Walter Schulthess

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Walter Schulthess (born July 24, 1894 in Zurich ; † June 23, 1971 there ) was a Swiss composer and concert agent .

life and work

Walter Schulthess was the son of Wilhelm Schulthess and Anna Elisabeth, née Wyder. His uncle was Edmund Schulthess .

Schulthess attended the Rämibühl canton school and in 1913 founded the “School Orchestra of the Zurich High School”. In Zurich he studied with Volkmar Andreae , in Munich with Walter Courvoisier and in Berlin with Conrad Ansorge composition and piano.

As a student, Schulthess was in the Kapellmeister class at the State University of Music in Berlin and from 1918 volunteer at the Vienna State Opera . There he met Stefi Geyer and married her in Zurich in 1920. Together they went on a concert tour through Europe . His songs and choirs in particular, but also the orchestral works and those violin works that were mostly written for his wife, enjoyed widespread distribution and great popularity.

In the 1920s, Hans and Paul Jecklin from Pianohaus Jecklin began to invite great pianists such as Walter Gieseking , Wilhelm Backhaus and Eduard Erdmann to their “Jecklin Concerts”. Under the artistic direction of Schulthess, the concerts developed so positively that they were transferred to the «Konzertgesellschaft AG» founded by Schulhess in 1928.

During his time in office, the company achieved international importance by bringing together well-known performers, promoters and record companies. Schulthess worked in the background as a consultant and program designer. a. for the Tonhalle Zürich , at the Engadine Summer Concerts and at the Lucerne Festival, which he founded in 1938 with Ernest Ansermet .

In 1941, together with his wife and Paul Sacher , he founded the “ Collegium Musicum Zürich ”. From 1963 to 1969 he was President of the Jury of the International Clara Haskil Piano Competition .

Most of Walter Schulthess' works are from his earlier years. His oeuvre contains piano music, chamber music, choral music, some orchestral works and songs; Of the latter, the settings of Morgenstern's poems deserve special mention. Schulthess only went public with new song cycles and chamber music works occasionally.

literature

Hans Jelmoli : Walter Schulthess. In: Switzerland. Illustrated monthly magazine. Vol. 24, 1920, pp. 101-102 ( e-periodica.ch ).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Literaturgymnasium Rämibühl: page 6, founding of the student orchestra of the Gymnasium Zurich. Retrieved May 5, 2020 .
personal data
SURNAME Schulthess, Walter
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss composer and concert agent
DATE OF BIRTH July 24, 1894
PLACE OF BIRTH Zurich
DATE OF DEATH June 23, 1971
Place of death Zurich