When
in his fifties, Walter Schneiderhan (Vienna, April 9, 1901- Vienna,
December 21, 1978), recorded for various labels like Vox, Pantheon,
and SPA. And he recorded for Don Gabor's Remington Records Inc.
There
are many talented artists who are not successful in pursuing a solo
career and do not rise to fame, or only for a short period in their
lives. Most of the time because the personal make up of the artist
does not allow it or the circumstances are simply unfavorable.
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Walter
Schneiderhan at the beginning of his career.
Photo Reform, Karlsbad (today Karlo
Vivary, Czech Republic)
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It
is true, as a soloist Walter Schneiderhan is less talented than Wolfgang
Schneiderhan. But it is also true that, while he lived in the shadow
of his younger brother Wolfgang (1915-2002), he was foremost a chamber
music player and there are a few recordings of this Austrian musician
that do deserve attention. Among them the Remington discs, despite
the fact that these are the outcome of a limited budget, limiting
technical aspects, and a limited recording time.
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On
March 26th, 1950 and on January 7th of the following year, violinist
Walter Schneiderhan performed with the Niederösterreiches
Tonkünstler-Orchester and conductor Kurt Wöss, in
the Musikvereinssaal in Vienna. He played the Brahms and Tchaikovsky
Violin Concertos. It is not sure on which day he played the
Brahms and when the Tchaikovsky Concerto.
Picture courtesy Markus Hennerfeind, researcher
of the Tonkünstler Orchester.
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He formed a trio with flutist Camillo (Kamillo) Wanausek and
pianist Helen Schnabel and recorded 'Trio for Flute, Violin
and Piano' by Carl Philip Emanuel Bach for the Society of Participating
Artists (SPA 37). Also for SPA he recorded Concertos in F and A (Tartini)
with conductor Charles F. Adler (SPA 46).
With Gustav Swoboda (violin) and Senta Benesch (cello)
he recorded Trios 1 to 6 by Boccherini (18050, 18051, 18052). With
Gustav Swoboda (violin), Alfred Holetschek (harpsichord) and
Senta Benesch (cello) recordings of Sonata, Polonaise No. 2 and Trio
Sonata, all by Telemann, were made (Westminster 18031). And for Unicorn
a Concerto by Michael Haydn (1018). In the recording of 'Chamber Music'
by Boccherini, he plays together with Antonio Janigro (cello),
Richard Adeney (flute), Gustav Swoboda (violin), also for Westminster.
He is soloist (together with cellist Nikolaus Hubner) in Sinfonia
Op. 18, No. 4, by Johann Christian Bach, conducted by Paul Sacher
(Philips A0642L, Columbia ML 4869).
On Vox we find the Concerto of Johannes Brahms with Edouard van
Remoortel and the Bamberg Symphoniker (PL 16010), also released
earlier as Pantheon.
Just to mention a few.
On the Remington label we find the Violin Concerto of Felix
Mendelssohn-Bartholdi with Thomas Sherman conducting (RLP-149-14)
and Ludwig van Beethoven's Sonata No. 2 on R-199-95, and No.
7 on R-149-35, both with pianist Erich Berg, also referred
to as Heinrich Berg (1915-1976).
It is not clear why Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata, which he played
also with Erich Berg, was released on the Plymouth-Merit label and
not on Remington.
Walter Schneiderhan's name can be found on many discs when playing
solos in various compositions like Schönberg's 'Pierrot lunaire'
where he plays the violin and the viola, in J.S. Bach's Brandenburg
Concertos Nos. 1-6 (Complete) from 1954, conducted by Jascha Horenstein,
and together with Nikolaus Harnoncourt (viola da gamba) and Paul Angerer
(harpsichord), and he accompanied Kathleen Ferrier's 'Erbarme dich,
mein Gott', as he did the same for alto Aafje Heynis.
The Society of Participating Artists Inc. released Symphony No. 3 by
Gustav Mahler in July 1952, a 3 Lp set. The soloists are Walter Schneiderhan
(Violin), Hildegard Roessel-Majdan (Alto), Eduard Koerner (Post Horn),
Vienna Saengerknaben, and F. Charles Adler is conducting the "Vienna
Orchestra" - SPA 20/21/22, later reissued in the fall of 1955 on
two discs as SPA 70/71 (see picture).
Walter Schneiderhan was a professor at the Conservatory of Vienna
and was a member of the Wiener Sinfoniker, he was the leader of this
orchestra from 1948 on and as such he received the 'Bruckner Ring'
in 1966.
Rudolf A. Bruil - February 12th, 2006
