Richard Sahla

Richard Sahla (17 September 1855 in Graz – 30 April 1931 in Bückeburg) was a concert violinist, conductor and composer.

Both had studied composition under Wilhelm Mayer (also known as W. A. Rémy), whose students included the composers Ferruccio Busoni, Josef Gauby, Richard Heuberger, Emil von Reznicek and Felix Weingartner.

Having received his diploma at the Conservatory in Leipzig, the Mecca of violinists, the eighteen-year-old Sahla embarked on an impressive career as violin virtuoso.

On 1 October 1875, aged twenty, Sahla joined the court orchestra (Hofkapelle) of Schaumburg-Lippe as a first solo-violinist for eight months.

During the autumn of 1881 Sahla, Wilhelm Kienzl and the coloratura soprano Aglaja Orgeni engaged on a 66 concerts tour through Hungary, Croatia, Central and Northern Germany.

During this tour Sahla wrote his Rumänische Rhapsodie, which he dedicated to his friend Princess Amalie Hügel-Teck, daughter of the Duke of Würtemberg and niece of Queen Victoria.

From 1882 to early 1888 Richard Sahla was First Concertmaster and first solo-violinist at the Royal Opera in Hanover, where he struck up many friendships.

The composer, pianist and organist Max Reger for instance came to Bückeburg in 1911 as soloist with Sahla conducting.

The violinist David-F. Tebbe came across a number of published compositions by Sahla whilst researching for his bachelor's thesis: Richard Sahla – violin virtuoso, maestro and forgotten composer – submitted to Prof. Dr.de:Thomas Schipperges at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Mannheim (Mannheim University of Music and Performing Arts).