The orchestra is in mourning for it former principal clarinet, Peter Schmidl, who died unexpectedly at the weekend, aged 84.
Schmidl, born in Olomouc (Cz), was the son and grandson of principal clarinettists of the Vienna Philharmonic. His grandfather Alois Schmidl held the seat in Gustav Mahler’s time.
Peter played in the orchestra from 1965 to 2010, often guesting at Herbert von Karajan’s call with the Berlin Philharmonic. He performed with various chamber ensembles and taught at the Vienna University of Music and Applied Arts. From 1999 he was Artistic Chairman of the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan.
His liquid tone was instantly recognisable.
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