|
Born: August 25, 1927 - Stockholm, Sweden
Died: February 13, 2008 - Stockholm, Sweden |
|
The Swedish pianist, Lars Sellergren, studied the piano with Olof Wibergh in Stockholm. In 1952-1954, after his début in Stockholm in 1952, Lars Sellergren received the by that time important award 'Jenny Lind-stipendiet' and chose to study in Vienna. He immediately felt that Bruno Seidlhofer was exactly that critical teacher whom he was seeking for. Through Seidlhofer he discovered the pedal secrets of the piano. He cited Seidlhofer: 'The pedal is the half of the piano playing'. Their mutual estimation and friendship lasted until Seidlhofer died. Sellergren was the first Swede to give a Klavierabend in Vienna. That was in 1957 at the Brahms-Saal in the Wiener Musikverein. The critiques were excited.
Lars Sellergren was to become the most sought after pianist of Sweden and had many hundred of concerts already in the 1950's and 1960's. Among the conductors were Sixten Ehrling, Albert Wolff, Colin Davis and James DePreist. From 1950 to 1967 he gave regular concerts including a very large number of radio and TV broadcasts. With violinist Leo Berlin and cellist Åke Olofsson he founded the Stockholm Trio in 1957. He took up broadcasting again in 1975 and, towards the end of the 1980's, returned to the concert platform.
In 1955-1957 Lars Sellergren initiated three 'Seidlhofer master-classes' in Viggbyholm near Stockholm, where, for some weeks at a time, Seidlhofer instructed Scandinavian pianists on J.S. Bach's Wohltemperiertes Klavier, L.v. Beethoven's sonatas, and Mozart's piano concertos. Sellergren taught at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm from 1963 to 1993, becoming a titular professor in 1982.
Lars Sellergren was a pushing member in professional organizations of musicians as well as in politics, among them as a member of the Stockholm County Council and on the board of Rikskonserter (Concerts Sweden). |
