German clarinet player Sabine Meyer, who is touring with the Alliage Quintett, took some time out of her hectic schedule to answer some questions from The Canberra Times. The tour comes on the back of the release of their Sony Classical CD Fantasia, which includes arrangements of Leonard Bernstein's Candide Overture, Paul Dukas' The Sorcerer's Apprentice and Alexander Borodin's Polovetsian Dances.

Q: When you were young, you also played the piano and violin. Why did you decide to focus on the clarinet as your instrument?

A: The violin and piano have also brought me great joy and I still play the piano every day. However, the clarinet immediately appealed on a much deeper level, perhaps because it's like singing in that you use your breath to play it. It became like an extension of me straight away and I still love its tonal colours, flexibility and range. It's as if the clarinet was "waiting for me" all along.

Q: You've played in orchestras and as a soloist as well as in chamber groups. What are the differences and good and bad points of each and which do you like best?

A: The differences aren't all that great. In a good orchestra, you interact with your colleagues in much the same way as you do in chamber music, while as a soloist, you're highly responsive to the orchestra and conductor. In orchestras you have the most beautiful repertoire; in chamber music you generally play and travel with good friends, and as a soloist, you earn great publicity but you're always on the road alone. I appreciate all kinds of good music. To me, it's most important to strike the right balance. I certainly don't want to just be a soloist.

Q: Can you talk a bit about your collaboration with the Alliage Quintett and the repertoire on the Sony CD Fantasia and what you'll be playing on the tour?

A: The Alliage Quintett approached me three years ago and asked if I'd be interested in working together. I loved the idea from the outset because I'm a huge fan of the saxophone: my father was a clarinettist and saxophonist with his own big band. The saxophones produce such an incredible range of colours, dynamics and tones and the Alliage Quintett adds piano to the mix for greater contouring and clarity. It's the perfect combination!

The big question was what we should play together. We eventually decided on a common theme: fairy tales, myths and poems – in other words, "Fantasia." The Quintett members knew several excellent arrangers and we created a highly virtuosic, colourful and varied program. It's a lot of fun to play and our audiences enjoy it as much as we do.

Q: How many times have you toured to Australia, and to Canberra? How have you found performing here, if so?

From memory I've been to Australia three times – once as a soloist with the orchestras in Melbourne and Sydney, once with a guest orchestra and once for Musica Viva with the Modigliani Quartet. That tour included a performance in Canberra.

I really like the audiences in Australia. They're receptive, undogmatic, young and enthusiastic. I wish they were like that in Europe, too!

Q: What do you think the future holds for classical music - as a recording industry, in concerts and in composition?

I'm not at all pessimistic about classical music. However, we can't simply become mired in tradition and say: "This is how it's always been done!" I have two children and I've noticed that they're always easily inspired by good programs and creative ideas. However, it's also up to the artists working in classical music to find ways to combine quality and innovation. Young audiences are discerning – and I think that's a very good thing!!

(Answers translated by Adele Schonhardt.)