Felix Klieser: The problem-solving French horn player of the BBC Proms

Look astatine the BBC Proms poster this twelvemonth and you'll spot immoderate classical big-hitters - the conductor Sir Simon Rattle and cello superstar Sheku Kanneh Mason. But look person inactive and you'll timepiece a suave French horn player…and his toes. Felix Klieser has been described arsenic a virtuoso and has performed each implicit the world, but calved without arms helium plays the instrumentality with his near foot.

"It was a small miracle," Felix says, that helium became a French horn subordinate astatine all.

Not due to the fact that of his limb quality but due to the fact that erstwhile helium asked to larn the instrument, aged four, his household had nary thought what helium was talking about.

"I'd ne'er been to a concert, I'd ne'er met a horn subordinate and successful my household determination was nary 1 making music. My parents said: 'Err, what is simply a French horn?" helium told the BBC's Access All podcast.

His household did immoderate probe and lucked out. In the German metropolis of Göttingen, wherever Felix grew up "there was 1 euphony schoolhouse and astatine the euphony schoolhouse determination was 1 horn teacher".

Felix enrolled and a life-time of occupation solving began.

Questions rapidly stacked up. How would helium play an instrumentality that requires 1 manus to enactment the horn and the different to make the sound? Without fingers, however would helium usage the valves to alteration the note?

At archetypal it wasn't a occupation astatine all. As a kid Felix could beryllium connected the level and scope the mouthpiece with idiosyncratic holding the horn.

As helium grew, helium worked with a "creative idiosyncratic who tin physique unusual things" to make a basal which holds the instrumentality successful place.

As for the deficiency of fingers, Felix realised helium could footwear his near limb up and space his ft to usage his dexterous toes conscionable arsenic well.

The presumption is an awesome sight, adjacent to Felix.

"When I spot myself it looks precise absorbing and precise spectacular. But erstwhile I play by myself it's a precise comfy position," helium says. "It's thing I tin bash for hours."

The biggest situation was not an evident carnal one, it was making the French horn really dependable similar a French horn.

It consists of a 12ft brass tube, which curls circular into an unfastened "bell" wherever the dependable comes out. Horn players enactment their close manus successful the doorbell to make the familiar, haunting, dependable you mightiness person heard successful fashionable movie euphony similar Jurassic Park.

Without a manus to enactment successful the bell, Felix realised helium would person to make the code wholly done the mode helium played.

"There was nary teacher who could thatch you however to play the horn successful this way. It was much proceedings and error. I've conscionable my lips, I've conscionable my air," helium says.

"You person to power the aerial successful a antithetic mode and instrumentality attraction of the presumption of your lips, of your tongue. This was possibly the astir challenging thing, I practised a lot."

This method sets Felix isolated from different players.

He was recognised precise aboriginal connected successful his studies arsenic exceptional by immoderate standard, but adjacent those closest to him doubted helium would beryllium accepted into the classical euphony world.

As a teenager, Felix studied astatine Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media and won a prestigious prize. At the time, helium and his teacher were interviewed for a newspaper.

The newsman asked Felix if helium planned connected a nonrecreational career.

"My reply was thing like: 'Maybe it could beryllium possible, I don't cognize due to the fact that I'm inactive astatine school''."

Then his teacher, a celebrated player, interrupted him. "It's a bully hobby for you, but you volition ne'er beryllium a nonrecreational horn player. Never, never, never. You don't person the close hand, and the doorbell works differently. It volition ne'er work'."

It was a sliding doors infinitesimal for Felix, who abruptly and unexpectedly learned beingness offers you 2 options.

"You person to decide, should I effort to amusement that it is imaginable oregon should I springiness up? These situations hap rather often successful my life," helium says.

Rather than strive to go a nonrecreational musician, Felix simply wanted to "play the French horn arsenic bully arsenic possible," and spot however acold that would instrumentality him.

It has taken him each implicit the world, to the southbound seashore of England wherever helium precocious completed a two-year residency with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and adjacent connected circuit with the singer, Sting.

But helium says the biggest acquisition helium learned goes backmost to his aboriginal years.

"The astir important thing, erstwhile I grew up, is to larn to lick problems," helium says.

"I ne'er knew what is imaginable for maine and what is not possible. But erstwhile you person a mode of thinking, 'Ok, I tin lick each problem,' past you person many, galore possibilities successful your life.

"And this is not a question of having a disablement oregon not, due to the fact that successful the extremity each of america has thing wherever helium oregon she thinks 'Ok, determination is simply a limit'."

Felix faced a superior situation recently. One that is relatable to each of america - getting done the Covid-19 pandemic.

As a nonrecreational musician, helium went from having a afloat performance docket to nothing.

"I stopped practising due to the fact that it was not indispensable anymore," helium says. "Then I bought a PlayStation and did a batch of PlayStation," utilizing the controller with his toes.

One time it occurred to him: "Maybe it's a small spot bittersweet for my horn to beryllium successful the lawsuit and not to beryllium utile anymore?"

He took it retired and they became re-acquainted. After each these years unneurotic helium gave it a sanction - Alex. He adjacent bought immoderate googly eyes to bring Alex to life.

Then helium formed his eyes astir and wondered what non-musical activities Alex could get progressive with if helium wasn't being played - cooking was the archetypal to travel to caput and to entertain his online followers.

Even present with a afloat performance docket erstwhile again, Alex lives a precise fulfilled and varied beingness for a horn.

It has been a amusive mode to link with fans each implicit the satellite but immoderate volition get to ticker Felix play successful London erstwhile helium takes to the signifier astatine the Royal Albert Hall for his BBC Proms debut connected 2 and 3 August.

He volition execute Mozart's Horn Concerto No. 4.

"I'm excited," helium says. "For maine the astir important happening is to get to cognize the assemblage here.

"When you're young and commencement a vocation past you're looking to play with celebrated conductors, celebrated orchestras. But close present I privation to play euphony for radical to marque the satellite a small spot much beautiful."

You tin perceive to the podcast and find accusation and enactment connected the Access All page.