| Karl-Ernst
(Charlie) Schröder, 1958-2003 Requiescat in pace. Thank you for the beautiful music, Charlie. Biography Recordings Reviews In memoriam .. |
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Jill GunsellNow is this song both sung and past. My lute, be still, for I have done. - from To his lute by Sir Thomas Wyatt, c.1503-1542 |
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Karl-Ernst
Schröder
was born in Eschweiler, Germany in 1958. He studied Renaissance guitar
and lute with Professor Tadashi Sasaki at the Aachen
Musikhochschule, attending masterclasses with Anthony Bailes
and
afterwards continuing his training in early music performance at
Switzerland's Schola
Cantorum Basiliensis in the lute classes of Eugen M Dombois
and
Hopkinson Smith. He collaborated with many Baroque and Renaissance
ensembles
including Mala
Punica (Pedro Memelsdorff), Dolcissimo
Sospiro, the Basel
Consort, various groups associated with René
Jacobs, the Badinierie
Ensemble, the Lyra Consort, Concerto
Köln, the Freiburg
Barockorchester, Aurora/Enrico
Gatti, Ludwig-Senfl-Ensemble
(Michel Piguet), Sonatori Gelosi and Ensemble
415 (Chiara Banchini). His particular interests were the
duo lute repertoire of the early sixteenth century in whch he worked
closely
with lutenists Robert
Barto and Crawford
Young and harpsichordist Alexander
Weimann, and voice/lute duo recital in which he worked closely
with singers Andreas
Scholl, Jill
Feldman, Martin
Hummel and Maria
Cristina Kiehr. He gave concerts and recitals throughout
Europe,
in Israel and in the Americas, as well as making radio and television
broadcasts
and recordings. He was a highly respected teacher, much in demand for
master
classes, international courses and conferences. He published in, inter
alia, the Bach
Jahrbuch and the Basler
Jahrbuch für Historische Musikpraxis. Karl-Ernst
Schröder
died at his home in Basel, Switzerland, on 5 November 2003.
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...  ... RECORDINGS ... Albertini: Chamber Sonatas Amours amours amours: Duos for Lutes Arcangelo Corelli Ars Subtilis Ytalica Carbonelli: Sonatas Cavalli: La Calisto D'Amor Ragionando Deutsche Barocklieder with Andreas Scholl Eternal Love: 17th Century German Lute Songs Fasch: Trios & Quattros Fifty Years of Hungaroton: String Players Firenze: Narcisso Speculando Handel: Giustino Kantate: German Baroque Songs wiith Andreas Scholl Mazzochi: Sacrae Concertationes Monteverdi: l'Incoronazione di Poppea Pianger di Dolcezza (la Grande Poesia Italiana Messa in Musica) Schütz: Auferstehungs-Historie Schütz: Weinachts-Historie The Three Countertenors Uccelini: Works for Violin Weiss: Sonatas for Two Lutes ... |
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| REVIEWS
... Schröder is the most fleet-fingered and fanciful of lutenists, and his duetting with the voice as it sighed behind the beat in the final dying fall of All ye whom love or fortune hath betrayed was as eloquent as Scholl's singing. - The Times ... Scholl’s collaboration with the lutenist Karl-Ernst Schröder is one of those partnerships made in heaven: Schröder balances the singer everywhere, provides calm, exactly judged accompaniment and plays with the same kind of eloquent, elegant virtuosity which distinguishes his partner. On this occasion he played three exquisitely appropriate solos, by John Danyel, Robert Johnson and John Dowland, with the last’s Pavana providing an object lesson in instrumental skill. - MusicWeb. ... Eindeutig zu kurz kam Karl-Ernst Schröder, der seinen Auftritt ganz in den Dienst des Solisten stellte. Zu bedauern ist die aus zwei Sätzen bestehende Erläuterung des Programmheftes zu seiner Person, in der zudem ganze drei Mal der Name Andreas Scholl auftaucht. Dabei waren seine Soloauftritte der eindeutige Beweis, daß er seinem Kollegen in Interpretationsgabe und technischer Perfektion in nichts nachsteht. Besonders beeindruckend war, daß er aus einem so diskreten Instrument wie der Laute Töne zu entlocken wußte, die 800 Zuhörer in den Bann gezogen haben. - Online Musik Magazin ... Andreas Scholl was partnered by the lutenist Karl-Ernst Schröder, who brought his own imaginative accompaniments to the folk songs, and whose three solo items were played lovingly in an introverted manner that made us feel we were eavesdropping on a private performance. - The Guardian ... Karl-Ernst Schröder reconstructed the pieces from the incomplete originals and what came out is sensational.... Barto and Schröder play on the highest level. - Klassik Heute review of the CD of Weiss Sonatas for two lutes ... Karl-Ernst took huge pains over many years to work out his [Weiss] reconstructions [...] These reconstructions will appear in volume 8 of the SL Weiss collected works that I am currently preparing for Bärenreiter. To me they sound like wonderful Weiss, though I am the first to accept that Weiss has weaknesses as a composer which are audible here, too. (That’s part of what was so clever about what K-ES did!) I think their recording is truly excellent, and said so in my review for Early Music. ('...my must-have lute record of the decade.’) - Tim Crawford, commenting on the Weiss recording. ...... |
