teachers were Gerhard Scheuer, Georg Meerwein, Maurice Bourgue and Ingo Goritzki. While still in his teens, he was invited to work with various orchestras, among them the European Community Youth Orchestra. The recipient of several awards and grants, Mayer became principal oboe of the Bamberg Symphonic Orchestra in 1990, and joined the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra two years later in the same position.Albrecht Mayer appears regularly as a concerto soloist and chamber musician and teaches in conjunction with major international festivals. He was awarded the ECHO-Klassik prize as 'Instrumentalist of the Year' in 2004 and 2010 and in the category of 'Music DVD Recording of the Year' in 2008. He was awarded the Opus Classic prize in 2018. He also founded his own Ensemble 'New Seasons'.Heidi Friedrich, co-author, is a journalist and the author of numerous books. Her articles have appeared in Spiegel online, Zeit online, Welt am Sonntag, Berliner Zeitung among others. She has studied, lived and worked in London, Aix-en-Province, Dublin, Zurich and New York.

For us musicians there is nothing more important than sound and Albrecht's sound is simply sublime. As his colleague and friend I loved this 'backstage' look into his journey about the trials and tribulations of creating that perfect Albrecht Mayer sound.Sarah Willis, French horn, Berlin Philharmonic OrchestraI have admired Albrecht Mayer as a great oboist ever since I first heard him play. He has also been an important authority for me for many years. Already back in Meiningen, the location of my first leading position as a conductor, we performed two concerts together: my farewell concert as (General) Music Director and another program in which we played a work by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with the Meininger Hofkapelle. Since then, we have been connected in a wonderful artistic partnership. When the Berliner Philharmoniker bestowed their direction upon me, Albrecht Mayer was the one who first and foremost supported and challenged me with equal measure. He has always encouraged me to work hard with this extraordinary orchestra and to bring out the ensemble's skills in the best possible way. Having his placet to do everything to come close to my notion of an ideal interpretation was an invaluable help to me, as was his positive feedback after a successful concert. In this sense, he supported me like a mentor from the very first steps I was allowed to take with the Berliner Philharmoniker. For all my questions or doubts, he was and is always at my side with his advice.I am delighted that his thoughts and experiences are now being made available to an English-speaking readership and wish this book the best of success.Kirill Petrenko

• Foreword to the German Edition by Zubin MehtaForeword to the English Edition by Kirill PetrenkoChapter 1: A Stuttering Enfant terribleChapter 2: Key MomentsChapter 3: Setting the CourseChapter 4: Under Pressure - Crazy or Just Different?Chapter 5: Plummeting from the Heights of Mount OlympusChapter 6: Too Much Pressure - When Success Goes to Your headChapter 7: The Song of the OboeChapter 8: Through Bach to GodChapter 9: The battle Against ShameChapter 10: An Adrenaline Junkie in Withdrawal Chapter 11: Just Another Ordinary Human BeingAcknowledgements

Born in Erlangen on 3 June 1965 Albrecht Mayer is an internationally known oboist and conductor and has made numerous recordings for Deutsche Grammophon. His recordings have remained in the classical charts for many weeks at a time.He took piano, recorder and singing lessons before he began playing the oboe at the age of ten. His teachers were Gerhard Scheuer, Georg Meerwein, Maurice Bourgue and Ingo Goritzki. While still in his teens, he was invited to work with various orchestras, among them the European Community Youth Orchestra. The recipient of several awards and grants, Mayer became principal oboe of the Bamberg Symphonic Orchestra in 1990, and joined the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra two years later in the same position.Albrecht Mayer appears regularly as a concerto soloist and chamber musician and teaches in conjunction with major international festivals. He was awarded the ECHO-Klassik prize as 'Instrumentalist of the Year' in 2004 and 2010 and in the category of 'Music DVD Recording of the Year' in 2008. He was awarded the Opus Classic prize in 2018. He also founded his own Ensemble 'New Seasons'.Heidi Friedrich, co-author, is a journalist and the author of numerous books. Her articles have appeared in Spiegel online, Zeit online, Welt am Sonntag, Berliner Zeitung among others. She has studied, lived and worked in London, Aix-en-Province, Dublin, Zurich and New York.

For us musicians there is nothing more important than sound and Albrecht's sound is simply sublime. As his colleague and friend I loved this 'backstage' look into his journey about the trials and tribulations of creating that perfect Albrecht Mayer sound.Sarah Willis, French horn, Berlin Philharmonic OrchestraI have admired Albrecht Mayer as a great oboist ever since I first heard him play. He has also been an important authority for me for many years. Already back in Meiningen, the location of my first leading position as a conductor, we performed two concerts together: my farewell concert as (General) Music Director and another program in which we played a work by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with the Meininger Hofkapelle. Since then, we have been connected in a wonderful artistic partnership. When the Berliner Philharmoniker bestowed their direction upon me, Albrecht Mayer was the one who first and foremost supported and challenged me with equal measure. He has always encouraged me to work hard with this extraordinary orchestra and to bring out the ensemble's skills in the best possible way. Having his placet to do everything to come close to my notion of an ideal interpretation was an invaluable help to me, as was his positive feedback after a successful concert. In this sense, he supported me like a mentor from the very first steps I was allowed to take with the Berliner Philharmoniker. For all my questions or doubts, he was and is always at my side with his advice.I am delighted that his thoughts and experiences are now being made available to an English-speaking readership and wish this book the best of success.Kirill Petrenko

• Foreword to the German Edition by Zubin MehtaForeword to the English Edition by Kirill PetrenkoChapter 1: A Stuttering Enfant terribleChapter 2: Key MomentsChapter 3: Setting the CourseChapter 4: Under Pressure - Crazy or Just Different?Chapter 5: Plummeting from the Heights of Mount OlympusChapter 6: Too Much Pressure - When Success Goes to Your headChapter 7: The Song of the OboeChapter 8: Through Bach to GodChapter 9: The battle Against ShameChapter 10: An Adrenaline Junkie in Withdrawal Chapter 11: Just Another Ordinary Human BeingAcknowledgements

Born in Erlangen on 3 June 1965 Albrecht Mayer is an internationally known oboist and conductor and has made numerous recordings for Deutsche Grammophon. His recordings have remained in the classical charts for many weeks at a time.He took piano, recorder and singing lessons before he began playing the oboe at the age of ten. His teachers were Gerhard Scheuer, Georg Meerwein, Maurice Bourgue and Ingo Goritzki. While still in his teens, he was invited to work with various orchestras, among them the European Community Youth Orchestra. The recipient of several awards and grants, Mayer became principal oboe of the Bamberg Symphonic Orchestra in 1990, and joined the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra two years later in the same position.Albrecht Mayer appears regularly as a concerto soloist and chamber musician and teaches in conjunction with major international festivals. He was awarded the ECHO-Klassik prize as 'Instrumentalist of the Year' in 2004 and 2010 and in the category of 'Music DVD Recording of the Year' in 2008. He was awarded the Opus Classic prize in 2018. He also founded his own Ensemble 'New Seasons'.Heidi Friedrich, co-author, is a journalist and the author of numerous books. Her articles have appeared in Spiegel online, Zeit online, Welt am Sonntag, Berliner Zeitung among others. She has studied, lived and worked in London, Aix-en-Province, Dublin, Zurich and New York.

For us musicians there is nothing more important than sound and Albrecht's sound is simply sublime. As his colleague and friend I loved this 'backstage' look into his journey about the trials and tribulations of creating that perfect Albrecht Mayer sound.Sarah Willis, French horn, Berlin Philharmonic OrchestraI have admired Albrecht Mayer as a great oboist ever since I first heard him play. He has also been an important authority for me for many years. Already back in Meiningen, the location of my first leading position as a conductor, we performed two concerts together: my farewell concert as (General) Music Director and another program in which we played a work by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with the Meininger Hofkapelle. Since then, we have been connected in a wonderful artistic partnership. When the Berliner Philharmoniker bestowed their direction upon me, Albrecht Mayer was the one who first and foremost supported and challenged me with equal measure. He has always encouraged me to work hard with this extraordinary orchestra and to bring out the ensemble's skills in the best possible way. Having his placet to do everything to come close to my notion of an ideal interpretation was an invaluable help to me, as was his positive feedback after a successful concert. In this sense, he supported me like a mentor from the very first steps I was allowed to take with the Berliner Philharmoniker. For all my questions or doubts, he was and is always at my side with his advice.I am delighted that his thoughts and experiences are now being made available to an English-speaking readership and wish this book the best of success.Kirill Petrenko

• Foreword to the German Edition by Zubin MehtaForeword to the English Edition by Kirill PetrenkoChapter 1: A Stuttering Enfant terribleChapter 2: Key MomentsChapter 3: Setting the CourseChapter 4: Under Pressure - Crazy or Just Different?Chapter 5: Plummeting from the Heights of Mount OlympusChapter 6: Too Much Pressure - When Success Goes to Your headChapter 7: The Song of the OboeChapter 8: Through Bach to GodChapter 9: The battle Against ShameChapter 10: An Adrenaline Junkie in Withdrawal Chapter 11: Just Another Ordinary Human BeingAcknowledgements