Benjamin Morrison had watched the films and listened to the recordings, but nothing prepared him for his first day on the job at the Vienna Philharmonic.
Morrison is the first and only New Zealander to have achieved a place in the prestigious ensemble, which is considered one of the top five orchestras in the world.
As a result, it came with a level of responsibility he fully appreciated at the time.
"I had a lot to learn about the tradition of how they played."
Morrison has been a member of the Vienna State Opera since 2014, before joining the philharmonic in 2017 as second violinist. He is now a first violinist.
"I was very much an outsider when I joined. Coming from outside, having not studied in Vienna or in the philharmonic, it was more a case of guilty until proven innocent. "
So he knuckled down and did the work.
"I had to work very hard to earn respect of colleagues. It was very tough, but I had enough humility to realise I had lot to learn."
Possibly, that was thanks to his experiences growing up in New Zealand.
Morrison was only 3 when his father, David, placed a violin in his hand. Himself a convert to the violin since hearing a recording of Yehudi Menuhin play at 15 but a bit old to start learning, David Morrison wanted his son to have the opportunity to pick it up earlier.
Having always responded to music emotionally, Benjamin found the violin to be a vehicle for that, albeit a "difficult one".
"It takes years before you can make a half-decent tone on the violin and it’s not a particularly ergonomic instrument like piano or cello, which are much nicer. They use gravity. The violin is up on the shoulder, so many things can go wrong, so many pains that can happen."
Morrison was only 10 when he made his solo debut with an orchestra.
"It was quite an emotional piece of music. I felt there and then, ‘wow this is something special, I want to keep doing that’."
However, it was not until he began playing chamber music with an older group of musicians at Burnside High School that it really clicked.
"I saw how much they had a passion for it and it ignited my passion. Without that experience I probably wouldn't have taken it on."
The other significant event in his playing life was when he moved from Christchurch to Wellington to study with New Zealand Symphony’s concertmaster, Vesa-Matti Leppanen.
For the first time he did not have parents pushing him to practise, so he did not bother for almost a year until he heard a recording of himself playing and thought how terrible he sounded.
"I thought ‘OK, I actually need to practise, to knuckle down. I need to work hard, need to take initiative and can’t rest on my laurels. It is not enough’."
He recorded his first solo album aged 15 and toured the South Pacific, America and Asia before moving to Wellington, from where he went on to win every major violin competition in New Zealand.
Leppanen then recommended he move to Austria to study with Yair Kless at the Kunst University in Graz.
"[At my] first lesson I played a few pieces I’d prepared and he says ‘I think you’ve got something to say with violin and I think we can work on it’."
Over the next five years, Morrison completed a masters in performance and chamber music in Graz. He has also been a prize winner in international competitions such as the Michael Hill Competition and the International Brahms Competition.
After graduation he had planned to return to New Zealand but, as he was in a relationship, decided to stay in Europe to try his hand on the competition circuit.
Listening to the music of the orchestras he began to realise it went much deeper than just playing a piece of music.
"It’s different to a violin competition. You have to have respect and know what the orchestra is listening for. Each orchestra, especially in Austria, has a very particular sound and traditions they are looking out for.
"I was lucky enough to have people put me on the right path and tell me what was necessary to do to get ahead in auditions."
When Morrison — who has two main violins, one made by his father and a Joseph Gagliano made in 1770 — first joined the orchestra it took a long time to find a work-life balance. The first year he worked with operettas it was fine, but the philharmonic required much more work.
"You are playing so much all the time. While I took a break occasionally, I worked really hard, because it was so amazing. I became very involved."
He also found it a learning experience to deal with difficult personalities in the orchestra.
"It’s a top orchestra with people who are ambitious, strong-willed. Every person sitting there has worked extremely hard to get where they are."
It all combined with some personal struggles, including divorce.
"I’ve got married again. Have got a kid, am happy now. Those experiences, they shape you and you learn from them."
Having a 1-year-old also changed his life.
"Suddenly it’s not just about your own troubles and worries any more, it’s about this little kid."
After 10 years with the orchestra, Vienna is home and he says the orchestra has "become part of my existence".
Alongside the many good performances, he acknowledges there are also bad ones, and occasionally performances that really shine.
In a recent performance in Prague, all those elements came together.
"It’s an orchestra that is not particularly known for playing perfectly together, as we do not believe it is important. It’s more that we create, make music. Occasionally, quite often they both — the technical and musical — create an unbelievable experience."
He hopes it will be such an occasion when he returns to New Zealand for his tour with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra conducted by artistic adviser and principal conductor Gemma New. It is special for Morrison, who often substituted in the orchestra when he was studying under Leppanen.
"It’s going to be incredible experience with me working closely with NZSO. The orchestra is very close to my heart. I know the people very well, so it’s going to be a collaboration with friends."
It is especially so, given he has been asked to play Britten’s Violin Concerto, a piece that is not part of the standard violin repertoire.
To make sure he was well prepared for the piece, Morrison took a sabbatical from the philharmonic to prepare.
"It is one of most challenging works I’ve prepared. Technically speaking it has a lot of ... extended technique, things you don’t come across every day."
It is also a rare opportunity for Morrison to return to New Zealand for a second time this year, after earlier performances with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and the Auckland Philharmonic.
"I feel quite spoilt, as I’ve never been back home twice in one year."
To see:
Benjamin on Britten, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Dunedin Town Hall, November 4 as part of a series of concerts November 3-5.
