Music

We welcome comments from the many musicians, producers, friends, listeners and others who over the years supported, encouraged and admired Peter's determined efforts to introduce his father Irving's vast and rich musical legacy to an unknowing public.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

At my dad's memorial in Geneva last September, Peter approached me with great warmth and compassion. He had been a colleague of my dad for decades, and he knew I was a musician, leaving in New York City. He showed a genuine interest for my music. We arranged for a meeting at his apartment, where we exchanged CDs. He gave me a CD of his dad's music, explaining, with great enthusiasm and pride, all the details of this exceptional recording. I gave him some of my music, on which he later gave me some keen comments. This meeting left me with the desire of seeing him again sometime, and with the happiness to know that such wonderful human beings do exist.
Peter, I will remember you.
Francis

Unknown said...

I met Peter in St. Petersburg in 2004 and later transcribed/translated some of the videos of the music he had recorded there. Last spring when I was in Geneva for a couple of days Peter showed me around the city. If it hadn't been for Peter's enthusiasm (and driving skills) I wouldn't have gotten up the mountain or understood the importance of the physics project at CERN... and still made it to the airport on time for my flight home. I would like to offer my condolences to the Schlein family. Peter was doing something truly remarkable and cross cultural by recording his father's music in Russia and I am glad to hear that the project will continue.
Vanessa

Hodhod said...

Dear Lisa, ILana and Oren,

I knew Peter through Lisa, I knew him better when he retired from his science work, Lisa always introduced Peter as a scientist, I therefore was so proud of them as a couple, a prominent media professional and a scientist.

But more importantly I knew Peter as a son passionately involved with his father's music, and as he introduced his father's music to the world he also introduced it to me.

During the very few times when I saw Peter with Lisa, I always felt that he was a very sensitive man deeply in love with his wife and family.

When I talked about one of his grandchildren Peter used to get the photos of all his grandchildren, when I talked about Oren, he would bring ILana's photo to show me her family.

Through Lisa, I knew a lot about her joint contribution with Peter to their family.

Yes, I feel he had a great life worthy of celebration and which will not end now, it will continue through Oren and ILana, their children and through Lisa's voice across the globe.

Hedayat Abdel Nabi
Friend of Lisa's and Peter

Anonymous said...

To you all, family and friends -
I am very sad to hear about Peter's passing. I have met him a few times in Geneva and New York through a commom friend, also talking about his father's music and other art projects. He gave me scores and recordings for me to keep and made me listen to his latest recordings as well. These were very enjoyable times. I will remember Peter -
With sincere affection and friendship,
Julien

Anonymous said...

I send my sincere and deep condolences to Peter’s family and friends on his too-soon passing. I met him but once, and recently, in November 2007. He contacted us at the Fleisher Collection because of his interest in his father Irving’s music, some of which we have. I was soon to discover that this was more than an interest—it was a passion. I think it was Grieg who said that he found it boring to dine with musicians, as all they wanted to talk about was money, but to dine with businessmen was exhilarating, because they could still be excited by music. It’s not an entirely fair parallel, but so I found my day with this renowned physicist uplifting, although, of course, he knew music, too.

Peter’s love for music, for the process of music-making and recording, and especially for his father, touched me. He was the picture of contentment perusing scores and parts and taking extensive notes in the midst of strewn-about manuscripts, Mylar and manila envelopes, and, as it happened, plaster dust and drop-cloths, as our office was being renovated and we shuttled between two rooms. His joy over finding answers to some of his questions (and solving some of ours) was infectious. When he left that day to catch the train back to New York, we shook hands and promised to keep in touch, since the project was a huge one. It proved to be our only meeting, but we did keep in touch, up through the recent St. Petersburg recording sessions. We broadcast some of the music on our monthly radio show, and I’ve enjoyed the positive response. I told him of my delight with the music and the recordings.

I’ve often had the lesson brought home to me how much difference one person can make in this world. Peter has taught me this again. With my gratitude for knowing him, and my thoughts for the family,

Kile Smith
Curator, Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music
Free Library of Philadelphia

Anonymous said...

I first met Peter, Lisa, Peter's brother Steven and other members of the Schlein family in Orem, Utah at the 9th International Viola d'amore Congress in 1998. We gave an all-Irving Schlein concert of the music Irving had composed for the viola d'amore, an instrument that Irving really liked, likely the first concert of this kind. This may have sparked Peter's desire to resurrect the "forgotten" other music of his talented father, Irving.
Over the years, as Peter became more involved in his project to bring his father's music back to life, his passion for it increased and I became increasingly impressed at his devotion, hard work and intensity with all aspects of it.
Peter and I met fairly often when he was in New York City, for lunch usually, and then go back to his apartment on West End Avenue where he brought me up to date on the CDs of Irving's music he was releasing and videos of his St, Petersburg, Russia musicians involved in the project. it was all most impressive.
Peter often spoke of his children and grand-children with great affection and we both shared the parallel joys of being relatively new grandfathers.
I shall miss him, but am certain that he has left important legacies in both the worlds of physics and music

Myron Rosenblum
Violist and Viola d'amore Player

Anonymous said...

Peter will remain in my heart as a close friend and exceptional person even I met him very shortly when he came to visit us in Lugano last year. I feel deeply touched of his sudden death, also because he was full of energy end projects.
I want to express my condolence to his family.

Hana Kotkova, Czech violinist

Anonymous said...

I met Peter and Lisa while living in Geneva. We were practically neighbors during my years there.

Peter was an exceptional human being, a most generous person and a devoted friend. His unequivocal quest to make Irving Schlein's
music available to a wider public was truly extraordinary.

My deepest sympathies and condolences to the Schlein family. He will be greatly missed.

Jenny

Anonymous said...

I would like to offer my condoleces ot the Schlein family at Peters passing. I was a music stduent at the St Petersburg Conservatoir when I met Peter in St Petersburg. I followed his work on his fathers music with interest - as he shared with me things about his father and allowed me to sit in on several recordings in St Petersburg. He was indeed a kind hearted and affectionate man. I will miss him as you do also.
Brian Barton

Anonymous said...

In the conversations I shared with Peter at a music conference in France during the month of January, he made me aware of his father’s important musical compositions and his own journey to produce the recorded music. He also listened to and added insight to my thoughts about music, art and architecture. Although I had only recently met Peter I believe we were friends. I will miss him and remember him.
My condolences are for his family.

Anonymous said...

Dear Lisa, Ilana and Oren!

I remember to our first meeting during Viola d'amore Congress in 1998 in Orem and following a funny evening at Salt Lake and in Salt Lake City. Since this time I mainly had good contacts to Peter. He visited me for Viola d'amore concerts in Germany and Sweden and together we enjoyed this lovely instrument - he as a listener and I as a player. I took an interest in his CD project and enjoyed its growing up.

I mourn for Peter and sympathize with you all

Hans Lauerer
Quinton and Viola d'amore player

Anonymous said...

Dear Lisa and Oren,

This is a message I sent you right on the 26th. Still, I thought I could post a copy of it here.

Needless to say how painful is for me to write these lines to you. Still, I understand that my pain is nothing compared with yours.

For a long time I will not forget the shock I had on February 26 upon receiving a mournful message of Alain Verglas. How unexpected and how dreadful.

We saw each other only once with both of you - remember, Lisa, in Finland during the conference concert? And just this January with Oren. I am sure that you knew from Peter that we were in a very friendly relationship with him. Our co-work on his project grew very soon into personal ties. How often - when we could not convince each other about something - we interrupted our already "boiling" discussion with the words of sympathy and friendship.

I was so charmed - right from the beginning - with his wit and vivid reactions. Friendship and working with Peter has become an integral part of my life. 8 years, dozens of meetings, hundred phonecalls, thousands (literary) e-mails. I would say that my year's planning was in great deal defined by Peter's visits.

He was sort of a vanishing type. Intellectual, very free-minded, very convinced in what he was doing - but, still, delicate. When one recollects the circle of Peter's friends and acquaintances - one is amazed with its extraordinary width. Just whom I heard from him about - and I am quite sure that I heard only about insufficient part of his friends. Winning personality of Peter helped him to easy acquire new friends and confederates.

Looking back I am amazed with the enormous amount of things Peter did during his so unjustly and untimely ended life. So few people can be proud about half of what he has achieved.

You know, when we discussed with my colleagues the things we did with Peter, we kept repeating to each other how deeply are we impressed with his sonly feelings. With his intention to build this memorial to his father Peter has set hardly reachable standards of son-to-father attitude. All his strength, energy and savings were consumed by this noble deal. I hope Oren and Ilana have inherited these high qualities of Peter.

Dearest Lisa and Oren - sorry that I do not address also to Ilana, but I have, unfortunately, never seen her - with all my heart I feel your grief from loss of Peter. I would like to hope that, maybe, I could little soothe it with my tears joining yours.

On midday February 26, when I got an e-mail from Alain, it was a pure blow for me because I saw Peter so recently and he was in such a good shape. But even greater blow happened for me later in the same day's evening: I went to the website of Irving Schlein, and right on the frontpage saw the text-box "Site was last updated:". The date was February 26. The day of his death. Here was the moment when my eyes became wet. He worked until his last moment.

How blame I the Schengen laws that do not permit me to just jump in a plane and say the last farewell to the person I loved and revered!

I am embracing you both. I know that Peter is with us and he sees our grief. And I believe that memory of Peter will stay with us forever.

All my thoughts are with you now.

Yours very cordial,

Pavel Eliashevich
Pianist
Artistic director of the
"Musica Da Camera",
Chamber ensemble of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Society,
Performer and editor of Irving Schlein's music

P.S. I sent messages to people in St. Petersburg who knew Peter. Many of them have called me asking to pass their condolences to you. I would like to name them all:

Viktoria Evtodieva and Vladimir Shuliakovsky - actually, they have introduced Peter to musical St. Petersburg and were at the start of his project here. Viktoria was the first who called.

Dmitry Akulshin, the typist. Actually, Dmitry was, besides myself, the person Peter has communicated most of all. Dmitry had always much affection to Peter.

Dennis Sukhov, the clarinettist. Actually, it was Dennis who has introduced me to Peter in 2000. He was asked by Igor Vorobiev to make recordings and, being my old stage partner, offered me to take part in it.

Dmitry Yakubovsky, the Violist who made recordings of all the quartets and conducted St. Petersburg Camerata orchestra.

Andrey Dogadin, also the Violist. Andrey was a good friend of Peter.

Simon Kovarsky, the cellist, he recorded the Cello sonata on the disc and for the documentary video.

Maria Lapina, the Flutist. Maria is my wife and Peter has always treated her with fatherly tenderness. He was the only non-relative who called her with her family pet-name Masha. She was greatly stressed with these dreadful news because she also loved Peter.

Igor Delgiado, director of the "Melodia" recording studio.

I expect other people to react.

All the people have wished Peter's soul rest in peace.

P.E.

Stephen Tucker said...

It seems so strange that my expression of thanks to Peter would come at a time when I cannot deliver it to him in person. Peter introduced me to his father's music. At the time I encountered "Dance Overture," I was a doctoral student at UCLA and was asked by my mentor, Dr. Jon Robertson, to do the premiere of a work which, although having been written many years ago, had not yet received it world premiere. I undertook the project and performed the overture with the UCLA Philharmonic (ca 1999). While the performance was fine - Peter mentioned to me that he had a recording of that performance on the website he had created - I felt I owed this music much more.
In 2000, after taking the job as Conductor of the University of California Irvine's Symphony Orchestra I had the opportunity to again perform that work. Peter and his wife were very gracious and not only attended the performance at UCI, but also made time to have dinner with me before the performance. Little did they know how much I valued this encounter. Not only was I attracted to the music of Irving Schlein, I was equally impressed that the Schleins made the effort to attend the performance - they were living in Switzerland at the time, I believe.
On notification of Peter's passing, I felt a deep sense of regret because I felt there was still so much I wanted to know about both he and his father's music. I know that Peter had undertaken the task of both typesetting and recording his father's music and was ecstatic about prospect of the world finally hearing these treasures, too long hidden.
I will miss Peter, but in his memory I hope I can still play a role in furthering if not completing what seemed to his life's passion, exposing the world to Irving Schlein's music.

Dr. Stephen Tucker
Conductor, UCI Symphony Orchestra
Asst. Professor, Music
Claire Trevor School of the Arts

Stephen Tucker said...

It seems so strange that my expression of thanks to Peter would come at a time when I cannot deliver it to him in person. Peter introduced me to his father's music. At the time I encountered "Dance Overture," I was a doctoral student at UCLA and was asked by my mentor, Dr. Jon Robertson, to do the premiere of a work which, although having been written many years ago, had not yet received it world premiere. I undertook the project and performed the overture with the UCLA Philharmonic (ca 1999). While the performance was fine - Peter mentioned to me that he had a recording of that performance on the website he had created - I felt I owed this music much more.
In 2000, after taking the job as Conductor of the University of California Irvine's Symphony Orchestra I had the opportunity to again perform that work. Peter and his wife were very gracious and not only attended the performance at UCI, but also made time to have dinner with me before the performance. Little did they know how much I valued this encounter. Not only was I attracted to the music of Irving Schlein, I was equally impressed that the Schleins made the effort to attend the performance - they were living in Switzerland at the time, I believe.
On notification of Peter's passing, I felt a deep sense of regret because I felt there was still so much I wanted to know about both he and his father's music. I know that Peter had undertaken the task of both typesetting and recording his father's music and was ecstatic about prospect of the world finally hearing these treasures, too long hidden.
I will miss Peter, but in his memory I hope I can still play a role in furthering if not completing what seemed to his life's passion, exposing the world to Irving Schlein's music.

Dr. Stephen Tucker
Conductor, UC Irvine Symphony Orchestra
Asst. Professor, Music
Claire Trevor School of the Arts

Imogen said...

Fantastic!