Hugo Käch

Hugo Käch was born on 26 September 1927 in Lucerne (Switzerland). He studied music at the Lucerne Conservatory and later composition with Paul Hindemith and conducting with Igor Markevitch. Hugo Kaech then completed his studies in the master class of Herbert von Karajan and became his assistant.

In the 1960s Hugo Käch was conductor at the Wiener Staatsoper, as the first Swiss countryman ever. A few years later Hugo Käch worked in the television industry, first as an assistant, later as a director. There he found his mission and directed live broadcasts of concerts of classical music. For example Hugo Käch directed the live broadcasts of the Vienna New Year's Concerts from 1980 to 1986 or since 1982 the broadcasts from the Scala in Milano. In 1998 he directed the first recorded concert from the Forbidden City in Beijing. In total Hugo Käch directed over 500 broadcasts of concert and opera performances with all major orchestras, soloists and conductors of his time.

Beside his international career Hugo Käch was also lecturer and later director of the music school as well as choral master of the Oratorienchor, both in Schaffhausen.

Hugo Käch died on 31 December 2003 in Flurlingen, near Schaffhausen (Switzerland).

Hugo Käch also worked as a composer through his lifetime. He composed mainly church music like choral songs, cantatas, oratorios or works on religious themes, but also secular compositions like a suite for orchestra, a work for wind orchestra or some chamber music.

In my possession is the autograph manuscript of the "Trio for piano, violin and cello". The trio lasts around 15 minutes and is written in one movement with the five intersections: Allegro energico - Andante cantabile - Allegro energico -Adagio espressivo - Allegro. My manuscript is dated at the end: "Wien, 6.7.1967", a time when Hugo Käch was conductor at the Wiener Staatsoper just before he switched to television. The manuscript also once contained a dedication to Dr. Walter Strebi and his wife Maria Strebi-Erni, but the names were later scratched out. The Trio was premiered on 15 February 1973 by the Sattler Trio (Gerty Sattler, piano; Klaus Sattler, violin and Samuel Langmeier, cello) at the Kunsthaus Luzern. The score remained unpublished and therefore is here available for the first time: