Isko Thaler
*17. Januar 1902
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Biographie
Isko Thaler composer of Polish origin, was born in Bohorodchany, modern-day Ukraine, on 17th January 1902. He studied at the Vienna Conservatory with Eusebius Mandyczewski and then with Franz Schreker, also following him to Berlin. His career seemed to have taken off at the beginning of the 1930s: an appearance at the Donaueschingen Festival in 1922, prizes for film music in Vienna (1931), many professional relationships with important musicians and publishing houses, including Universal Edition, from 1931 to 1936. Among the many works from that period, several transcriptions for Cello and Piano were published in collaboration with his close lifelong friend, the cellist Joachim Stutschewsky (1891-1982). Isko Thaler‘s name was removed on the 10th of February 1939 from the AKM (in German Staatlich genehmigte Gesellschaft der Autoren, Komponisten und Musikverleger) Viennese list. The outbreak of war and his attempt to escape to Palestine led to his arrest at Benghazi in Libya and to the internment with his parents, Salomon Thaler and Debora Blumenstein, at Ferramonti camp in Italy where they arrived on the 16th of September 1940. In the Calabrian fascist camp, although subject to the rules imposed by the fascist military authorities, Isko Thaler organised concerts, wrote and transcribed music and trained young musicians in music theory and harmony lessons. After the Liberation of the Camp in September 1943 he lived in Italy, first in Bari (1944) where he collaborated for music programmes at the local Radio Bari, and then in Rome (1949), continuing his work as a composer and as head of RAI's popular music department, at least until 1970. His date of death and burial place are still unknown.