Irene Scharrer (2 February 188811 January 1971) was an English classical pianist.

Early life and education

Irene Scharrer was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, the daughter of Herbert Tobias Scharrer and Ida Henrietta Samuel Scharrer. She studied at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...

with

Tobias Matthay Tobias Augustus Matthay (19 February 185815 December 1945) was an English pianist, teacher, and composer. Biography Matthay was born in Clapham, Surrey, in 1858 to parents who had come from northern Germany and eventually became naturalised Brit ...

. Scharrer is sometimes erroneously described as pianist

Myra Hess Dame Julia Myra Hess, (25 February 1890 – 25 November 1965) was an English pianist best known for her performances of the works of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and Schumann. Career Early life Julia Myra Hess was born on 25 February 1890 to a Jew ...

's cousin. She was distantly related to another woman pianist,

Harriet Cohen Harriet(t) may refer to: * Harriet (name), a female name ''(includes list of people with the name)'' Places *Harriet, Queensland, rural locality in Australia * Harriet, Arkansas, unincorporated community in the United States * Harriett, Texas, ...

, the two sharing a great-great-grandfather.

Career

Scharrer made her London début at the age of 16, and gave concerts regularly until June 1958, where she appeared for the last time, playing Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos with Myra Hess. They often performed four-handed compositions together. "Her playing is virile, yet withal delicate and poetic," explained a 1912 reviewer, "a lovely touch and poetic style combined with warmth of tone, but pervading all delicacy and refinement." She was especially known for playing the works of Chopin. Other collaborators included

Arthur Nikisch Arthur Nikisch (12 October 185523 January 1922) was a Hungarian conductor who performed internationally, holding posts in Boston, London, Leipzig and—most importantly—Berlin. He was considered an outstanding interpreter of the music of Br ...

in Berlin, Hungarian violinist Louis Pecskai, and

Landon Ronald Sir Landon Ronald (born Landon Ronald Russell) (7 June 1873 – 14 August 1938) was an English conductor, composer, pianist, teacher and administrator. In his early career he gained work as an accompanist and ''répétiteur'', but struggled ...

in London. She visited Sir

Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

in 1918 and was promised the first performance of his piano concerto, then being sketched. Scharrer gave her first American concerts in 1926, in Boston and New York. She gave a radio concert in 1929.

Recordings

A selection of reissues is commercially available. From as early as 1909 she recorded for

HMV Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom. The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...

, then between 1929 and the mid-1930s for Columbia. Recorded repertoire included: *

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

Prelude and Fugue (HMVD576) * Chopin Prelude in F-sharp minor; Waltz in E minor (HMV E255); Fantaisie-Impromptu; Impromptu in A-flat (HMV D1087); Study in G-flat (HMV D1303); Study in F minor Op. 25 No. 2 * Saint-Saëns Allegro Scherzando from Piano Concerto in G (HMV D81) *

Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

Intermezzo in E-flat (HMV D87) *

Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositi ...

Rondo Capricioso (HMV D87); The Bees' Wedding (HMV D1303) * Sinding Rustle of Spring (HMV D1087) *

Debussy (Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the ...

Poissons d'or Poissons () is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France. Demographics See also *Communes of the Haute-Marne department The following is a list of the 426 communes in the French department of Haute-Marne. The commune ...

''; ''

Reflets dans l'eau Claude Debussy's ''Reflets dans l'eau'' ("Reflections in the Water") is the first of three piano pieces from his first volume of ''Images (Debussy compositions for solo piano), Images'', which are frequently performed separately. It was written in ...

'' (HMV D914); Arabesque No. 2 (HMV D576)

Personal life

Scharrer married Samuel Gurney Lubbock, who was a housemaster at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

. They had two children, Ian and Rachel. She died January 11, 1971, at the age of 82.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scharrer, Irene 1888 births 1971 deaths English classical pianists English women pianists Classical piano duos Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music Pupils of Tobias Matthay Jewish classical pianists 20th-century English women musicians 20th-century classical pianists Women classical pianists 20th-century women pianists