Wolfgang Schneiderhan
Violinist and sometime conductor Wolfgang Schneiderhan was a highly versatile artist, just as much at home in the music of Hans Werner Henze as in Beethoven, Mozart, and Schubert, even if he is best known for his playing of the last-named group of composers. Never quite a household name, he was nevertheless active in every aspect of Austria's music scene and was widely admired for the depth of his interpretive abilities.
Born in Vienna on May 28, 1915, Schneiderhan was taught violin by his mother from age three and gave his first concert at five. In 1926, in Copenhagen, he played Mendelssohn's violin concerto, and he subsequently toured Europe, hailed as a prodigy. However, the fast-money life of a touring virtuoso demoralized the young violinist, and he turned his career in a new direction: with the help of a recommendation from an aristocratic patroness, he became concertmaster of the new Vienna Symphony at 17. Four years later, he moved on to the same post with the Vienna Philharmonic, where he served under the great conductors Wilhelm Furtwängler and Hans Knappertsbusch. That year, he also formed the Schneiderhan Quartett. In the 1940s, he performed duo sonatas with Wilhelm Backhaus and other top-rank soloists, and he formed a trio with pianist Edwin Fischer and cellist Enrico Mainardi in 1948. He married Irmgard Seefried that year and often performed with her as well over their 40-year marriage.
Schneiderhan's solo career took off once again when he resigned his Philharmonic concertmaster post in 1949, at age 34. For many years, he ruled the roost among Deutsche Grammophon's stable of violin soloists. At first, he was identified with the core Viennese Classical repertoire, but he later became interested in contemporary music and explored the works of Henze, Stravinsky, and other composers. He co-founded the Lucerne Festival Strings in 1956 and also taught at the Lucerne Music Academy. In the 1970s, Schneiderhan undertook yet another new career: after studying with Hans Swarowsky, he became active as a conductor. In 1975, he led a performance of Franz Schmidt's Notre Dame at the Vienna Volksoper. Much in demand as a teacher in his later years, Schneiderhan continued to live in Vienna, where he died on May 18, 2002. Since his death, many of his recordings have appeared in archival reissues on such labels as Deutsche Grammophon, BBC Legends, and Orfeo; among these, in 2019, was his recording of Schubert's piano trios with cellist Boris Pergamenschikow and pianist Paul Badura-Skoda.
© James Manheim /TiVo
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Beethoven: Triple Concerto in C Major, Op. 56; Brahms: Double Concerto in A Minor, Op. 102
Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Ferenc Fricsay
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 jan. 1962
The Qobuz Essential Discography24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Complete Violin Sonatas
Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Carl Seemann
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 jan. 2005
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Violin Concerto / Mozart: Violin Concerto No.5
Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Berliner Philharmoniker, Eugen Jochum
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 jan. 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stravinsky: Violin Concerto; Violin Sonata No. 2 (Karel Ančerl Edition, Vol. 7)
Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Carl Seemann, Berliner Philharmoniker, Karel Ancerl
Klassiek - Released by Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. on 1 jan. 1963
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: The 10 Violin Sonatas (Remastered 2021)
Wilhelm Kempff, Wolfgang Schneiderhan
Klassiek - Released by Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording on 18 dec. 2021
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Lucerne Festival Historic Performances: Wolfgang Schneiderhan (Live)
Klassiek - Released by audite Musikproduktion on 4 nov. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Piano Trios Nos. 1 & 2
Paul Badura-Skoda, Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Boris Pergamenschikow
Kamermuziek - Released by Gramola Records on 6 sep. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Violin Sonata in A Major, D. 574; Fantasia in C Major, D. 934; Rondo in B Minor, D. 895 / R. Strauss: Violin Sonata in E-Flat Major, Op. 18, TrV 151 (Remastered 2023)
Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Walter Klien
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 16 jun. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Violin Sonatas D. 384 & D. 385, D. 408 / Dvořák: Violin Sonatina in G Major, Op. 100, B. 120
Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Walter Klien
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 16 jun. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Virtuoso Violin
Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Tibor Bisztriczky, Albert Hirsh, Felix Schröder
Klassiek - Released by Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. on 21 aug. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Triple Concerto in C Major, Op. 56
Geza Anda, Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Pierre Fournier, Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Ferenc Fricsay
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 jul. 1961
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61
Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Berliner Philharmoniker, Eugen Jochum
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 16 jun. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Sonatas For Piano And Violin
Wilhelm Kempff, Wolfgang Schneiderhan
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 jan. 1953
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Carl Seemann and Wolfgang Schneiderhan
Carl Seemann, Wolfgang Schneiderhan
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 24 jun. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Violin Sonatas Opp.78, 100 & 108; Scherzo from "F.A.E" -Sonata
Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Carl Seemann
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 jan. 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stravinsky: Violin Concerto in D / Shostakovich: Symphony No.10, Op.93
Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Czech Philharmonic, Berliner Philharmoniker, Karel Ancerl
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 jan. 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach, J.S.: Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord BWV 1014-1019
Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Karl Richter
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 jan. 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The 1950s Concerto Recordings
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 jan. 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann & Brahms: Works for Piano
Edwin Fischer, Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Enrico Mainardi
Klassiek - Released by Orfeo on 10 aug. 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 4, Violin Concerto No. 5 (Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt Edition 2, Vol. 9)
Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Berliner Philharmoniker, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt
Klassiek - Released by Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. on 1 jan. 1961
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Henze: Violin Concerto No.1; Ode to West Wind; Double Bass Concerto
Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Siegfried Palm, Gary Karr, Hans Werner Henze
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 jan. 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo