Letter Wobisch February 1975
A letter from Helmut Wobisch discussing details for the planned conducting course in Ossiach in 1975, together with an annoucement of the course. Swarowsky could not participate in Ossiach due to his declining condition: he thought at a course in Vienna in July and was admitted to hospital on the last day of the course:



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Wiener Meisterkurse 1975
A draft program of the Vienna Masterclasses from 1975 with Swarowsky's annotations.
This was Swarowskys last course as he had to cancel his participation in Ossiach that summer.
Swarowsky was admitted to hospital on the last day of the course, his cancer has become incurable:



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Ernst von Siemens Foundation 1974
In this letter from June 1974, the Siemens Foundation confirms a grant of SFR 15.000 for Swarowskys students at the Vienna Music Academy, which Swarowsky is invited to distribute according to his own assessment:



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La Scala invitation  for the 1975-76 season
Claudio Abbado wanted to invite Swarowsky to conduct a concert at La Scala in the 1975 - 1976 season,
and suggested following program:
Schoenberg: 1st psalm, Kol Nidrei, violin concerto (with Accardo as soloist)
and extracts from Schumann's Genoveva.



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ORF October 1974
A letter from ORF (Austrian Broadcasting Station) confirming an invitation of Swarowsky for a concert in March 1976. The full planned program is unknown but Swarowsky has suggested Heinrich Schiff for the Monn Cello Concerto in Schoenbergs arrangement:




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Letter Willi Reich
Swarowsky knew Willi Reich since the 1920s, when rivaling for Julia Laszky's love. It's Willi Reich who introduces Swarowsky to Siegmund Freud. In this very friendly letter, Reich asks about a Mahler article Swarowsky wrote, mentions that his Schoenberg book has just been translated into Japanese and offers to review Swarowsky's recordings for the Neue Zuercher Zeitung, signing off as his 'old and commensurately senile friend'.



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Leipzig 1972
In this note from September 1972, the administration of the Leipzig Gewandhaus congratulates Swarowsky to the high critical acclaim for his last concert with the Gewandhaus Orchestra, and enquires his availability for the 1974/75 season for a concert with a planned program of Mathis the Painter and Bruckners symphony No. 7: Swarowsky conducted a program with Mathis the Painter and Bruckners symphony No. 5 on December 5 and 6, 1974



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Mozart's Solfeggi (Universal Edition)
Swarowsky's proof copy of his edition (Universal Edition) of Mozart's "Solfeggi", the little-known singing exercises for his wife Constanze, with Swarowsky’s correction markings (also the Italian text)



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Creation November 1963
This performance of Haydn's Creation was a gala concert at the Vienna Konzerthaus to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Vienna Music Academy (now University)



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Rostropovich, Vienna 1962
With Mstislav Rostropovich and the Niederösterreichische Tonkünstler at the Vienna Musikverein on 3.6.1962. On the programm:
Dvorak Cello Concerto
Tchaikovsky Rococco Variations
Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 1




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With Alma Mahler in Vienna 1960
Swarowsky conducted Mahler's 3rd Symphony for the composers 100th birthday in 1960, and also met again Alma Mahler, who came to Vienna specifically for that occasion. They knew each other since the 1920s, having met in Swarowskys sister Gina Kauss's literary salons.




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Letter Mali Pfitzner
Mali Pfitzner, the widow of Hans Pfitzner, thanks in this letter Swarowsky having conducted a performance of Palestrina without rehearsal. 'Finally there is someone in Vienna who can conduct Palestrina'.
Mali refers to two performences of the cantata she heard with Keilberth in Munich and how much she enjoys being in Vienna. The last time apparently was together with Swarowsky in the air-raid shelter of the hotel Imperial in May 1945.





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Mahler III, Vienna Symphony Orchestra 1957
Swarowsky's breaktrough performance of Mahler's 3rd symphony (the first performance in Vienna since 1946) with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra in the 'New Music' series of the Vienna Konzerthaus. It's significant that the concert was put on in the Mozart Saal, seemingly in anticipation of a low audience turn out.





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Julius Marx, letter 1946
In his letter to the Allied Forces, Julius Marx confirms that Swarowsky was working for the Allies during the war and that the messages he sent without consideration for his personal risk where of utmost importance, both politically and militarily:




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Swarowsky's list of supported people in Cracow
On this sheet, Swarowsky listed the names of all players of the Philharmonic Orchestra in Cracow, who he has supported. His handwritten note reads: List of furntiture I procured for members of the Philharmonic Orchestra:




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Renowned father located by son
After coming to Germany with the US Army, Anton Swarosky located his father in a villa in Pöcking, where he was, presumably with the help of Richard Strauss, hiding from the Gestapo during the last months of the war. This incident was reported in a publication of the US Army:





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Salzburg Summer 1944
An announcement about the cancellation of the Salzburg theatre and music summer in 1944 due to the events of 20th July:



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Conducting a concert in Krakow
The concerts were often visited by soldiers and had "a very tragic undertone, thousands of soldiers listened to music for the last time in their lives. It has always been frightening when departing troops came to a concert in closed groups ... "(Swarowsky).
It's noteworthy that Swarowsky managed on several occasions to have all official Nazi signs removed from the concert hall and also programs. He also conducted concerts (illegally) for Polish audiences.
Swarowsky conducted the last concert in Krakow on 14th January, two days before taking the last train ouf Krakow together with the Pfitzner family. The Red Army occupies Krakow on the 17th.
The solo part on this occasion is played by concertmaster Fritz Sonleitner.







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Krakow: Ariadne, 24 06 1944
This performance of Ariadne was part of a series of concerts to celebrate Strauss's 80th birthday. Krakow was besides Vienna the only city to host such events:


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First concert in Krakow: March 9, 1944
Dr Hans Franck (governor-general of the occupied parts of Poland in Silesia and Galicia) wanted to set up a cultural establishment in Krakow from the status of Vienna or Berlin and was looking for suitable conductors:



Salzburg program Georgescu
Hans Swarowsky wrote the concert program for this concert conducted by Roumanian conductor George Georgescu. Presumably Swarowsky met Georgescu for the first time during his time as repetiteur at the Bucharest opera in the 1920s:



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Mahler 3 with Mahler's notes
In April 1920, Swarowsky hears Mahler’s third symphony for the first time (conducted by Furtwängler) and due to this impression decides to become a conductor – this symphony should take a special place throughout his entire life; for his 21st birthday, Julia Laszky acquires an Edition of Mahler’s 3rd symphony from Universal Edition as a birthday present; Swarowsky will conduct from this score throughout the rest of his life. This score (first edition) contains corrections Mahler made after performances conducted by himself.



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Dr Josef Kranz ca 1925
Leopoldine Swarowsky (1881 – 1970, daughter of a Viennese Police Inspector and actress at the Vienna Volkstheater) gives birth out of wedlock to Hans, and relocates, as customary at the time in such circumstances, for several months to Budapest. There is no definite clarity about the father: most likely it is Dr. Josef Kranz (1862 - 1934). Dr Josef Kranz, banker and industrialist stemming from a Polish rabbi family in Ausschwitz, becomes over the course of just a few years one of the richest men in the Austrian Monarchy (according to a bonmot of the day, the two most influential people in the Monarchy were Franz Josef and Kranz Josef)...
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Swarowsky & Schoenberg
This postcard was used as invitation to Schoenberg's 'private society' concerts:
Swarowsky had private lessons with Schoenberg since hearing Schoenberg in rehearsals of the Gurre - Lieder in 1920, subsequently Swarowsky also took part in Schoenberg's 'society' concerts, playing piano and harmonium.





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School grades 1917
Having been recruited to the Austro - Hungarian Army in WWI, Hans Swarowsky had to do his final exams in secondary school early in the year as so called 'emergency A-levels (Notmatura), bevor being sent to war in Italy.






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Weingartner 1910
Swarowsky heard Beethoven's Ninth for the first time at this festival concert in 1910, celebrating the 50th anniversaty of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra's subscription series. Felix Weingartner became Swarowsky's teacher from 1920 onwards and tt's thanks to Weingartner that Swarowsky got his employment at the Vienna Volksoper in 1922.







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Beethoven 9 analysis
A sample of Swarowsky's handwritten notes analyzing a piece, in this instance the 4th movement of Beethoven's 9th symphony.








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