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...  ... IN MEMORIAM ... |
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| It
has been almost 10 years since Charlie has been gone. I sure do miss
him. He was a wonderful musician and a faithful friend, and there are no
words for such a loss.. - Jill Feldman, Italy |
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| Lieber Charlie, Fast vier Jahre nach Deinem Tod muss ich hierdurch erfahren, dass Du von uns gegangen bist. Es schockt mich sehr. Damals in den späten 70er Jahren - zusammen bei Sasaki in Aachen - war schon Deine grosse Karriere absehbbar: Du hast uns nicht enttäuscht! Mein Beleid gilt Deinen Angehörigen. - Norbert Walter Peters, Germany |
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| It has been so
difficult for me to accept that Charlie is no longer with us. I miss
him and treasure his memory. - Warren Stewart, USA ... |
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| Dein Tod traf
mich unvorbereitet.
Das höchst genussvolle Vergnügen gehabt zu haben, zwei
Duett-Konzerten
mit Robert Barto zu lauschen und einmal in Basel mit Dir gesprochen zu
haben, ist kein Trost hinweg über Dein Gehen aber verleiht mir
desto
mehr Gewissheit, dass ein sehr sympathischer Mensch und hervorragender
Musiker, einer der besten Lautenspieler, viel zu früh diese Welt
verlassen
hat. - Robin Walborn, Germany ... |
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| All lute players
will miss
you very much. Your Weiss duet with R. Barto is still my favorite
CD.
Mir fehlen Worte, um diesen fruehen Tod zu beschreiben. - Hermann Kleber, California, USA ... |
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| After
the shock of K-E Schröder's death
the
hard task for the family, his friends and everyone who loved his music
will be to accept that he has gone for good. I only saw him once
on stage with Andreas, and I will always remember his nice and gentle
smile
he gave me when I handed him some flowers. The fine music Charlie made
will stay in our hearts. Maybe it can give some consolation to listen
to Kantate
with the soulcomforting song Ach Herr, laß Deine lieben
Engelein..... - Eva Maria Fürste, Germany ... |
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| I
feel very sad about Charlie Schröder's death. I loved his music.
My
condolences to his family and friends. Unstete Waage des Lebens immer schwankend, wie selten wagt ein geschicktes Gewicht anzusagen die immerfort andre Last gegenüber. Drüben, die ruhige Waage des Todes. Raum auf den beiden verschwisterten Schalen. Gleichviel Raum. Und daneben, ungebraucht, alle Gewichte des Gleichmuts, glänzen, geordnet. (Rilke) - Susanne Fritz-Buchelt, Germany ... |
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| Just a simple
Thank You!
Thanx for making my musical world richer and more beautiful than I ever
dreamed of. May God bless your family and friends. You´ll be
surely
missed by many. - Simone Eismann, Germany37 ... |
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| We
are all very sad to hear of Charlie's untimely death - a great loss to
the world of the lute. He came and gave us a wonderful concert at the
Lute
Society three years ago which I will always remember - he and Bob Barto
played his Weiss duet reconstructions. And what a contribution those
duet
reconstructions are to the repertoire! - Chris Goodwin, England 36 ... |
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| La triste
nouvelle m'a bouleversé.
Je voudrais pouvoir consoler la famille ainsi que Monsieur Scholl qui a
perdu un grand musicien et un fidèle ami si affectueux comme
partenair. - Lieselotte Waldhoer, Switzerland 35 ... |
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| Thank you
Andreas for this
lovely tribute - Viva Charlie!! - Richard Myron, France ... |
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| I wish to say,
having heard
of the death of Karl-Ernst Schröder, that I am distressed and sad.
