Alexander Schaichet

Alexander Schaichet (1887-1964), Russian-born violinist, violist and conductor, was a huge supporter of contemporary music in Switzerland. In 1920 he founded Switzerland's first chamber orchestra, the Kammerorchester Zürich. It was Schaichet's declared aim to "perform works rarely heard in Zurich, works that have never before been publicly performed or which are of special merit." From 1920 to 1943 he gave 51 premieres and 215 first performances of works with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, including many works by modern Swiss composers, and discovered new musical talents whose fame would spread far beyond Switzerland, around the globe. In 1943, as a result of difficult conditions imposed on Jewish émigrés, Alexander Schaichet withdrew from his position and the Zurich Chamber Orchestra was disbanded. A book entitled "Zivilstand Musiker. Alexander Schaichet und das erste Kammerorchester der Schweiz" (civil status musician: Alexander Schaichet and the first Swiss chamber orchestra) was published to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of Switzerland's first chamber orchestra and this was complemented by the staging of a number of events. By releasing this double album, the Central Library of Zurich, which holds the artistic legacy of Alexander and Irma Schaichet, seeks to honor the pioneering musical career of Alexander Schaichet.