The name Rolf Smedvig may not be on many peoples lips but his reputation among trumpet players is well known. Flamboyant, at times self-centered and overly confident were characteristics we all saw in him. His talents as a great trumpet player were also well known and envied by most of us who came in contact with him.
His reputation as a member of the Empire Brass quintet was also well known for as the founder of this fine ensemble, he seemed at times to be offering new recordings every week. His recordings were legendary and we all loved to hear him play and secretly wished he would make mistakes so he could be at our level.
This secret wish actually came true on an International Trumpet Guild concert many years ago in Boulder, Colorado. Mr. Smedvig was scheduled to perform his first solo recital in a long time and what happened that day is vivid in the memory of many of us who attended the recital.
Rolf happened to be staying in the same hotel as many of us that weekend and his horn could be heard all through the halls, beginning early that afternoon. For several hours he continued to hammer out his solos one after another. The clear and beautiful note seemed to be coming down endlessly from heaven as the hours passed by. Then, gradually the tone and effortless playing we had been treated to all afternoon seemed to become less effortless and the tone much more forced. Still Rolf continued to push himself and we all began to question his sanity. His recital was expected to be his first solo recital in many years and to bang away at the last hour seemed to all of us to be leading up to a disaster. And we were correct.
From the time Mr. Smedvig began his first number, the audience seemed to feel that they were actually going to get their wish for an evening of bad Smedvig. After the first number his audience began to share the pleasure of watching a fellow trumpet player disintegrate before our eyes. My good friend next to me and I turned to each other and all could see the pleasure in our faces. This was the moment we had waited for. The usual swagger and bravado associated with this self-proclaimed virtuoso was gone and on stage that evening was a humbled, desperate musician trying to eke out another note before total silence would overtake him.
Mr. Smedvig continued to force each note from his horn with increasingly less success, yet he continued. The faces in his audience began to change from gleeful excitement to uncomfortable sympathy. Still he continued. By intermission, we were relieved by the thought that now he had an opportunity to beg off the remaining portion of his recital but to our discomfort, Rolf returned to attempt the second half of his program. I wish I could say that the second half was an improvement but the truth is, it was worse than the first half. Yet he continued. By this time most of the audience felt like leaving or at least suggesting he save what little chops he still had for another day. Yet he continued. By the end of the program, we were more ashamed of our performance that night than the unfortunate and devastating outcome for our fellow trumpet player.
In several of my posts I make the assertion that lead and solo trumpet players in most cases have an underlying lack of confidence which surfaces as an over active ego gland in their character. This condition could not have been illustrated any better than what unfortunately happen to Mr. Smedvig that night. The pressure upon his shoulders was more than he could sensibly cope with. He was aware of the many critics out to see his downfall and this added concern must have forced him to overdo his practicing earlier that day. Most players know when to stop, but in Rolf’s case, the fear of failure drove him to the very condition which would make certain this result.
Looking back on that evening I have mixed feeling for on one hand it was a relief to hear someone else crash and burn while on the other I cannot imagine the humiliation this great performer felt that night.
If you ever wish to see someone fail at their art, no matter how arrogant and obnoxious the person, please remember this post.
Reprinted from Deceptive Cadence from NPR Classical-
With dazzling technique, Smedvig exuded a confident swagger in his playing, leading Fanfare Magazine to describe his performances as “as absolutely spectacular with hair-trigger control and high-wire acrobatics aplenty.”