He was a fantastic musician and influenced a lot the growing general
opinion
about the Baroque lute. - Michel Cardin, Canada 34 ... |
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| Conocí a
Karl hace
poco más de un año en un concierto que ofreció
junto
a Robert Barto en Gijón. Quedé impresionado por la
calidad
y profundidad de sus interpretaciones de Weiss y nunca olvidaré
su semblante sereno y amable capaz, como su música, de
transmitir
a quienes le rodeaban algo de lo mejor que late en la condición
humana. Siento sincera y solidariamente con sus amigos y familiares el
dolor por su irreparable pérdida y deseo que entre todos podamos
lograr que ese corazón espiritual que, a buen seguro, fue su
laúd
no deje jamás de latir. - José María González-Estoquera, Spain 33 ... |
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| This is really
sad news.
I participated for many years in an early music course by Musica, in
Alden
Biesen, Belgium, in which he usually was the lute instructor. While I
don't
play the lute, the custom was to mix up all participants in 'consorts',
so taking care you would at least meet each instructor once. I
remember
him as a really nice and soft guy, who never lost his temper, and never
yelled at the participants. He was also always in for jokes. As far as
I followed him, his career was just taking off. May he rest in peace
and
his remembrance be a blessing to us. - Sybrand Bakker, Netherlands 32 ... |
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| What a great
teacher he
was. I still remember him coming to Cleveland LSA in 2000 with his Mac
laptop fully loaded with musical samples to teach a course on Preludes.
It was by far the best music course I have ever had. I still remember
how
much fun it was to be around Charlie that summer and how he was always
bubbling with ideas about everything from Medieval lute to Weiss
reconstruction.
Just devastating to think that he is no longer with us. - Ekko Jennings, USA 31 ... |
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| I would like to
add this
ancient Egyptian poem to this wonderful page: 'Weil Du die Musik liebtest, sei millionenfache Musik deiner Seele an jeglicher Stätte, an der Du verweilst. Dein Herz sei zufrieden mit der Musik! Mögest Du schön und in Frieden gehen, und dich der Herzensweite erfreuen ewiglich, zusammen mit Gott, der Dich liebt.' - Alexandra Fabrega, Spain 30 ... |
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| O come quickly,
sweetest
Lord, and take his soul to rest. He is gone to that better Place, where
only his Musick can be exceeded. But too early. Far, far too early.
- Paul Smith, England29 ... |
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| It is now
Wednesday and
it has taken me until now to accept that there will be no more music
from
this gifted player. No quiet smile at the end of a concert. Rest in
peace,
Charlie - we shall all remember you. - Gillian Feltis, England 28 ... |
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| I have only just
read the
messages about Charlie and am totally shocked. I agree with Shan: my
memories
of him at the Wigmore recital are of a gentle, generous man, a real
gentleman.
And what a musician... My heart goes out to his family and friends, and
Andreas who will miss him dreadfully. As we all shall.
- Nicole de Weirdt, England 27 ... |
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| I knew this sad
news today.
For me the first experience of the lute playing was Mr Schröder's
lute in Deutsche Barocklieder. His lute was so beautiful and
spiritual
that I could find the pleasure of listening to the lute music. His Menuetto
con variazioni di Locatelli was my favorite. I've never met him but
can't stop my tears. May he rest in peace. - Taeko Sugiyama, Japan 26 ... |
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| What a terrible
shock it
was to hear about Charlie Schröder's death. I can't begin to
imagine
how Charlie's family and friends must be feeling. Having met Charlie a
few times in rehearsal with Andreas, I thought what a wonderfully
sensitive
and gentle soul he was. He also had a huge smile and a real sense of
fun:
it was wonderful to see him and Andreas playing around together with
the
music and obviously thoroughly enjoying themselves. They seemed to be
like
soul-mates who had a deep understanding of and inner connection with
each
other. This was a joy to behold. I too remember the interview where
Charlie
remarked he just 'fumbled' an accompaniment. Well, if I could fumble
around
even half as well I'd be delighted - what a gift he had. He was a truly
lovely person whose humility was so refreshing. My heart really goes
out
to his family and friends in their terrible loss. - Shan McCanlis, England 25 ... |
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| How sad and
unexpected news.
Mein tiefes Beileid mit allen, die um Charlie trauern. - C.R., Wales 24 ... |
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| Such tragic
news. I will
treasure my memories of the performances at the Wigmore Hall and
Bristol,
seeing the wonderful partnership and obvious friendship between Charlie
and Andreas. My heart goes out to his friends and family.
