There sometimes appears to be no rhyme or reason as to why some musicians of the past are remembered while others are not. Making recordings, having an international concert career and being an exceptional performer are significant factors in determining an enduring posthumous reputation, yet there are many artists who check all these boxes but continue to be overlooked.

One such is the pianist Victor Schiøler (1899-1967), son of the Danish composer and conductor Victor Bendix. Schiøler first studied with his mother before training with two legendary pianists of the so-called Golden Age, Artur Schnabel and Ignaz Friedman. These two famous pupils of the great Theodor Leschetizky were radically different in temperament and style, each with their own authentically individual approach to musical expression (as tended to be the case with Leschetizky students); they appear to have helped young Victor not only hone his pianistic skills but also develop his integrity and musical aptitude.

After making his debut with orchestra at the age of 14, Schiøler would over the course of five decades become venerated in his native Denmark while also being greatly respected internationally. Today his name is largely heard in association with a somewhat unexpected context: he taught one of his country’s most famous pianists, the musical comedian Victor Borge. It is a little-known fact that when Schiøler’s hilarious pupil Børge Rosenbaum (a truly exceptional pianist) created his stage name, his choice of Victor was in honour of his beloved teacher.

An expansive thinker who by his own admission had ‘too many irons in the fire’, Schiøler paused his performing career before and during the Second World War to train as a psychologist, maintaining an active consulting practice before resuming his concert activities after the war. He was also active as a conductor and chaired a committee to help performing artists manage their contracts, royalties and copyright, while additionally supporting the Danish branch of the organisationJeunesses Musicales.

Schiøler is perhaps best remembered in his native country for his television programme From the World of the Piano, which began when only one channel operated for a few hours a day. Schiøler became a household name for his eloquent spoken introductions to the classical repertoire and for the performances he gave in each episode. Those who remember the programme still speak of Schiøler with a nostalgic fondness bordering on reverence.

Schiøler’s recordings also had a significant impact domestically: his 1945 account of Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto was used in a Danish commercial for the Barbett brand of razor blades, becoming so popular that the work was locally known as ‘The Barbett Concerto’; his chart-topping recording was reissued so often that he was asked to re-record it five years later. Despite his broad public reach, there was no hint of commercialism or self-promotion in Schiøler’s pianism or activities: his focus was on making classical music available to as wide an audience as possible.

In 1924 Schiøler became the first Danish pianist to make a solo recording and he produced an abundance of discs for several labels over more than three decades, all of them worth hearing and the best of them truly exemplary. However, despite the international release of LPs on the HMV, Capitol and Mercury labels, the artist’s name largely faded from memory after his death in 1967. It was with a double-CD compilation released by Danacord in 1998 that Schiøler re-entered the catalogue; that initial volume has been supplemented by five further double-disc sets – all highly recommended – comprising solo, chamber and concerto repertoire culled from studio and broadcast performances.

Unlike his teacher Ignaz Friedman, the Danish pianist’s style was not boldly individualistic, although his playing is immediately recognisable and exudes the qualities of a top-tier artist. His tone is extraordinarily clear at all dynamic levels, his colours magnificent, his pedal technique exceptionally refined and his conceptions both intelligent and passionate. Individual touches are employed through the judicious use of articulation, timing and nuance, yet his respect for the score is such that one can almost take dictation from his performances. In virtuosic and impassioned compositions where blazing fireworks are the norm, Schiøler provides plenty of excitement and tension without a harsh sound or a smudged phrase – everything is exquisitely proportioned.

In even the most famous pieces, Schiøler’s cultivated pianism presents each work afresh, without any of the affectation often heard in performances of these frequently heard compositions: Beethoven’s Appassionata and Moonlight Sonatas and Emperor Concerto, Liszt’s First Concerto, Saint-Saëns’s Second Concerto and Tchaikovsky’s First Concerto all sound natural and vibrant, played with beauty, insight and ease. Harold C Schonberg noted in a 1950 New York Times review that Schiøler’s recording of Grieg’s Piano Concerto ‘is not as flashy as some of the more recent examples … but it is more sensitive and rewarding than most’. Particularly striking are Schiøler’s recordings of Brahms’s Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel and Chopin’s Second and Third Piano Sonatas, large-scale works given profound interpretations devoid of artifice while overflowing with creative nuances and sumptuous singing tone.

We are fortunate to have access to some live broadcasts that expand Schiøler’s discography while showcasing his inspired artistry in front of an audience. His studio Emperor Concerto is now supplemented by magnificent live accounts of Beethoven’s First and Fourth Concertos (an unpublished Third Concerto can be found online). Perhaps most astounding is a 1952 broadcast of Brahms’s Second Concerto only recently issued for the first time: long lines are deeply forged with a steely depth of tone and fluid lyrical phrasing that, with Schiøler’s trademark fusion of power and elegance, make for a mesmerising interpretation.

By the time he gave his 50th-anniversary concert in 1964, Schiøler had largely scaled back his concert schedule, but an unofficial YouTube upload of the event finds him in phenomenal form. The powerhouse programme consisted of Chopin’s E minor Piano Concerto (which he had played at his debut in 1914 but never recorded), Beethoven’s Appassionata Sonata, Tchaikovsky’s First Concerto and, after a fanfare by the orchestra, encores by Czerny and Scriabin. On this occasion King Frederik IX awarded him the Ingenio et Arti medal, one of the country’s highest honours in recognition of the contribution of scientists and artists.

We can glean much from exploring Victor Schiøler’s life and artistry: that posthumous fame may not align with an artist’s true worth; that pianistic virtuosity, power and elegance can be seamlessly unified; and that powerful sources of influence might be forgotten even though their influence lives on. As we approach the 60th anniversary of this distinguished musician’s death, we can consider ourselves fortunate that so much of his consummate pianism is once again available to be heard. IP

This feature originally appeared in the SPRING 2025 issue of International Piano