What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Enjoying oysters in Galway.
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Bernstein, because of his art and eclecticism.
Which living person do you most admire?
Elvis?
Which is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Perfectionism.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Playing the classical saxophone.
What is your favourite journey?
Nepal, Amazon, journey of the soul.
On what occasion do you lie?
Never ever.
Which living person do you most despise?
Nobody.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Music was my first love and it will be my last...
When and where were you happiest?
When everybody in the quartet has got a good reed and we play Bach in Galway.
Which talent would you most like to have?
Cooking.
What is your current state of mind?
Excited as always.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Being born.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what do you think it would be?
A bacteria; no self-consciousness and they are the most successful evolutionary organism
What is your most treasured possession?
My body and soul.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
A leaking sax with a way too hard reed in bad acoustics.
What is your favourite occupation?
Playing the sax.
What is the quality you most like in a man?
Sense of humour.
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
No sense of humour.
Who are your favourite writers?
Giphart, Leon de Winter, Cees Nooteboom, Theo Thijsse, Chaim Potok.
What is your motto?
Four saxophones, no fear.
Remco Jak, Olivier Sliepen, Bas Apswoude, and Ties Mellema are The Amstel Quartet, a Dutch saxophone quartet who will play Music For Galway’s Intimate Voices festival in the Town Hall Theatre tomorrow (8pm ), Saturday (3pm ), and Sunday (8pm ). For tickets contact the Town Hall (091 - 569777 ) of Music for Galway (091 - 705962 ).
Kernan Andrews
