OBITUARIES

WOLFGANG BOETTCHER

Wolfgang Boettcher, a principal cellist of the B erlin Philharmonic u nder Herbert von K arajan, has died aged 86. Born in Berlin in 1935 he studied at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin with Richard Klemm, winning second prize at the ARD International Music Competition in Munich in 1958. The same year he joined the Berlin Philharmonic, becoming principal cellist in 1963. He held the position until 1976, when he decided to concentrate on other activities. He was a founder member of The 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic, and in 1976, the year of his departure, he became cellist of the Brandis Quartet.

From 1986 to 1992 Boettcher was artistic director of the Sommerliche Musiktage Hitzacker, where he programmed a wide variety of chamber music, including a focus on composers who had been banned during the Nazi regime. With his two sisters, pianist Ursula and violinist Marianne, he formed a trio that continued to give concerts even in his old age.

As a teacher, Boettcher held posts at the Berlin University of the Arts and the Carl Flesch Akademie Baden-Baden. He had a close association with the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra for more than 25 years, and was chairman of the jury of the Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann cello competition.

YUVAL WALDMAN

Russian–Israeli violinist and conductor Yuval Waldman died on 1 February at the age of 74. An enterprising musician, tutor and co-founder of numerous festivals, he was noted for rediscovering neglected works, often composed under oppressive circumstances. In 2004 he founded Music Bridges International, which promoted concerts and educational programmes including music from different cultures. He also performed and conducted programmes such as ‘Music of Oppression and Liberation’, featuring composers persecuted for their beliefs, and ‘Music Forgotten and Remembered’, featuring works by Eastern European Jews.

Born Vladimir Waldman in 1946 in Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union, Waldman began playing the violin at the age of four, and performed on Soviet National Radio aged seven. His family emigrated to Israel, via Poland, Austria and Italy, in 1957. He changed his name to Yuval in honour of the Biblical forefather of musicians. In 1961 he graduated from Tel Aviv’s Samuel Rubin Israel Academy of Music (now the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music), and received a scholarship to study at the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève in Switzerland. He was noticed by Isaac Stern, who arranged for him to study with Josef Gingold at Indiana University.

Waldman returned to Israel in the early 1970s but soon came back to America where he spent the rest of his life. He served as concertmaster with orchestras including the Kansas City Symphony, Greater Bridgeport Symphony and Brooklyn Philharmonic, and conducted the New American Chamber Orchestra, an ensemble made up of Jewish émigrés from the former Soviet Union. He was also first violinist of the Kinor Quartet, and a professor at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Purchase, where he eventually became dean of the strings department. He also gave private lessons and taught on school music education programmes. Festivals he helped to found included the Madeira Bach Festival, Opus Berkshire Festival and the Benedictine Millennium Festival. In Votkinsk, Russia he helped start the Young Artists Strings Competition.

WERNER GROBHOLZ

Werner Grobholz, the former first c oncertmaster of the Munich P hilharmonic, died on 16 February at the age of 78. He was also a founder member of the Álvarez Piano Quartet, and performed as a soloist with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields alongside Iona Brown.

Born in 1942, Grobholz enrolled at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold aged twelve. He studied with Werner Heutling, Max Strub and Wilhelm Isselmann, and later in Munich with Otto Büchner. His first role as concertmaster was with the Munich Chamber Orchestra under Hans Stadlmair, and in 1966 he joined the Munich Philharmonic. Rudolf Kempe, who took over from Fritz Rieger as music director a year later, promoted Grobholz to first concertmaster. He also performed under Sergiu Celibidache for 17 years, from 1979 to 1996. At the Philharmonic, Grobholz made occasional appearances as soloist, including an acclaimed performance in Bruch’s First Violin Concerto.

It was also in 1979 that Grobholz founded the Álvarez Piano Quartet with violist Bodo Hersen, cellist Werner Thomas and pianist Carmen Piazzini. The group toured regularly and made a number of recordings.

JEAN-MARIE GAMARD

The cellist Jean-Marie Gamard, former principal cellist of the Orchestre national de France, has died aged 78. Born in 1943, Gamard studied with cellist André Navarra at the Conservatoire de Paris before establishing a career as a solo, orchestral and chamber musician.

In addition to his role at the Orchestre national de France, he was principal cellist of the Orchestre de l’Opéra national de Paris – a position he held for 20 years. He was also a member of the Via Nova Quartet, founded by the violinist Jean Mouillère.

Gamard taught from 1983 to 2006 at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse in Paris, and at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional in Rueil-Malmaison. He trained a wide range of musicians, several of whom became soloists, including Christian- Pierre La Marca and Sébastien Hurtaud. ‘He was a cello daddy,’ said La Marca. ‘He had no children but he was involved with us as he would have been with his own children. Today, we all feel like orphans.’