Edith Vogel

Who was Edith Vogel?

Edith Vogel was an Austro-Hungarian-born classical pianist active in the UK.

After she got as far as she could with her first teacher, Vogel took lessons from Wally Loew, first assistant to Richard Robert, whom she described as "a sergeant-major of the first order", who forced her to study only dramatic and virtuoso pieces. She made her debut in Vienna at the age of 10, and studied at the Vienna Academy. She broadcast on Austrian radio when she was 15.

After Hitler came to power she escaped Austria, arriving at Victoria station in 1938 with ten schillings. From her arrival in Britain she did not play professionally for ten years, working instead as house-keeper, clerk, child-minder and some 'unofficial' teaching, and playing only privately among friends and fellow refugees. At one point she was almost mistakenly engaged at the Windmill Theatre. From August 1948 she began playing recitals and concertos up and down the UK. She appeared at the Proms seven times between 1952 and 1978, playing Brahms and Beethoven, but also the London premiere of Gordon Jacob's 2nd Piano Concerto.