Re: Marc Bridle's Furtwangler reviews.
There is an excellent book, The Reich's Orchestra: The Berlin Philharmonic 1933-1945, which gives a very good - if I suppose slightly slanted - history of this period. Furtwängler does get reasonably fair treatment but I'm not sure he stood a chance whether he was a member of the NSDAP or not. The BPO was controlled by Goebbels, its members were seen as civil servants not musicians, and the orchestra became emblematic of the Third Reich whether they basically liked it or not. It's this that Furtwängler became entangled in and what's more he came to be seen visibly associated with it because the BPO toured internationally. It would hardly have done Furtwängler any reputational good to be seen and heard playing in occupied countries - France, Sweden, Hungary – Austria, at a stretch. I think the Furtwängler problem probably has less to do with the man himself and more to do with his association with an orchestra that played at Nuremberg rallies as well as in the concert hall. Other conductors and indeed singers and soloists had far more distasteful relationships with the Third Reich than Furtwängler ever did. Their's was personal; Furtwängler's was a public one. I guess if you want a parallel between the German and the Austrian - remembering that Karajan was Austrian - here is an illuminating fact. The BPO had approx 26 members of the Nazi party; the VPO had approx 45. Previous Message My thoughts exactly, Marc. I have always found it ironic that some people who are prepared to ascribe the worst of political motives to Furtwaengler seem to have no problems with Karajan who, unlike Furtwaengler, actually did join the Nazi party.
|