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Wilhelm Furtwängler by Franz Löwy, c. 1912
Wilhelm Furtwängler in 1912

Wilhelm Furtwängler (born January 25, 1886 – died November 30, 1954) was a famous German conductor and composer. Many people consider him one of the greatest conductors of symphonies and operas in the 20th century. He inspired many conductors who came after him.

Furtwängler was the main conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra from 1922 to 1945, and again from 1952 to 1954. He also led the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and was a guest conductor for other major orchestras, like the Vienna Philharmonic.

Even though he was not a supporter of Nazism, he was the most important conductor who stayed in Germany during the Nazi rule. He openly disagreed with the Nazis' unfair treatment of Jewish people. However, the Nazi government, especially Joseph Goebbels, allowed him to stay for propaganda reasons. This decision caused a lot of debate later on. People still discuss whether his presence helped the Nazi government look better to the world.

Life and Music Career

Wilhelm Furtwängler
Furtwängler in 1925

Wilhelm Furtwängler was born in Schöneberg, which is now part of Berlin. He came from a well-known family. His father, Adolf Furtwängler, was an archaeologist, and his mother was a painter. He spent most of his childhood in Munich. His father taught at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich there. Wilhelm started learning music at a young age. He quickly fell in love with the music of Ludwig van Beethoven. Beethoven's music remained very important to him throughout his life.

Furtwängler became famous for his conducting. But he always thought of himself as a composer first. He started conducting so he could perform his own musical works. By the time he was twenty, he had composed several pieces. However, his compositions were not very popular. Also, being a composer did not offer much financial security. So, he decided to focus on conducting instead.

He first conducted with the Kaim Orchestra (now the Munich Philharmonic). He performed Anton Bruckner's Ninth Symphony. After that, he held conducting jobs in cities like Munich, Strasbourg, Lübeck, Mannheim, Frankfurt, and Vienna.

Early Career and Personal Life

Furtwängler became the main conductor of the Mannheim Opera in 1915. He stayed there until 1920. When he was a boy, he sometimes visited his grandmother in Mannheim. Through her family, he met the Geissmars, a Jewish family. They were important lawyers and loved music. Berta Geissmar, a member of this family, later wrote about Furtwängler's love for sports. She said he was very good at skiing, tennis, sailing, swimming, and horseback riding. He also enjoyed mountain climbing and hiking.

Berta Geissmar later became his secretary and business manager. She worked for him in Mannheim and then in Berlin. She had to leave Germany in 1935 because of the Nazis. From 1921, Furtwängler often spent holidays with Berta and her mother in Engadin, Switzerland. He bought a house there in 1924. After he got married, his house was open to many friends.

In 1920, he became the conductor of the Staatskapelle Berlin, taking over from Richard Strauss. In January 1922, after Arthur Nikisch suddenly died, Furtwängler was appointed to the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. Soon after, he also became the conductor of the famous Berlin Philharmonic, again following Nikisch. Furtwängler first conducted in London in 1924. He continued to perform there until 1938, just before World War II. He conducted Richard Wagner's Ring opera cycle. After the war, he performed in London many times between 1948 and 1954. In 1925, he was a guest conductor for the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. He returned to New York in the next two years.

In January 1945, Furtwängler went to Switzerland. During this time, he finished his most important composition. It was his Symphony No. 2 in E minor. The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra first performed it in 1948. Furtwängler himself conducted it, and it was recorded.

After the war, he continued to perform and record music. He remained a popular conductor in Europe. However, his actions during the 1930s and 1940s were often criticized. He passed away in 1954 in Ebersteinburg, near Baden-Baden. He is buried in the Bergfriedhof cemetery in Heidelberg.

Furtwängler and Nazi Germany

Furtwängler's connection with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party caused a lot of discussion.

His Relationship with the Nazis

Furtwängler was very critical when Hitler became Chancellor of Germany. He believed Hitler would not stay in power for long. In 1932, he called Hitler "This hissing street pedlar."

As Nazi Germany started to persecute Jewish people, Jewish musicians lost their jobs. Many began to leave Germany. The Nazis knew Furtwängler disagreed with their policies. They worried he might leave too. So, the Berlin Philharmonic, which had many Jewish musicians, was allowed to keep them. In 1933, Bruno Walter, a Jewish conductor, was fired from the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. The Nazis asked Furtwängler to replace him for an international tour. They wanted to show the world that Germany did not need Jewish musicians. Furtwängler refused. Richard Strauss took Walter's place instead.

Historian F. Prieberg said that Furtwängler's letters showed that his country and patriotism were important to him, but "race meant nothing to him." In June 1933, Furtwängler wrote about "The Jewish question in musical spheres: a race of brilliant people!" He threatened to quit all his jobs if boycotts against Jews spread to art. He said it would be "impossible" to continue concerts without Jewish artists. He believed removing them would "result in the death of the patient" (meaning, German music).

Wilhelm Furtwängler by Emil Orlik
Etching of Furtwängler from 1928

Because he was so famous, Furtwängler's public opposition got mixed reactions from Nazi leaders. Heinrich Himmler wanted to send Furtwängler to a concentration camp. But Goebbels and Göring told their staff to listen to Furtwängler's requests. They wanted to make him think he had some power. This made Furtwängler believe he could help stop the racial policies. He then invited several Jewish and anti-Nazi artists to perform in his 1933/34 season. However, they refused to come to Nazi Germany. Furtwängler then invited Jewish musicians from his own orchestra, like Szymon Goldberg, to play as soloists.

The Gestapo, the Nazi secret police, built a case against Furtwängler. They noted he was helping Jewish people. Furtwängler gave all his earnings from concerts outside Germany to German people who had left the country. The German writer Hans Mayer was one of these people. Mayer later said that Furtwängler only chose German exiles (Jews or political opponents) to sing in his Wagner operas in Paris before the war. Georg Gerullis, a director at the Ministry of Culture, wrote to Goebbels, "Can you name me a Jew on whose behalf Furtwängler has not intervened?"

Furtwängler never joined the Nazi Party. He refused to give the Nazi salute. He also refused to conduct the Horst-Wessel-Lied, a Nazi anthem. He never signed his letters with "Heil Hitler," even those to Hitler himself. Historian F. Prieberg found all the letters from Furtwängler to Hitler. They were always requests to meet and defend Jewish musicians or artists the Nazis called "degenerate." His refusal to sign "Heil Hitler" was a big insult to the Nazis. This is why many of his requests for meetings were denied. However, Furtwängler accepted honorary positions, like vice-president of the Reichsmusikkammer. He did this to try and change the Nazis' racial policies in music and support Jewish musicians. For concerts in London and Paris before the war, Furtwängler refused to conduct Nazi anthems. He also refused to play music in halls decorated with swastikas. During the 1937 world fair in Paris, a picture was taken of the German group in front of the Arc de Triomphe. In the photo, Furtwängler is the only German not giving the Nazi salute. He has his hand on his shoulder. This picture was hidden at the time. But the Gestapo kept it carefully. It showed more proof that Furtwängler was against Nazi policies.

In 1933, Furtwängler met with Hitler. He tried to stop Hitler's new anti-Jewish policies in music. He had a list of important Jewish musicians, including composer Arnold Schoenberg and violinist Carl Flesch. Hitler did not listen to Furtwängler. The meeting turned into a shouting match. Berta Geissmar wrote that Furtwängler told her he now understood Hitler's actions. He realized it was not just anti-Jewish feeling. It was a rejection of all free artistic and philosophical thought.

The Mannheim Concert

On April 26, 1933, Furtwängler and the Berlin Philharmonic played a concert in Mannheim. It was with the local orchestra to celebrate 50 years since Wagner's death. The concert was planned before the Nazis took power. The Nazi-controlled Mannheim Orchestra Committee demanded that the Jewish leader of the Berlin orchestra, Szymon Goldberg, step aside. Furtwängler refused, and the concert happened as planned.

Before a dinner that evening, members of the Mannheim Orchestra Committee argued with Furtwängler. They accused him of "a lack of national feeling." Furtwängler angrily left before the dinner. He went to join Berta Geissmar and her mother. The fact that Furtwängler chose to spend the evening with his "Jewish friends" instead of Nazi officials caused a scandal. He then refused to conduct in Mannheim again. He only returned 21 years later in 1954.

The Hindemith Case

In 1934, Furtwängler publicly called Hitler an "enemy of the human race." He also called the situation in Germany a "disgrace."

On November 25, 1934, he wrote a letter in a newspaper called Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung. It was titled "Der Fall Hindemith" ("The Hindemith Case"). In it, he supported the composer Paul Hindemith. The Nazis had labeled Hindemith a "degenerate artist". Furtwängler also conducted a piece by Hindemith, Mathis der Maler. This was even though the Nazis had banned the work. The concert was hugely successful and caused a political storm. The Nazis, especially Alfred Rosenberg, started a strong campaign against Furtwängler. He resigned from his official jobs, including his titles as vice-president of the Reichsmusikkammer and Staatsrat of Prussia. Göring refused his resignation from the latter. Goebbels also forced him to give up all his artistic positions.

Furtwängler decided to leave Germany, but the Nazis stopped him. They used this chance to remove non-Jewish people from the orchestra and its staff. Most Jewish musicians in the orchestra had already left Germany. Furtwängler had helped them find jobs outside the country.

The Nazis especially targeted Berta Geissmar. She wrote that she was so close to Furtwängler that the Nazis investigated if she was his girlfriend. After two years of harassment, she moved to London. There, she became Sir Thomas Beecham's main assistant.

Goebbels refused to meet Furtwängler for several months to sort out his situation. At the same time, many orchestra members and audience members begged him not to leave Germany. Also, Goebbels made it clear that if he left, he would never be allowed back. This frightened Furtwängler, who was close to his mother and children. Furtwängler felt responsible for the Berlin Philharmonic and his family, so he decided to stay.

The 1935 Compromise

On February 28, 1935, Furtwängler met Goebbels. Goebbels wanted Furtwängler to stay in Germany. He saw him, like Richard Strauss, as a "national treasure." Goebbels asked him to publicly promise loyalty to the new government. Furtwängler refused. