6 February
16:30–17:00 Helga Varádi: “«Le maître et le centimaître» – Pau Casals and Rudolf von Tobel in Switzerland”
Rudolf von Tobel came from a respected Bernese family. Born in 1903, he was a cellist, conductor and musicologist, later professor of cello, chamber music and conducting at the Trossingen University. He was also considered one of the most loyal and devoted students of Pau Casals, whom he met on 17 November 1930 during one of Casals’ concerts in Switzerland, Bern. The master's humanistic and musical philosophy left an overwhelming, lifelong impression on the young Bernese, and a lasting friendship of 43 years came to bloom with many synergies.
Rudolf von Tobel devoted himself to Casals' work as a musicologist and systematically collected publications, essays and interviews about the Master in his Bernese archives. He wrote a biography about the Catalonian (1941) and later on took important part in the translational and editorial work of El Pessebre with his wife Helga von Tobel. Rudolf also engaged himself during decades as the master's unofficial personal assistant, taking care of administrative tasks, supporting the master in any ways possible, also establishing contacts both inside and outside of Switzerland. As an esteemed member of the Prades Festival and an honorary citizen of the community of Prades, Rudolf was a regular chamber music partner of some of the greatest musicians of their time, a protégé of the Master. A valuable collection of travel diaries are still preserved in Bern, in which the Swiss cellist documented his impressions and learning processes around Casals during decades, from the 1930s on. He also ensured that the Zermatt master classes were thoroughly documented.
Helga Vàradi, a member of the board of trustees of the Rudolf von Tobel Foundation in Bern, musician, author and cultural manager, provides insights into the connections of Rudolf von Tobel and Pau Casals, through the Bernese archives of Rudolf von Tobel.