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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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
Classical - Released by Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. on 1 Jan 1961
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Vivaldi: Concerto No. 11 in D Minor, RV 565; Bach, J.S.: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, BWV 1041; Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G Major, BWV 1049
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 16 Jun 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Henze: Violin Concerto No.1; Ode to West Wind; Double Bass Concerto
Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Siegfried Palm, Gary Karr, Hans Werner Henze
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart, W.A.: Complete Violin Sonatas
Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Carl Seemann
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas Concertos
Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Eduard Kaufmann, Festival Strings Lucerne, Rudolf Baumgartner
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Concertos For Violin And Orchestra, K.216, K.218 & K.219
Berliner Philharmoniker, Wolfgang Schneiderhan
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1968
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart, W.A.: Violin Concerto No.4 / Haydn, J.: Symphonies Nos. 92 "Oxford" & 104 "London"
Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Berliner Philharmoniker, Hans Rosbaud
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Encores
Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Hans Priegnitz
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 16 Jun 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Art of Wolfgang Schneiderhan
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 27 Feb 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Konzert für Violine und Orchester (Stereo Version)
Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Berliner Philharmoniker, Eugen Jochum
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1963
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Tune Your Brain With Mozart
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 10 Feb 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hartmann: Orchestral Works (Live)
Rafael Kubelik, Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Maria Bergmann, Symphonieorchester Des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Classical - Released by Orfeo on 25 Apr 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Edwin Fischer Trio - Beethoven: "Ghost" and "Archduke" Trio
Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Enrico Mainardi, Edwin Fischer
Chamber Music - Released by Music and Arts Programs of America on 1 Nov 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Baroque Festival
Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Claude Starck, Festival Strings Lucerne, Rudolf Baumgartner
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 2 & 3; Adagio KV261; Rondos KV269 & 373
Berliner Philharmoniker, Wolfgang Schneiderhan
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1968
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Concerto pour violon, violoncelle et piano, Op. 56 (Stereo Version)
Geza Anda, Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Pierre Fournier
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1961
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1 - 3
Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Friedrich Wuhrer
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 16 Jun 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto Op.64 / Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.3, Op.37
Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Annie Fischer, Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Bayerisches Staatsorchester , Ferenc Fricsay
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Complete Violin Sonatas
Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Carl Seemann
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Carl Seemann plays Stravinsky
Carl Seemann, Wolfgang Schneiderhan
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Trios Nos. 5 & 7
Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Enrico Mainardi, Edwin Fischer
Chamber Music - Released by Orfeo on 8 Mar 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo