Some days are just jam-packed - especially in the first few weeks of the season. We catch Karoline Bestehorn, 2nd violin and member of the chamber orchestra board, just between a long rehearsal with the chamber orchestra upstairs in the Werner-Otto-Saal (5th floor) and an audition for the 2nd violins in the Kleiner Saal (4th floor).

This morning I would actually have been happy to have an elevator, even if it was a bit slow like this one (laughs). But you can only get to the Werner-Otto-Saal, where we rehearsed, in the other elevator, which is currently out of order due to renovation work. So we all took the stairs. 

... have managed the Konzerthaus Kammerorchester by themselves. You even have your own series. What artistic and organizational challenges have you faced during this time, for example?

The most important thing for us is that we really feel ourselves as a small formation. Everyone is hugely important, every single voice is extremely present - even more so than in a large orchestra. The musical communication, the contact between all of us is very, very intense. We often play string programmes in which every little mistake would be noticed immediately.

A demanding concert with the chamber orchestra is often followed in the same week by a challenging program with the Konzerthausorchester, which you also have to prepare very well - this time, it's Bruckner 9 with Iván Fischer. If you still manage to mobilize your reserves and even in a week like that, you manage to only have your own people in the chamber orchestra, you're extremely happy - and extremely exhausted afterwards (laughs).

The older you get, the more you have to look after your body. That applies to all of us. If you have a demanding concert coming up, you lie down for half an hour. You eat well so you don't fall into an energy slump. Some people do Pilates, others do yoga or take Bach flowers - these kinds of supports help you to calm down. But in the chamber orchestra, the positive stress, which we also need, has never turned negative because it's just so much fun!