Here's something you might be interested in.
In 1989 when Carlos Kleiber turned down the Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan had just resigned and died shortly thereafter.
Berlin has been considered one of the top three orchestras in Europe for decades. The other two are The Vienna Philharmonic and the Royal Concertgebouw from Amsterdam.
Kleiber turned down what many would consider a dream job.
Upon closer inspection, its history confirms it can be a nightmare job.
In 1945 then chief conductor, Wilhelm Furtwangler fled to Switzerland. Furtwangler never joined the Nazi Party. He fled because he had played at Hitler’s birthday and also conducted music for a Nazi rally and he feared the Allies would retaliate.
The conductor who replaced him, Leo Borchard, was accidentally shot dead by the occupying American forces. Perhaps Furtwangler’s fears were justified.
When the Nazi’s came to power, Furtwangler was already an established, superstar, conductor. He had several opportunities to leave Germany. Other established conductors did leave but Furtwangler stayed.
Toscanini is often held up as the heroic, antifascist, artist. It can be debated whether Toscanini left Italy because he thought Mussolini was evil. Toscanini could be quite a fascist himself when he picked up his baton.
At the conclusion of his denazification trial, Furtwangler explains why he stayed.
"The concern that my art was misused for propaganda had to yield to the greater concern that German music be preserved, that music be given to the German people by its own musicians.
These people, the compatriots of Bach and Beethoven, of Mozart and Schubert, still had to go on living under the control of a regime obsessed with total war. No one who did not live here himself in those days can possibly judge what it was like.
Does Thomas Mann really believe that in the Germany of Himmler one should not be permitted to play Beethoven? Could he not realize that people never needed more, never yearned more to hear Beethoven and his message of freedom and human love, than precisely these Germans, who had to live under Himmler’s terror? I do not regret having stayed with them."
What is the truth? The one, undisputed, truth about Furtwangler is that he is among the most influential conductors in history.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yqff1F0Ijn0
In 1989 when Carlos Kleiber turned down the Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan had just resigned and died shortly thereafter.
Berlin has been considered one of the top three orchestras in Europe for decades. The other two are The Vienna Philharmonic and the Royal Concertgebouw from Amsterdam.
Kleiber turned down what many would consider a dream job.
Upon closer inspection, its history confirms it can be a nightmare job.
In 1945 then chief conductor, Wilhelm Furtwangler fled to Switzerland. Furtwangler never joined the Nazi Party. He fled because he had played at Hitler’s birthday and also conducted music for a Nazi rally and he feared the Allies would retaliate.
The conductor who replaced him, Leo Borchard, was accidentally shot dead by the occupying American forces. Perhaps Furtwangler’s fears were justified.
When the Nazi’s came to power, Furtwangler was already an established, superstar, conductor. He had several opportunities to leave Germany. Other established conductors did leave but Furtwangler stayed.
Toscanini is often held up as the heroic, antifascist, artist. It can be debated whether Toscanini left Italy because he thought Mussolini was evil. Toscanini could be quite a fascist himself when he picked up his baton.
At the conclusion of his denazification trial, Furtwangler explains why he stayed.
"The concern that my art was misused for propaganda had to yield to the greater concern that German music be preserved, that music be given to the German people by its own musicians.
These people, the compatriots of Bach and Beethoven, of Mozart and Schubert, still had to go on living under the control of a regime obsessed with total war. No one who did not live here himself in those days can possibly judge what it was like.
Does Thomas Mann really believe that in the Germany of Himmler one should not be permitted to play Beethoven? Could he not realize that people never needed more, never yearned more to hear Beethoven and his message of freedom and human love, than precisely these Germans, who had to live under Himmler’s terror? I do not regret having stayed with them."
What is the truth? The one, undisputed, truth about Furtwangler is that he is among the most influential conductors in history.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yqff1F0Ijn0