“How did you do it?”
Madeleine Carruzzo, the Berliner Philharmoniker’s first female member; a portrait. “How did you do it?”Madeleine Carruzzo, the Berliner Philharmoniker’s first female member; a portrait.

Madeleine Carruzzo made Philharmoniker history in 1982 when she became the first woman to join the orchestra. She was a highly valued member of the orchestra, retiring in 2023. In this article, she looks back on her career.

You spent four decades playing the violin with the Berliner Philharmoniker. How do you feel about leaving the orchestra?

I have mixed feelings. I’m happy and I’m also grateful for the privilege of performing with this orchestra for forty years and for having stayed healthy throughout this time. But I also feel a little sad, of course, because an important phase in my life is coming to an end. It has been a very fulfilling and rewarding time for me.

You are from Switzerland, from Sion, where there is a famous music festival that was founded by the violinist Tibor Varga. What was your childhood in Sion like?

If it hadn’t been for Tibor Varga and his festival, I would never have become a professional musician. There were no opportunities to learn the violin when I was a child in Sion. My parents noticed very quickly that I was interested in music and so they sent me for guitar lessons. My teacher was Tibor Varga’s father. He noticed that I had a good ear and encouraged me to learn the violin. I was seven when I began to play the instrument. Initially, I had a teacher who travelled from city to city, teaching children from the whole region. I was nine when Tibor Varga heard me play and took an interest in me. From then on, I attended his festival every summer, initially just as a listener, later as a participant. I knew very soon that I wanted to be a violinist.

You later studied with Tibor Varga. What did you learn from him?

Most importantly, he taught me a solid technique. He thought a lot about violin playing and wrote lots of excellent exercises himself. He was also able to explain why particular things worked the way they did on the violin. You need a good technique to produce a decent sound and to be able to play for forty years without developing any physical problems. Tibor Varga was also very strict. He taught me discipline and he taught me to respect the music. He also trained me to hear different tone colours. I am grateful to him for so, so much.

The first woman in an all-male orchestra

For decades, the Berliner Philharmoniker remained an exclusively male preserve. You were the first woman in the orchestra. How did you find out that women were allowed to audition?

When I was twenty, Peter Herrmann, a former pupil of Tibor Varga and then a violinist with the Berliner Philharmoniker, heard me play. He asked me if I’d like to audition for them. At that point I had absolutely no idea that women were even allowed to audition for the Philharmoniker; Peter Herrmann told me that women had been invited to audition over the previous twenty years, but none of them had ever been accepted. I said to him at the time: “Well, that would be a possibility, but first I want to study, and then we’ll see.” Once I’d completed my studies, I did indeed apply.

Given how well you played, a solo career would also have been an option. Why did you choose an orchestral career?

I think it has something to do with my character. A solo career never really appealed to me. When I applied for the position in Berlin, I also applied for a concertmaster position in the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, but they turned me down on the grounds that they didn’t want any women in their orchestra. I was invited to audition in Berlin, and so it was very satisfying to get the job here. 

How did you approach the audition?

I had nothing to lose. It was my first audition and it was also a great opportunity. I’d prepared my audition pieces, and I approached the audition as though I were playing a concert. I even wore a dress. I don’t often wear dresses, but in this particular case I wanted to make a point. After the audition, the other musicians came over to me, shook my hand and said: “This is a historic moment. You’re the first woman in our orchestra.” It was only then that I realised that I had been accepted, although I also knew, of course, that I would still have to pass my probationary period.

What were your first months in the orchestra like? How were you received?

On the whole very well. There were a couple of colleagues, of course, who were opposed on principle to having a woman in the orchestra. But my audition was so convincing, thank God, that they couldn’t reject me on musical grounds. I tried to do my job as best I could. I didn’t want to set myself apart as a woman; I just wanted to play as a normal member of the orchestra, like everyone else.

Herbert von Karajan was the chief conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker at that time. What was his reaction?

After the first rehearsal, Karajan asked me and said: “How did you do it?” I replied: “Well, I auditioned.” He was very friendly, asked where I was from and with whom I’d studied. He knew Tibor Varga, of course, and was also familiar with my home town of Sion as he had once taken flying lessons with a pilot there.

At first, there was a lot to learn.

By 1982, Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker had acquired legendary status. How did the orchestra strike you as a newcomer?

The first thing that struck me was the incredible homogeneity. The average age of the musicians at that time was fifty-seven, and I could sense that there was a very close bond between the players. Also, they had already worked with Karajan for thirty years and he had shaped the orchestra into a unified ensemble. For me, Karajan was a brilliant conductor. He could achieve incredible things with the smallest of gestures and he had a wonderful feeling for sound. It was an absolute joy for me!

Wasn’t it difficult as well? You had to find your place …

I didn’t find it all that difficult; I managed to adapt very quickly. The main task for me was learning all the new repertoire. Almost every week we performed two programmes. We had only two rehearsals and a final rehearsal; then two concerts, and then it was already time for the next programme. When Karajan was there, we had recording sessions as well. At first, there was a lot to learn.

You later started a family and had a daughter. How did the orchestra react to that?

They were really wonderful about it. My colleagues were incredibly kind. I took only three months off work. My husband at that time was very supportive at first. We also arranged childcare straight away so that we could both continue working. During the first two or three years, our priorities naturally shifted somewhat. With a baby at home I couldn’t practise as much. Overall, that period enriched my life enormously.

You’ve already mentioned that when you joined the Philharmoniker, the average age of the musicians was very high. After Karajan, a process of renewal began with the new chief conductor, Claudio Abbado. What changed?

Claudio Abbado wanted a lighter sound, especially in the basses. He also paid more attention to phrasing, whereas Karajan was more concerned with the long line. His approach to rehearsals was also completely different. Karajan’s rehearsals were very focused. He worked on only a few transitions and almost never ran a piece from beginning to end, not even at the final rehearsal. Abbado, on the other hand, always let us play pieces right through, but said relatively little. His interpretation emerged as we played.

Music will always be part of my life

How has the sound of the orchestra changed over time?

Under Karajan there was this dark, velvety sound. People always recognised us by that sound. We can still produce that sound with the right conductor. But our sound has become much more varied and flexible.

With hindsight, how would you describe your own development as a musician in this orchestra?

I’ve learnt an enormous amount here.I hear works very differently now, and understand and know them better. I am now completely focused on the music.

You are leaving at a time when the orchestra is entering a new phase under its new chief conductor, Kirill Petrenko. Do you regret retiring now?

What I regret most of all is that our first years with Kirill Petrenko were overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic. But yes, I would have liked to experience a little more of this development. I’m very glad we have Petrenko, because in my opinion he has everything that this orchestra needs: he has a musical vision, he explores the music deeply, and he can achieve all that he wants through his hands and body language. And there is a wonderful humanity in the way he works with the orchestra.

What advice would you give to the young women joining the Berliner Philharmoniker today?

It really shouldn’t matter whether you’re a woman or a man. What matters is how well you play. All I can say to young musicians is: listen to the orchestra, become part of it and hold on to your passion for playing.

What role will music play in your life after you leave the orchestra?

Music will always be part of my life. I’d like to start learning the piano. Unlike the violin, it allows me to play harmonies. I’ll also spend more time in Switzerland, read a lot, go to concerts and enjoy life.