Leopold Wlach (9 September 1902 – 7 May 1956) was an Austrian clarinetist and clarinet teacher. He was solo clarinetist at the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is an opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by August ...

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Vienna Philharmonic The Vienna Philharmonic (VPO; german: Wiener Philharmoniker, links=no) is an orchestra that was founded in 1842 and is considered to be one of the finest in the world. The Vienna Philharmonic is based at the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria. It ...

Life

Born in Vienna, Wlach first studied clarinet at the

Vienna Music Academy The University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (german: link=no, Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien, abbreviated MDW) is an Austrian university located in Vienna, established in 1817. With a student body of over three thousa ...

with Franz Bartolomey, later with Viktor Polatschek. While still a student, he participated as bass clarinettist in the 1924 premiere of Anton Webern's ''Six Songs after Poems by Georg Trakl''. With an ensemble he undertook a world tour in 1926 two years later Wlach obtained a position as clarinettist with the

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. As a result of the emigration of his former teacher and orchestral colleague Viktor Polatschek to the United States, Wlach switched to the solo clarinet and took over his teaching position at the Vienna Music Academy in 1931. His pupils included

Alfred Prinz Alfred Prinz (4 June 1930 – 20 September 2014) was an Austrian composer, clarinetist, and music educator. In 1947 he was awarded a gold medal at the Geneva Music Competition and in 1971 he won a composition award from the city of Vienna. His com ...

, Alfred Boskovsky and Karl Österreicher. Wlach was a co-founder of the "Wind Association of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra". Wlach was awarded the "Golden Medal" by the Vienna Mozart Community in 1954. In the same year, the clarinettist suffered a heart attack and, according to his pupil Alfred Prinz, was "no longer fit for duty". Prinz then replaced Wlach in the "Bläservereinigung" and, after winning an audition, succeeded him as principal clarinettist of the Vienna Philharmonic. Wlach died in Vienna on May 7, 1956 at the age of 53.

Awards

* 1954 Golden Medal of the Mozartgemeinde Wien

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wlach, Leopold Academic staff of the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna Austrian classical clarinetists 1902 births 1956 deaths Musicians from Vienna