Two years ago, the SWF published an online facsimile of the programme for one of Furtwängler’s most famous concerts, from the series held between 27 and 30 June 1943.

The programme, consisting entirely of Beethoven — the 4th Symphony, Coriolan, and the 5th Symphony — was recorded by German radio and has, for over fifty years, been the subject of numerous recordings, ranking among the essential items in the conductor’s discography. There were even two versions of the 4th Symphony available: one recorded live, the other without an audience. As for the exact dates of these recordings..

Thanks to a document originating from a musician of the Berlin Philharmonic, it is finally possible to date all three works. This is revealed in the short study (pdf) available exclusively to our members.

These recordings were originally reissued by Melodiya

Many conductors began their careers as pianists, concert performers or simply as vocal coaches. This was the case with Furtwängler, as it was with Walter, Klemperer, Kleiber and many others.

A few came from the world of strings: Nikisch the violinist, Toscanini the cellist, Monteux the violist, Koussevitzky the double bassist…

Would conductors from the first category be at a disadvantage when conducting an orchestra in which the string section appears to dominate? As for Furtwängler, what did he know about playing the bow?

The brief study we present here will surprise more than a few.

Furtwängler and three violinists from the Vienna Philharmonic (1954):
Willi Boskowsky, Carl Johannis, Fritz Sedlak

Volume 2 of our complete Polydor collection is now available in the shop.

Wagner is honoured with the Prelude and Liebestod, the first in a long series, but above all with a Prelude from Lohengrin, in which the strings of the BPO reveal their incredible flexibility. And let us remember that it was only a year earlier that Furtwängler conducted this opera for the first time!

Furtwängler always knew how to bring out the grandeur — yet with a certain touching naivety — of the overture to Rosamunde, as well as the exuberance, in an impeccable performance, of Till Eulenspiegel.

As with the previous volume, Félix Matus-Echaiz has written an analytical essay, staying as true as possible to the conductor’s intentions.

Content: Wagner Lohengrin: Prelude – Wagner Tristan & Isolde: Prelude, Liebestod – Schubert Rosamunde: Overture – R. Strauss Till Eulenspiegel – Till Eulenspiegel (rehearsal)

Next episode: August/September.

Once again, examining newspapers from the period sheds interesting light on concert programming. An announced concert does not always mean an actual concert, and one date can hide another…

This was the case with the concerts given by Furtwängler in the short series with the BPO, preceding his appointment in 1922 as conductor of the Philharmonic concerts.

On 2 March 1919, an advertisement announced the upcoming concert on the 14th at the Philharmonie: Furtwängler would conduct Beethoven’s Leonore II Overture and Violin Concerto, Schoenberg’s Transfigured Night and Strauss’s Till Eulenspiegel. And, for the first time, Bronislaw Huberman would be his soloist. The concert did not take place, and we have been unable to ascertain the reason for its cancellation. Huberman and Furtwängler did not appear together for the first time until December 1925, performing Brahms’ Concerto.

Similarly, on 2 November, a BPO concert with Edwin Ficher is announced for the 14th. The programme included Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony, Mozart’s Concerto in E flat major (presumably No. 22) and the overture to Der Freischütz. However, this concert did not take place. The two musicians would performed together on 13 February, with Brahms’ Second Concerto featuring in the second half of the programme. With Bruckner’s Eighth, it’s a very light menu…

Autumn 1947. It had only been five months since Furtwängler resumed his conducting career. And he had only performed once with his Berlin orchestra, in May, for a series of four concerts featuring an all-Beethoven programme.

In September, he conducts a series of concerts with the BPO. Two at the Titania Palast — on the 14th and 15th — as part of the BPO’s season; one on the 17th in Potsdam; and, in between, a concert in the Radio season, given in the large auditorium of the Radio House, Masurenallee.

The programme is the same: Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphoses, Strauss’ Don Juan, and Brahms’s Second Symphony.

As we know, this has resulted in two superb recordings of works by Hindemith and Strauss. Attached is a facsimile of the concert programme for 16 September.

Our faithful member, Roger Smithson, who is also a specialist on pianist Edwin Fischer, has written a study for us on the legendary recording of Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto, performed by this great pianist and the Philharmonia conducted by Furtwängler.

