Under the Royal patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya, the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra Foundation is delighted to welcome German cellist Gabriel Schwabe and Austrian conductor Günter Neuhold for a concert at the Thailand Cultural Centre on Thursday 17th June at 7:30 pm. The programme will be Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E minor, Leoš Janáček’s Lachian Dances, and Zoltán Kodály’s Dances of Galánta.
Cellist Gabriel Schwabe has been a fast-rising star of his instrument, earning comparisons to such past greats as Emanuel Feuermann, the competition of who’s name he won to complete an exceptionally impressive run of contest victories. Born in Berlin in 1988, his background is German and Spanish. Initially learning piano, he switched to the violin, and then to the cello, enrolling at the University of the Arts in Berlin, where he studied with Catalin Ilea. Schwabe moved to the Kronberg Academy and the teacher Franz Helmerson, and he took master classes with Janos Starker, Gidon Kremer, and Gary Hoffman. After taking the Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann in 2006, he won the German National Music Competition the following year and the Pierre Fournier Award in London in 2009.
Günter Neuhold was born in Graz, Austria, in 1947. In 1969 he completed his studies at the Graz Conservatoire with a masters degree. He took advanced courses in Rome with Franco Ferrara and in Vienna with Hans Swarowsky. Between 1972 and 1980 he was engaged at various German opera houses, a period he closed as first Kapellmeister in Hannover and Dortmund. After winning several competitions (Florence 1st prize 1976; San Remo “Marinuzzi“ 1st prize 1976; Vienna “Swarowsky“ 2nd prize 1977; Salzburg “Böhm“ 1st prize, 1977 Milan, “Cantelli“ 3rd prize 1977), he has enjoyed an exceptionally busy international career. From 1995 to 2002 he was Music Director at the Theater der Freien Hansestadt Bremen, from 2008 to 2014 he was Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Orquesta Sinfonica de Bilbao, and in 2018/19 he was Principal Guest Conductor of the Hungarian National Symphony Orchestra Szeged.
