The world’s foremost oboe virtuoso, Heinz Holliger, has been honoured with a doctorate by the University of Basle.
It’s his 80th birthday year.
He is named in the citation as ‘one of Switzerland’s most important music artists’.
One of?
The US violinist has announced she is still…
The Doric String Quartet, on the road since…
The Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires has appointed…
The indefatigable musician is resting at home in…
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A fine musician. I well remember he and his wife as soloists in the Lutoslawski Double Concerto with the CBSO and Rattle in the late 1970s/early 1980s. To a young ‘musical sponge’ it was quite a revelation.
I remember his then-girlfriend Ursula Hänggi at the first international harp competition ’59 in Israel – a pretty 18-year old finalist.
Another well deserved honour for the great HH! When numbering Swiss artists don’t forget his occasional colleague Emmanuel Pahud!
Say what you will–American oboists–about his sound, there is no doubt he single-handedly raised the standard of oboe technique in the 1970’s and 80s.
Think of the dazzling things he could have done using both hands.
In the eighties HH experiemented with quatre-mains playing on the oboe, but it appeared to be very difficult to find the right playing partner.
According to Andre Lardrot when he first met the 15 year old Holliger, he already showed mastery of multiphonics and ascending and descending glissandi. Not surprisingly the concencus among the other distinguished oboists present was “We will hear more of this one!”
It took them long enough. A good composer as well as a truly great oboist.
It can be argued, however, that he put all his musical talents in his oboe playing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZxKJY_nmg4
Really unneeded snark from Mr. Borstlap
A comment from someone who cannot make a distinction between music and noise.
Major international competitions have commissioned Mr. Holliger to write test pieces for them. Perhaps they only asked Mr. Holliger after Mr. Borstlap turned them down?
The many requests for oboe test pieces I get every day, are an irritating recurring annoyance, and take-up too much time of my PA who has to answer them with a ready standard email of polite anger.
Country!!! One of the best oboe players of all times.