Born in Göllersdorf near Vienna, Schidlof fled Austria for England following the Nazi Anschluss in 1938.

Schidlof’s separate contribution to the Amadeus is difficult to assess, so much were the four a team, although his nickname "Eagle ears" shows his particular insistence on technical accuracy.

Touring extensively, the Amadeus performed throughout Europe, Canada, the United States, Japan, and South America.

Though they emphasized a standard Classical and Romantic repertory, they also performed works by such 20th-century composers as Béla Bartók and Benjamin Britten (who wrote his third quartet expressly for them).

He played for many years on the "MacDonald" Stradivarius of 1701 as well as owning fine examples by Testore and Bergonzi.