Ralph Heid
Ralph Heid (* 1946 ; † November 9, 2008 ) was a Swiss xylophone virtuoso with a musical focus on popular classical music.
He was especially known for his mastery of the fastest music passages, which earned him nicknames such as "world's fastest xylophone player", "xylophone world champion" or "hurricane on the xylophone". For example, he played the piece “Hummelflug” by Rimski-Korsakow with 16 strokes per second, the “ Circus Renz Galopp” with blindfolded eyes and up to 20 strokes per second. Ralph Heid had arranged many of the 100 or so pieces in his repertoire himself, some of which were his own compositions. He built his xylophones with 44 bars himself so that they could withstand heavy use.
His musical career began in 1950, at the age of four, with a contract with the Basel Variété Clara. In his decades of stage life he has appeared on dozens of international show stages as a star guest, for example at the Olympia in Paris, the Roxy Theater in New York or the Friedrichstadtpalast in Berlin, sometimes together with world stars such as the Glenn Miller Orchestra and Burt Bacharach . He also had star guest appearances in many radio and television shows. He regularly gave guest appearances on cruises on US luxury steamers, but did not shy away from small club parties. His live stage show was usually accompanied by a playback recording by the National Philharmonic Orchestra, London (an orchestra established exclusively for recording purposes). Duets with other star guests and humorous interludes were often part of his gala shows .
Heid's wife Hana, a native Czech and former ballet dancer, was responsible for the technology for his performances. He lived with her in Buchs , near St. Gallen.
Success in competitions
As third place in the Swiss preliminary decision for the Grand Prix of Folk Music in 1993 , he reached the international competition, where he came in 9th with the title Glacier Express . In 1994 he was nominated for the " Prix Walo " 1993 (the most important award in Swiss show business; "Swiss Oscar").
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Hey, Ralph |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Swiss xylophone virtuoso |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1946 |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 9, 2008 |