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Title details for Beethoven in the Bunker by Fred Brouwers - Available

Beethoven in the Bunker

Musicians Under the Nazi Regime

by Fred Brouwers
Eileen J. Stevens
ebook
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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.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    April 11, 2023

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9781635423303

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9781635423303
      • File size: 15016 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      February 27, 2023
      Radio and TV host Brouwers makes his English-language debut with this intriguing study of “the complex relationship between Hitler, the Nazis, and music.” In a series of capsule biographies, Brouwers details a range of experiences and attitudes, from Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini’s condemnation of Hitler’s “racist policies and boycott of Jewish musicians” and refusal to perform at the Wagner Festival, to pianist Elly Ney’s vocal support for National Socialism and firm belief “that only someone with a Germanic soul could interpret Beethoven correctly.” Elsewhere, Brouwers notes that Czech pianist and conductor Rafael Schäcter died in a concentration camp after being forced to stage a concert for the Red Cross. Unfortunately, the organization of the biographies occasionally blunts the book’s emotional impact; for example, the chapters on lyricist Fritz Löhner-Beda, who was beaten to death at Auschwitz, and his frequent collaborator, “operetta king” Franz Lehár, who was idolized by Hitler, are oddly separated by an unrelated chapter on the Dutch conductor Willem Mengelberg. Though Brouwers’s love of music and fascination with the era come through, this history doesn’t quite reach the crescendo it might have. Photos.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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