Thanks to him, we know more about the recording conditions at Abbey Road Studios and the concert that followed at the Royal Albert Hall.

The study is available in PDF format in two versions, English and French. We remind you that a facsimile of the concert programme is also available on our website.

Volume II of our Polydor complete collection will be available on 27 March (SWF D23).

Wagner : Lohengrin, Prelude
Wagner : Tristan & Isolde: Prelude, Isolde’s death
Schubert : Rosamunde, Overture
R. Strauss : Till Eulenspiegel (+ rehearsal)

We would like to take this opportunity to remind you about the flyer (pdf) describing the project, as well as the corresponding video.

We say ‘come back to Prague’, not ‘return to Prague’.

On 11 January 2025, we published an article, which followed on from a previous one published in June 2024. It provided an update on a concert announced by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in Prague for 18 February 1929, which was then cancelled due to severe cold weather.

In fact, after some research, it’s a little more complicated than that.

The concert on 18 February was announced well in advance. But on 7 February, the press broke a real scoop! The concert on the 18th was “Ausverkauft”: it was sold out. So — knowing that the Vienna Philharmonic would not be able to return that year — a second concert was announced for the following day, the 19th. The programme included Weber, Euryanthe, Stravinsky, The Firebird (suite), Brahms, Symphony No. 1.

As we know, concerts have been cancelled, or rather postponed. A newspaper article dated 17 February states that tickets remain valid for two dates, which will be announced in early March. And indeed, on 6 March, the two dates were set: the concerts will take place on 26 and 27 March!

The people of Prague are going to be disappointed! The organisers, or the orchestra, realise that the dates are close to Easter — 31 March — which raises fears that audiences will be relatively sparse. In other words: it is not certain that the hall will be full — an economically untenable situation. The two concerts have once again been postponed. We are still waiting to find out when…

The Lucerna Hall, Prague

Furtwängler’s discographies include the ‘Magnetofonkonzet’ recorded on 19–20 December 1944 in Vienna.

Furtwängler recorded Beethoven’s First Symphony and the ‘Eroica’ for the microphone, without an audience. The latter is well known to us: the surviving tape has given rise to numerous publications, starting with the now famous release by Urania. Some consider it the pinnacle of all Furtwängler’s interpretations of this symphony.

But what about the First Symphony? Nothing remained of it, and it did not seem to have been broadcast on German radio. In fact, it did not even appear on the famous list compiled by Henning Smidth and updated over twenty years ago! People even wondered: had it really been recorded?

The answer is yes. After considerable research, a member of the SWF tracked down the broadcast of this recording. Two local newspapers announced it on 17 March 1945: on Sunday 18 March 1945, all radio transmitters (still available…) would broadcast Beethoven’s First Symphony, as well as the Leonore III overture, the latter taken from the Magnetofonkonzert of 2-3 June 1944. 

This is undoubtedly the last broadcast of a Furtwängler concert before the very end. It was about time…

The Wilhelm Furtwängler Centre of Japan has updated its discography of the conductor. Although the cover bears the year 2024, it was published at the very end of 2025.

As can be seen (below), it is in Japanese. Priced at €15, it is reserved for members of the Japanese association.

January 25: Wilhelm Furtwängler’s fans know that this day marks his birthday. But January 26, 1913, the following day, is an even more memorable date for him: he conducts his very first concert in Vienna. That evening, at 8 p.m. on Sunday, he conducts the Wiener Konzertvereinsorchester — literally the concert society orchestra, the predecessor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.

Based on correspondence, historical archives, and newspaper articles, the study (pdf) takes us back in time to discover an ambitious young conductor grappling with the vicissitudes of a career…

Berlin Staatsoper – 28 September 2025 – Wilhelm Furtwängler Gesellschaft

Our friends from the German Society organised a morning event in a foyer — the Apollosaal — at the Berlin State Opera. It took place on 28 September.

In addition to speeches — including one by Helge Grünewald, the president — guests were treated to the two central movements of Furtwängler’s Sonata No. 1 in D minor for violin and piano.

We are delighted to be associated with this festive event — which demonstrates the vitality of our sister society — by offering our members the souvenir album (French + English) which contains the text of the speech, photos, and a link to the video made for the occasion.