Meet the musicians: Jesper Kramer-Johansen
interview
L
Live Klassisk3 min read|9. December 2023
Welcome to our interview relay with musicians from the classical music scene! Today we have the pleasure of presenting Jesper Kramer-Johansen, who was nominated by Anders Krøger in the previous round. Jesper is a tuba player in Luftforsvarets musikkorps in Trondbheim . Here he shares his thoughts on classical music and recommends upcoming concerts for both new and experienced concertgoers!
Name, instrument and profession
Jesper Kramer-Johansen, tuba player in Luftforsvarets musikkorps in Trondheim. And I also play cimbasso in Det Nye Norske Storband.
What are you up to at the moment?
Right now I am on a little tour of Trøndelag, playing Swinging Christmas with Luftforsvarets musikkorps, Lars Erik Gudim and Julie Dahle Aagård. Great fun!
Most overrated composer or piece?
As a military musician this is sacrilege, but I am not all that enthusiastic about marches...
And at the opposite end... what music should everyone really get to experience?
There is so much! But Tchaikovsky's symphonies were what opened my ears to classical music.
Your latest big concert experience - what made it so special?
Last June I got a phone call from Göteborgs Symfoniker. They wondered whether I could come at one day's notice as a substitute for the substitute. That is when you feel alive. I did not know the orchestra from before, and had no idea what I was getting into. It turned out that the concert was with the artist Laleh at Ullevi stadion, for over 30,000 people. It is really lovely music, and with an orchestra it became absolutely magical. The sight of tens of thousands of mobile-phone "lighters" is something I will never forget.
How did your journey towards becoming a musician begin?
I started on baritone horn in Ullevål skoles musikkorps when I was in third grade. In lower secondary school I moved up to tuba, but it was only in the music programme at Foss vgs that I really got hooked. The revue scene deserves much of the credit for that. It was a taste of life as a musician, and I really got a craving for more. But it would not have come to anything without my teacher, Frode Amundsen.
Do you have any role models? Is there anyone who has been particularly motivating or inspiring for you?
The tuba teacher at Norges musikkhøgskole for 40 years, Torbjörn Kvist, meant enormously much to me during the four years I had with him. Not only did he train almost all of the country's tuba players, but he built an environment where everyone knows everyone, and we help each other play well.
Do you have any advice for "new listeners" who are curious about classical music and do not go to concerts very often?
Classical music, and especially at a concert, is the antidote to the constant chase for quick gratification from social media, and really everywhere around us. I think we need that. Let yourself disappear into the music, without outside distractions. I think the level of conflict in the world would go down considerably if more people went to concerts.
Any upcoming concerts you would like to recommend?
First a bit of shameless self-promotion: My gang in Det Nye Norske Storband, or the new NSB if you like, is playing a Christmas concert with Elin Rosseland and Christian Aftreth Eriksen at Parkteatret in Oslo on 18 December. The atmosphere at our Christmas concerts is always impeccable!
And then I would encourage everyone to go to a concert with their local defence band. There are five of them spread around Norway, and they are all world class. Forget what I said about marches! I guarantee you will have all your prejudices about bands thrown back at you.
Clapping between movements: for or against?
For! Let the enthusiasm loose. I recently played Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony in Sweden and in Austria. The cultured Austrian audience knew that it was not over after the third movement, and sat politely in their seats. The Swedish audience, on the other hand, broke out in spontaneous cheering. The orchestra took that energy with it into the final movement. What a fantastic feeling!
Finally - who would you like to challenge to take over the baton?
Then I will pass the baton on to Gabriel Boezi Gjerpe.