Emil Frey

Emil Frey (8 April 188920 May 1946) was a Swiss composer, pianist and teacher.

Biography He was born in Baden, near Zurich, Switzerland in 1889. He studied with Otto Barblan, Willy Rehberg and Joseph Lauber at the Geneva Conservatory 1902–1905, then at the Conservatoire de Paris with Louis Diémer (piano) and Gabriel Fauré and Charles-Marie Widor (composition). In 1906 he won the Premier prix de piano.

He became a court pianist in Bucharest after 1907. In 1908 he and Xaver Scharwenka gave a private performance on two pianos of Scharwenka's Piano Concerto No. 4 in F minor to its dedicatee Queen Elisabeth of Romania. The next day it was performed publicly with orchestra; the composer conducted and Frey was the soloist.

George Enescu dedicated his Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor, Op. 24/1 to Emil Frey.

In 1910 Frey entered the composition section of the Anton Rubinstein Competition in St Petersburg, and won with his Piano Trio. This led to an engagement as Professor of the Virtuoso Class at the Moscow Conservatory 1912–1917. and Adrian Aeschbacher. Rudolf Am Bach studied with him privately. He also concertised in Berlin, and toured throughout Europe and South America. He was considered among the leading Swiss pianists, his playing being noted for its extreme delicacy of feeling combined with brilliance of execution. and by Ferruccio Busoni. His music includes: 2 symphonies (the first has a choral finale) Swiss Festival Overture piano, violin and cello concertos choral works to sacred texts chamber music (Piano Quintet, String Quartet, Piano Trio, Violin Sonata, Cello Sonata) piano music (sonatas, suites, sets of variations, and an instruction manual published in German and French) organ music other pieces