Bruno Schrecker, a cellist known for chamber music and recital work, passed away at age 97. He joined the Allegri String Quartet in 1967, a position he had previously declined when the ensemble was established in 1953. Schrecker remained with the quartet for three decades until 1998, collaborating with three different first violinists during his tenure, including Hugh Maguire, with whom he developed a particularly close working relationship.
Born in Frankfurt into a Jewish family, Schrecker was the youngest of three sons. His family emigrated to Britain in the mid-1930s due to the family business decline and rising Nazi threats. Relocated to London, Schrecker began studying cello as a teenager and subsequently attended the Royal College of Music. Rather than immediately joining the Allegri Quartet after his studies, he accepted a French government scholarship to study with Pablo Casals in Prades. He later worked with the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra under violinist Szymon Goldberg and performed with various chamber ensembles upon returning to London in the late 1950s.
Schrecker’s recorded output included significant works spanning multiple composers and genres. Notable recordings from his career include Schubert string quartets, the Elgar Piano Quintet with pianist John Ogdon, Britten’s String Quartets Nos. 1 and 2 prepared with the composer, and the Brahms Clarinet Quintet with clarinetist James Campbell. He was also a keen photographer whose portrait work, including images of musicians, is held at institutional collections.
Following his departure from the Allegri Quartet, Schrecker taught privately, founded a festival at Llanfyllin in Powys, and served as a guest coach at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester. He is survived by his second wife, fellow cellist Shena Power, and three sons from his two marriages.
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