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Willi Boskovsky

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Willi Boskovsky was born in Vienna in 1909 and entered the Vienna Academy of Music at the age of nine. From 1939 to 1971 he was concertmaster of the Wiener Philharmoniker. From 1955 to 1979 he conducted the New Year's Concert in Vienna, which mainly presents music by Johann Strauss II and his contemporaries. He was also principal conductor of the Wiener Johann Strauss Orchester until his death. He died in 1991 in Visp, Switzerland.

Music and breakthrough

Boskovsky conducted with the violin in his hand, as a Stehgeiger, as Johann Strauss I and later Johann Strauss II had done. As a result his style appealed to many lovers of Strauss. He recorded a large part of the music of the Strauss family, on albums such as Welcome the New Year from 1971 and Die Wiener Philharmoniker spielen Strauss from 1974. He also recorded a cycle of ten albums with all of Mozart's dances and marches. His New Year's Concert of 1979 was Decca's first commercial recording made using digital technology.

Influence

In chamber music he led the Boskovsky Quartet, which together with a double bass player, a clarinettist, a horn player and a bassoonist formed the Vienna Octet. With the pianist Lili Kraus he recorded all of Mozart's violin sonatas, and with Wilhelm Furtwängler he played Brahms's Double Concerto. In 1979 he suffered a stroke, after which he withdrew from public life. Boskovsky gave the Viennese waltz a natural, light lilt and turned the New Year's Concert into a worldwide television event.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to a Strauss waltz under Boskovsky and notice the position of the first violin and the slight delay on the second beat of each bar. Can you hear how the strings steer the dance?

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists