Back over to Switzerland this weekend for music of Walther Geiser – his Fantasie Number 1 for String Orchestra, performed in this May 23, 1964 Radio Studio recording by The Radio Bern String Orchestra, Thjeo Hug, conductor and featuring Eberhard Glamsch and Eugen Huber, pianos.
Wather Geiser was a violist, conductor, composer and music pedagogue. He studied composition with Robert Suter and violin with Franz Josef Hirt at the Basel Conservatory (1917-1920). He went to Cologne (where he studied violin with Eldering) and Vienna, then to Berlin. From 1920 to 1923 he took there further studies of composition with Ferruccio Busoni at the Akademie der Künste in Berlin.
In 1924 Walther Geiser became a teacher at the Basel Conservatory. He taught there violin, chamber music, composition as well as orchestra conducting. Later he also conducted the orchestra of this Conservatory. He was active at the Conservatory until 1963.
Walther Geiser was active also as a musician and a conductor. He was a member of the Basler String Quartet playing viola. He conducted numerous radio concerts and performances of symphonies. From 1954 to 1972 he was conductor of the Basler Bach-Chor. He also managed the Basler section the “Internationalen Gesellschaft für Neue Musik” as their president. In addition he was member of the Tonkünstlervereins (artist association) of Switzerland.
As a composer Walther Geiser generally followed a late Romantic path. His composition covers works for choir, organ and orchestra as well as chamber music, piano pieces and choral music. In his later works he used increasingly the 12-tone system. In 1962 he received the Composer Prize of the Swiss Tonkünstlervereins.
Enjoy another seldom heard work from the archive of Swiss Composers and historic performances via Swiss Radio.
