Hermann Scherchen: The modern-minded maestro
A progressive musician who valued historic and contemporary compositions in equal measure, this conductor helped transform Mahler’s works into mainstream repertoire.
Born in Germany on June 21st, 1891, Hermann Scherchen heartily championed music from the 20th century whilst also collaborating with many contemporary composers. He was committed to supporting avant-garde musicians as they introduced their compositions through recitals and recordings.
Scherchen was largely self-taught in the art of music, starting out by playing the viola and violin. During his early days, he played with the Berliner Philharmoniker, touring later alongside Arnold Schönberg. Scherchen proved to be an important bridge between the great composer Schönberg and his younger counterparts.
Following his imprisonment in Russia during the First World War, Scherchen returned to Berlin in 1918 and founded the Neue Musikgesellschaft as well as a string quartet. Scherchen continued to conduct during and after the Second World War across Europe. The conductor also took to writing, penning the “Handbook of Conducting” and establishing “Melos”, a contemporary music journal.
It was in 1964 that Scherchen first made his American debut when he conducted the Philadelphia Orchestra. He passed away two years later on June 21st 1966 in Florence, Italy.
Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 7 in E minor (Hermann Scherchen, Wiener Symphoniker, 1950)
Scherchen conducted and recorded Mahler’s symphonies many years before these works became a standard part of a musician’s repertory.
Hermann Scherchen was one of the very first conductors who took Beethoven’s metronome indications seriously, making a clear difference to the outcome of the piece.
The music of Max Reger always formed an essential part of Scherchen’s repertoire, and he recorded several of Reger’s orchestral works.
Scherchen was widely known for his interest in contemporary music, and he conducted a great number of world premiere performances, including Schönberg’s ‘Pierrot Lunaire’ in 1912.
Hermann Scherchen was one of the most versatile conductors of the 20th century, his repertory reaching from Baroque to contemporary music.
Sergei Prokofiev: Scythian Suite, Op. 20 (Hermann Scherchen, Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper, 1951)
Soviet and Russian music was dear to Scherchen, and he always tried to encourage the popularity of this genre in the Western world by conducting this music in concert and through recording performances.
