The Reich's Orchestra: The Berlin Philharmonic 1933-1945 - Rilegato

Misha Aster

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 0285638939 ISBN 13: 9780285638938

Casa editrice: Souvenir Press Ltd, 2010

Riassunto

For decades the relationship between the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and National Socialist regime has been shrouded in mystery. In 1933, the world-renowned orchestra came under the control of Hitler's Propaganda Minister, Joseph Goebbels; the musicians became civil servants of the Reich and until the end of World War Two, the orchestra served as Germany's flagship cultural ambassador, touring internationally, and performing at the Nuremberg Rallies, the opening of the 1936 Olympic Games and each year on Hitler's birthday. While benefiting from this patronage, the orchestra musicians were ambivalent abouttheir position - some colleagues joined the Nazi Party while others were of Jewish ancestry - and attempted to balance their political status with artistic independence. At the heart of this story is the iconic conductor, Wilhelm Furtwangler, a figure who continues to arouse fierce debate, not the least due to his close relationship withGoebbels. Furtwangler promised that "the name Wilhelm Furtwangler should alwaysremain inseparable from that of the Philharmonic" and the consequences of this pactare explored comprehensively. For decades, Furtwangler's successor as Chief Conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan, a former Party member whose meteoric rise was intimately tied to the intrigues of the Third Reich, discouraged investigation of this disturbing history .Now bringing together documents culled from the orchestra and State archives, as well as private letters and testimony from the orchestra's musicians, Misha Aster tells this remarkable story for the first time. He portrays how German societyfirst came to be seduced and then morally compromised by Nazism. Though the Berlin Philharmonic enjoyed exceptional privilege during the years 1933-45, The Reich's Orchestra vividly captures how ordinary Germans experienced the Nazi regime, and how their normal lives were stretched between desperation, fear, reticence and opportunism. The Reich's Orchestra is a remarkable depiction of the moral ambiguities of living under the Nazis told through the story of one of the world's great orchestras.

Su questo libro

Recensione:

For many decades, the history of the Berlin Philharmonic during the Third Reich was shrouded in mystery -- an ethical taboo. Aster has finally broken the silence, navigating this terrible era with clarity, insight and sensitivity. The Philharmonic's experiences during its early years as a co--operative, followed by the period under Goebbels' control, were fundamental to shaping both the orchestra's musical culture and its organisational development ever since; the historic personalities and struggles are instantly familiar to the musicians today. With this book, Aster has made an important contribution to the conscience of our orchestra. --Sir Simon Rattle

A revelatory new book that chronicles the horribly close relationship between the most famous orchestra on the planet and the most evil regime the world has ever known. --Richard Morrison, The Times

Reveals the extent to which the orchestra sold out to Hitler s Nazi party, paraded itself before giant swastika backdrops at official Nazi rallies, and allowed itself to become the symbolic flagship of Joseph Goebbel s cultural propaganda... Lays out astonishing truths that had somehow remained suppressed. --The Scotsman

Descrizione del libro:

The Reich's Orchestra is Misha Aster's remarkable depiction of the moral ambiguities of living under the Nazis, told through the story of one of the world's great orchestras.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Souvenir Press Ltd
• Data di pubblicazione: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0285638939
• ISBN 13: 9780285638938
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero di pagine: 320