News
The boxset 'BPO — archives 1939-1945' — has been the object of various commentaries. In particular let us hail the article by Maciej Chizynski, which has just been published by the site Resmusica, intelligent and precise as ever, something that will come as no surprise to regular visitors.
Here is a detailed and well documented examination of the boxset. Did the editor read the precious article written by our friend Philippe Jacquard and published just a few weeks ago on our site (link)?
No doubt, which tends to prove that our site is both visible and consulted.
Here is the link for consulting the fine Resmusica article.
Much is spoken of the sad fate that is currently that of Venezuela.
So this is a good opportunity to remind everyone that this country has known happier days, and notably its capital, Caracas, which offered Furtwängler the grandiose setting of the José Angel Lamas Amphitheatre — also known as the Concha Acústica of Bello Monte — which, from the audience’s viewpoint, stands out against the mountainous landscape that borders the city to the north.
It is a sultry March evening, and Furtwängler is rehearsing with the Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela for the concerts marking the inauguration of the building.
As we know, while the Vienna Philharmonic is not the ideal vehicle for contemporary music, it is a bastion of "Germanic" music, particularly of the romantic period — as the lucky owners of the two tickets below would have been able to confirm. The facsimile of the corresponding programme is online.
No-one could have predicted that one of the featured composers, Hans Pfitzner, would die soon afterwards.
We announced it just recently: the whole concert of 13 July 1950 — Furtwängler conducting the prestigious Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam — is available as a download.
In other words, in addition to the traditional CD format files (comparable to CDs released some three years ago) we offer you high definition files, with the corresponding added sound value.
There is no need for a detailed presentation of this concert: no doubt the finest concert reading of Beethoven’s First, and a First of Brahms, that combines peerless conducting technique with a performance level that is no doubt utterly perfect from the instrumental aspect. Not forgetting one of the most successful Leonore no. 3!
This package deal, that includes digital sleeve notes, is available for 12 € (corresponding to two CDs…)
Some documents just make you mad! This photo, for example, taken in Lucerne, in August 1949 during a performance of Haydn’s Creation, with Irmgard Seefried, Walter Ludwig, Boris Christoff and the Festival Chorus and Orchestra: we have the image and wait desperately for the sound to go with it!
The concert was broadcast and even recorded, yet the engraving was no doubt destroyed. That said, since the Overture to Manfred of Lucerne '53 was recently found (an Audite disc), we may well dream…
What Parisian, catholic or not, has not been deeply moved by the tragic images and news we have received from all over concerning the fire at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris? They are many who, in France and throughout the world, have felt this same body blow: in just a few moments some 800 years of history seemed to evaporate with heavy clouds of smoke.
Because we must not resign ourselves to tragedy and instead think of the future, because an association devoted to art may not enclose itself in narrow confinement without taking note of what happens right next to it, the SWF is making a donation to the Fondation pour la Patrimoine.
It has become a habit with SWF: a disc falls out of stock and is replaced by a download.
The concert in Amsterdam, 13 July 1950, released only three years ago in a double album, has been a victim of its own success and will appear as a download in a few weeks’ time, with the advantage of being in high definition. Of course the pack will include the sleeve notes, and in addition, these will be enhanced with illustrations in higher definition.
So… see you very soon!
In 1953 the time was long past when almost every Furtwängler concert in Berlin featured an instrumental or vocal soloist, and when all the big names appeared under his baton. Apart from the violinist Yehudi Menuhin, there were few masters of the bow, and only Wolfgang Schneiderhan seems to have been favoured by the conductor a number of times.
Here we encounter this former Vienna concertmaster in a familiar concert, given on 17, 18 and 19 May 1953; his interpretation of the Beethoven Concerto has long been in the Deutsche Grammophon catalogue.
A facsimile of the programme can be seen here
From now until the celebrations of the SWF’s fiftieth anniversary, we shall post memories of ‘former greats’ of the association.
The wrong person
I am not the oldest: only 33 years with the SWF… When I arrived it seemed to me it would be a good idea to highlight an aspect of Furtwängler that had been rather neglected: the composer. In 1989, for the twentieth anniversary of the SWF, the association organised a grand Furtwängler evening marked by the French premiere of his Second Sonata for violin and piano. Members of the Furtwängler family, led by Elisabeth, had come over especially for this.
To mark the occasion we ‘ceremoniously’ awarded to Dagmar Bella-Sturli (1920-1999), one of Furtwängler’s daughters, and a pianist and teacher in Vienna, ‘her’ disc, in other words our vinyl record of the concert that included Mozart’s Concerto for two pianos, in which she was the partner of Paul Badura-Skoda, both being accompanied by the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by her father (8 February 1949). We made this record from an archival tape acquired (at some cost…) from Badura-Skoda.
The next day she came to our home for lunch with Elisabeth and Andreas. I played the record for them. She smiled and announced: “Yet that is not myself… I remember very well: I was the first piano, Paul the second; now I readily recognise the hand of Paul, but on the first piano…, it is not I who am playing”.
It should be added that it always appeared to us strange that this recording was of such good quality for the time and that, miraculously, nobody in the audience had had a cold in that winter of 1949! We were well and truly taken in…
The egg on my face! I don’t know by what ploy I managed to preserve my dignity, cursing certain pianist...
Stéphane Topakian
PS: This ‘fake’ Furtwängler has since been identified: Badura-Skoda was playing alongside Jörg Demus, Hans Swarowsky wielding the baton.
Conductors today will soon be wearing jeans and a T-shirt on the podium! The days are long gone of dress shirts and wing collars… You needed time to get all that together.
“And then he had to put on his outfit… and the sartorial harassment might have an unfortunate effect on a superstitious artiste…”
(Charles Munch, Je suis chef d'orchestre, Ed. du Conquistador, 1954)
Furtwängler in the wings. Concert in Munich, Deutsches Museum, with the Berlin Philharmonic, early 1930s. (Archives of the Berliner Philharmoniker)
As you know, an association like ours exists only because of you.
For the present our main objective is to ensure the 50th anniversary of the SWF is a great success. This success will only be possible with your help and your support.
Nearly a month ago we set up a fundraising plan with ‘kisskissbankbank’. To date, there has been no activity in connection with it, which is a pity. We have reached less than 20% of the intended figure.
We would like to remind you that a reduction of 60% of the sum donated can be included on your tax return and that for every sum there are compensations.
Also, do not hesitate to send the link to your circle of acquaintances. The Management Committee is always available to answer any questions you may have about the fundraising.
In advance please accept our thanks for your contribution to the success of the fundraising and the 50th anniversary.
The Board
Reminder: https://www.kisskissbankbank.com/fr/projects/cinquantenaire-de-la-societe-wilhelm-furtwangler
From 1930 Furtwängler gave almost all his concerts in Paris at the Paris Opera, the so-called Palais Garnier, in homage to the architect of this grandiose building.
We do not have any photos of him at work in the illustrious venue. In recompense, we can offer this photo taken during a rehearsal with the Vienna Philharmonic, in October 1949.
And as there are microphones, we can rightfully dream…
