Boettcher, Wilfried
Boettcher, Wilfried
Boettcher, Wilfried, German cellist and conductor; b. Bremen, Aug. 11, 1929; d. Uzes-Saint Siffret, France, Aug. 22, 1994. He studied cello with Arthur Troester at the Hamburg Hochschule für Musik (diploma, 1955) and with Fournier in Paris (1955–56). He was first cellist in the Bremen Radio Orch. (1948–50) and in the Hannover Opera orch. (1956–58). From 1958 to 1965 he was a prof, of cello at the Vienna Academy of Music. In 1959 he founded Die Wiener Solisten, which he conducted until 1966. From 1965 to 1974 he was a prof, at the Hamburg Hochschule für Musik. He also was chief conductor of the Hamburg Sym. Orch. (1967–71), and a conductor at the Hamburg State Opera (1970–73). From 1974 to 1978 he was principal guest conductor of the RAI Orch. in Turin. He also was a conductor at the Berlin Deutsche Oper (1975–82) and the Vienna State Opera (1977–82). In later years, he became closely associated as a conductor with several British orchs.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire