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The
Furtwängler Legacy
presented
by Rob Cowan
BBC Radio 3, 30th November 2004, 17.30 – 24.00
An
evening devoted to the life and work of the legendary
German conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler (25/1/1886 – 30/11/1954)
 Wilhelm
Furtwängler – regarded by many as the greatest
conductor of all time – died at his home in Baden-Baden
exactly 50 years ago, on 30 November 1954. He worked with
the world’s greatest orchestras, particularly the
Vienna and Berlin Philharmonics, and the Philharmonia,
and many of his interpretations have been preserved on
disc. Revered by audiences and his fellow-musicians, his
career was nevertheless touched by controversy, particularly
his role in Nazi-administered Germany.
During
the course of the evening, Rob Cowan and his studio guests,
Richard Osborne and Cambridge historian Dr Richard Evans,
attempted to discover the man behind the austere public
mask, and evaluate the elements which made him unique as
a conductor.
There
were contributions also from musicians who worked with
him, including former members of the Berlin Philharmonic
and the Philharmonia, and singers such as Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
and Dietrich Fiescher-Dieskau; younger conductors - Daniel
Barenboim and Christian Thielemann - who have been influenced
by him; and a rare interview with Furtwangler’s widow
Elisabeth, who still lives in Switzerland.
| 19.30 |
Brahms: Symphony No.3 in F, Op.90 (opening of 1st
mvt)
Berlin PO/Wilhelm Furtwängler (live recording from the Titania-Palast,
Berlin, 8 December, 1949)
EMI CHS 565513 2 |
| 19.32 |
Introduction from Rob Cowan and his studio guests,
Richard Osborne and Richard Evans. |
| 19.35 |
Wagner: Siegfried’s Funeral Music (from Götterdämmerung)
Berlin PO/Wilhelm Furtwängler (live recording from the Titania-Palast,
Berlin, 19 December, 1949)
DG 415 663-2 |
| 19.44 |
Rob Cowan gives a brief resume of Furtwängler’s
origins, and the background to his musical style. |
| 19.50 |
Furtwängler was much influenced by the analytical
theories of Heinrich Schenker. The musical analyst Dr
Eric Wen discusses his obsession with Schenker, with
musical illustrations from the Air from Bach’s
Third Suite. |
| 20.00 |
Mozart: Symphony in G minor, K.550 (1st mvt – Molto
allegro)
Vienna PO/Wilhelm Furtwängler
(studio recording from the Musikvereinsaal, Vienna, 7-8 December, 1948
+ 17 February, 1949)
EMI CDM 763193 2 |
| 20.07 |
Rob Cowan and Richard Osborne discuss aspects of Furtwängler’s
work in the recording studio, and the differences between
his studio recordings and live performances, as preserved
on disc. |
| 20.22 |
Schumann: Symphony No.4 in D minor, Op.120 (mvts
3-4)
Berlin PO/Wilhelm Furtwängler
(studio recording from the Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin, 14 May, 1953)
DG 457 722-2 |
| 20.40 |
Orchestral musicians who worked with Furtwängler
- the violinist Hanns-Joachim Westphal and timpanist
Werner Thärichen (former players with the Berlin
Philharmonic), and Philharmonia principal flautist
Gareth Morris and cor anglais player John Cruft from
the LPO – recall their experiences. |
| 21.04 |
Weber: Overture – Der Freischütz
Berlin PO/Wilhelm Furtwängler
(live recording from the Staatsoper, Berlin, 21 March, 1944)
DG 427 781-2 |
| 21.15 |
Furtwängler was noted as a fine conductor of opera,
and an enthusiastic Lieder partner. Rob Cowan and Richard
Osborne discuss his empathy with vocal music. |
| 21.22 |
Singers who worked with Furtwängler – particularly
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
- remember him. To include excerpts from the 1954 Salzburg
Festioval performance of Mozart’s Don Giovanni
with Schwarzkopf as Donna Elvira; a Wolf song recorded
at Salzburg in 1953 by Schwarzkopf with Furtwängler
at the piano;
Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde recorded in London
1952 with Fischer-Dieskau as Kurwenal. |
| 21.50 |
Wagner: Narrative and Isolde’s curse (from Tristan
und Isolde, Act I, Scene 3)
Kirsten Flagstad (Isolde)/Blanche Thebom (Brangäne)/Philharmonia
Orchestra/Wilhelm Furtwängler
(studio recording from the Kingsway Hall, London, 10-22 June, 1952)
EMI CDS 747311 8
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| 22.01 |
Furtwängler is mainly remembered for his titanic
performances of the mainstream classical and romantic
German repertoire, but less so for his work in the
baroque and 20th-century fields.
Rob Cowan and Richard Osborne discuss his attitude
to earlier and later music. |
| 22.09 |
Hindemith: Turandot Scherzo (from Symphonic
Metamorphoses on themes of Weber)
Berlin PO/Wilhelm Furtwängler
(live recording from the Titania-Palast, Berlin, 16 September, 1947)
DG 474 030-2 |
| 22.21 |
The Man behind the Mask – Rob Cowan talks to
Furtwängler’s widow Elizabeth, with reminiscences
from other close colleagues. |
| 22.36 |
Furtwängler is above all revered as a Beethoven
interpreter. He conducted the Ninth Symphony for the
last time at the 1954 Lucerne festival.
Beethoven: Symphony No.9 (finale) 25.34 + applause
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf(soprano)/Elsa Calveti (mezzo)/Ernst
Haefliger (tenor)/Otto Edelmann
(bass)/ Lucerne Festival Chorus/Philharmonia Orchestra/Wilhelm
Furtwängler
(live, Kunsthaus, Lucerne, 22 August, 1954)
Hunt CDLSMH 34006 |
| 23.06 |
Furtwängler and politics. Like Richard Strauss,
Furtwängler chose to stay and work in Nazi Germany– a
decision which marred his subsequent post-war reputation.
Rob Cowan, Tully Potter, Michael Tanner and Richard Evans
discuss the vexed question of the extent of his collusion
with the regime. |
| 23.15 |
The Legacy. Rob Cowan, his studio guests, Tully Potter,
Michael Tanner, Christian Thielemann and Daniel Barenboim
discuss Furtwängler’s legacy as conductor,
musician and composer. |
| 23.35 |
Furtwängler: Symphony No.2 (1st
mvt – Assai moderato)
Chicago SO/Daniel Barenboim
(live, Orchestra Hall, Chicago, 12-15 December, 2001)
Teldec 0927 43495 2 |
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