Visiting Conductor Leads HRO In Premiere of Schubert Piece

German conductor Peter Gulke led the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra (HRO) into the U.S. premiere of a recently discovered fragment by Franz Schubert Saturday night.

Gulke, conductor of the Dresden State Opera, orchestrated the movement in 1978 after musicologists discovered it in a sketchbook of Schubert's and dated it two weeks before the composer's death in 1828.

Gulke said the discovery of the fragment and his interpretation of it created a sensation in the field of classical music because it revealed "really good music" that scholars had not been aware of.

Evan Loh '81, vice president of HRO, called the concert very successful and added that he enjoyed working with Gulke because he is "a real professional" with an international reputation.

"He is not pompous, as many conductors are," Sally Rubin '83, who performed a flute solo in the concert, said yesterday. She added that he was very demanding and had high standards, but that he was also patient with the non-professional musicians of HRO.

Kurt F. Teske '81, president of HRO, said yesterday he was surprised that despite much publicity aimed at Harvard students, few attended the concert. The audience was mostly adults, he said.

Gulke, who is conducting in the United States for the first time, has been living in Kirkland House with his wife since mid-March.