- Helen Spicer, England 23 ... |
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| I deeply regret
that I never
got the opportunity to see Charlie play in concert, but my thoughts and
prayers are with all those who knew and loved him. May his memory be
for
a blessing. - Amy Moss, USA 22 ... |
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| This is so sad.
I will say
a prayer for him. Assit ei angelus testamenti tui Michael et per
manus
sanctorum angelorum tuorum inter sanctos et electos tuos...
- Hedvig Priimägi, Estonia 21 ... |
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| What sad news.
Anita and
I had such a wonderful time at the Wigmore Hall concert. Friendships,
and
creative partnerships are such valuable (and rare) things. Performed
music,
of the quality that we were lucky enough to witness that evening, comes
only from the closest and most trusting of such partnerships. Andreas
and
Charlie were an embodiment of what that type of partnership can
produce,
and of what friendship means. Truly the loss of someone whose potential
can only be imagined is very sad indeed. But equally, we will celebrate
the opportunity we had to see Andreas and Charlie together - and let
our
very, very happy memories be the best form of celebration of his rare
individual
talent and their superlative qualities as partners. - Patrick and Anita Baglee, England 20 ... |
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| We only met
Charlie once
but his relaxed musicianship and modesty were very apparent. Love
to Charlie's family and to Andreas. Requiescat in pace.
- E & A Brannagan, England 19 ... |
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| Sadly. It is too
young.
There is not a word when feelings of Andreas are considered to be a
family
either. Thank you for the performance of a wonderful lute. May he rest
in peace. - Kazuko Yanagida, Japan 18 ... |
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| All I can say is
that I'm
deeply shocked. I can not believe it. How can these things happen? He
was
so young and such a nice guy and such a fine musician. I'm glad I could
be in both Wigmore concerts this year. I was going to see him again in
December in Madrid, now it won't be the same. May God receive him among
the most Loved ones. (And do you remember how well he improvised
an accompaniment for Verdi Prati at Wigmore Hall, that make it
look
like new and fresh music?) - Luisa Leiria, Portugal 17 ... |
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| Oh no!
Such sad and
unexpected news. I never got to see Charlie Schröder in concert,
unfortunately,
so can't really comment first-hand, and because I've always heard from
other Schollers what an affable, generally lovely chap he was as well
as
a very talented musician, this makes me especially sad. Looking
through
my CDs, I realised that one of my all-time favourite Scholl moments (White
as Lilies from the Trois Contre-Ténors CD) also
involves
Charlie prominently, so that is, I suppose, my favourite memory. At the
risk of sounding trite and echoing others' sentiments, I post some
lines
out of Kantate (specifically the Klag-Lied by
Buxtehude): Allhie liegt, des Spielens Gaben Selbsten Gott erfreuet haben: Darumb ist sein Geist beglückt Zu des Himmels-Chor gerückt. - Nattie Mayer-Hutchings, England 16 ... |
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| Such terrible
news. I too
remember Charlie at the Wigmore - it was so wonderful to see the
friendship
between him and Andreas. Most of us can only dream of working in a
partnership
like that. Charlie was a real star, and will be sorely missed by
everyone
who encountered him in person, or on his recordings. May he rest in
peace - Charlotte Mercer, England 15 ... |
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| How sad to hear
about the
death of Charlie Schröder. I had the privilege of being present at
the recital he and Andreas were giving at the Wigmore Hall earlier this
year. He was a wonderful musician, and they seemed to work so well
together.
It seems so senseless when someone who still has so much to give dies
at
such an early age. My deepest condolences to all who knew him.
- Hanne Rendall, England 14 ... |
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| What a great
shock to read
this news today. Charlie Schröder was a warm-hearted man who had a
lovely dry sense of humour. He was also a sensitive and intuitive
musician.
He must have been a loyal friend and the ideal accompanist for Andreas.
I have a recording of him in an interview talking about playing a
lute part when Andreas sings the Folk Songs. As there was no written
music
he had to devise the lute part himself and said: 'Oh, I just fumble
some
accompaniment.' It was so typical of him to say this when we all
knew that he was so gifted that he could make something very difficult
seem simple. I am sure that he will be greatly missed by all who knew
him
and even those of us who had only met him a couple of times. My
thoughts
and prayers are with all his family and friends. - Naomi Powell, England 13 ... |
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| Vielen Dank for
the page
on Karl-Ernst. We will miss him terribly. I am still in
shock. - Mike Peterson, USA 12 ... |
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| I appreciate the
page you
have made in memory for Charlie. What a tragedy for all of us
here
in America, too, who knew him from his participation in the Lute
Society
of America Seminar in Cleveland in 2000. - Kenneth Be (lutenist), USA 11 ... |
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| Charlie's music
making,
lost to us, will now grace the banquets of heaven. May those who mourn
be given courage and may he expand his repertoire in eternal peace.
- Melanie Toogood, England 10 ... |
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| I would like to
send my
heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Charlie.
Very sad news. A great loss. A wonderful man and a wonderful musician.
Thank you for your music – it will be much missed. I was thinking of
the
last time I saw him which was in Bristol. I remember Andreas
calling
Charlie to the front of the stage to take his applause and Charlie
shook
his head, stood back and applauded Andreas. Wonderful moment
which
I thought said a lot about both men. - Sheila Jackson, England 9 ... |
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| Oh what tragic
news! I never
had the pleasure of hearing this wonderful and totally comitted
musician
except on some marvelous CDs.I am thinking of Amour, Amour, Amour in
particular. I had so hoped to hear him in person. My deepest
condolences
to Andreas, family, friends and fans. Thank you, Charlie, for your
beautiful
music! I trust it continues in even greater beauty in your new
home. - Alexandra Zavilowicz , USA 8 ... |
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| I am so sad to
hear of this
tragic loss. He was a wonderful artist, a dedicated musician and
accompanist
and such a kind, human person. I remember especially a recital he gave
with Andreas in Frankfurt two years ago, in November 2001. I was able
to
thank him personally for his music after the concert and I was very
impressed
by his deep artistry, honesty and most of all his remarkable modesty. I
remember that, during the concert, before he started to play a piece
for
lute solo, he smiled to the audience and assured them that it would not
be too long. When Andreas applauded him warmly at the end of the
recital,
he would only shake his head and smile humbly. The friendship and
musical
complicity which united him to Andreas made of each of their duo
concerts
a true moment of magic. Karl-Ernst Schröder was due to take part
to
the Schubertiade concert (and many more) in June 2004. It will be so
different
without him. We will miss him a lot. - Gaëlle Nicol, Austria 7 ... |
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| I am so sorry.
What a loss
to his friends, family and colleagues. Really shocked at this news - so
sad. An unassuming and kindly man who who spent his life doing what he
loved, and it showed in his face. - Sally Gardner, England 6 ... |
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| Heartfelt
condolences to
all who loved him. I saw him recently with Mala Punica, in
London.
Same Charlie, just smiling gently (such a smile!) and playing
wonderfully.
He was so sweet and unassuming. Many people have lost someone special.
- Jill Gunsell, England5 ... |
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| We all feel with
them who
knew and loved him. - Anne Lothe, Denmark 4 ... |
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| What terrible
news. I'm
so sorry. - Ana Garcia, Spain 3 ... |
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| Hard to believe
we will
never have the opportunity again to see this wonderful musician play. I
remember how he 'comforted' the audience in Frankfurt by saying:
'Don´t
worry! The following seven lute pieces won´t take long,'... and
he
smiled... 'I am fully convinced that the soul is
indestructible,
and that its activity will continue through eternity. It is like the
sun,
which, to our eyes, seems to set in night; but it has in reality only
gone
to diffuse its light elsewhere.' (Goethe) - Lilian Unger, Germany 2 ... |
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| Oh no. Am so
shocked to
hear of this event. I have an abiding memory, backstage at the Wigmore
earlier this year, after a stunning performance from Charlie and
Andreas.
Charlie and I talked about lute makers (I used to play guitar myself
and
I mentioned one or two I knew of in the UK, although they went back
many
years) and the make of his strings, which he said were special
composite
strings (I think he might have originated the idea or 'formula' for
these
strings). But what I remember most about Charlie was, he always had
time
for people and talked to them charmingly, even if he was exhausted (but
he never showed it). Such a kind, kind man, who wore his erudition and
astonishing talents lightly. I cherish that little chat we had at the
Wiggie,
and my thoughts & prayers are with his family and friends.
- Ray Frensham, England...1 ... |
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...  Photo
Jill Gunsell
Wigmore Hall, London,January 2003
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The music on this page is part of Menuetto con variazioni di Locatelli by Bernhard Joachim Hagen played by Karl-Ernst Schröder, from the CD Deutsche Barocklieder |
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LINKS The Lute Society.....The Lute Society of America.....Andreas Scholl Society Further links in bold type throughout this page. ... |
