Born: May 16, 1897 - Zofingen, Switzerland
Died: March 6, 1993 - Oberwil, near Basel, Switzerland

The Swiss violist, conductor, composer and music pedagogue, Walther Geiser, studied after his school time 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.

Works (selection)

Suite for Violin & Piano, Op. 10
Trio for Strings in D minor, Op. 8
Divertimento for Wind Quartet, Op. 55
Symphony No. 1 (1953)
Symphony No. 2, Op. 60 (1967)
Metamorphosen for Violin, Op. 62
Festspiel Inclyta Basilea
2 flute concertos (1921 1963)
Violin Concerto (1930)
Horn Concerto (1934)
Konzertstück for Organ & Chamber Orchestra (1941)
4 orchestral fantasies (1942, 1945, 1949, 1963)
Concerto da Camera for 2 Violins, Harpsichord & String Orchestra (1957)
Piano Concerto (1959)
Stabat Mater for Baritone, Chorus, Orchestra & Organ (1936)
Te Deum for 4 Soloists, Chorus, Orchestra & Organ (1960)

Source: German Wikipedia Website, English translation by Aryeh Oron (May 2007); Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of 20^th Century Classical Musicians (1997)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (May 2007)

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

As

Works

Walter Geiser

Conductor

BWV 25

Links to other Sites

Walther Geiser (Wikipedia)

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