This compelling survey examines the remarkable relationship between
the Nazis and classical music through the stories of musicians,
composers, and conductors across the political spectrum.
May 1945. A Soviet military patrol searches Hitler's secret bunker in
Berlin. They find bodies, documents, jewelry, paintings--and also an
extensive collection of 78 rpm records. It comes as no surprise that
this collection includes work by Beethoven, Wagner, and Bruckner. The
same goes for a procession of other giants promoted by the Nazi regime:
"It seems as if the Nazis put a steel helmet on Mozart, girded Schubert
with a saber, and wrapped barbed wire around Johann Strauss's neck,"
composer Robert Stolz once said. But how is it possible that Hitler's
favorites also included "forbidden" Jewish and Russian composers and
performers?
While Hitler sat secretly enjoying previously recorded music in his
bunker, musicians made of flesh and blood were denied a means of making
a living. They died in concentration camps or in other war-related
circumstances. They survived but ended up in psychiatric care; they
managed to flee just in time; they sided with the regime--out of
conviction or coercion--or they joined the resistance. From fiery
conductor Arturo Toscanini, who defied Mussolini and Hitler, to
opportunistic composer Richard Strauss and antisemitic pianist Elly Ney,
who collaborated with the Third Reich to varying extents and for
different reasons, Fred Brouwers profiles the complex figures of this
extraordinarily fascinating chapter in music history.
