Bruno Schrecker, the cellist who was a member of the Allegri String Quartet for three decades, has died at 97. He joined the quartet in 1967, a position he had previously declined in 1953 when the ensemble was founded.
Schrecker remained with the quartet until 1998, establishing himself as a chamber musician and recitalist. His time with the Allegri String Quartet included recordings of Schubert quartets, the Elgar Piano Quintet, and Britten's Quartets Nos 1 and 2, the latter prepared with the composer.
Born in Frankfurt, Schrecker moved to Britain with his family in 1935. He later studied at the Royal College of Music in London and also received a scholarship to study with Pablo Casals in France.
Before joining the Allegri, Schrecker played with the Peter Gibbs Quartet and the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra. He also gave duo recitals and performed with his own chamber group, the Oromonte Trio.
Schrecker was married twice, first to artist Doris Wilkinson, and later to fellow cellist Shena Power in 1988. He spent his last four decades in Larkhall, near Bath, where he took on pupils and was a guest coach at Chetham's School of Music.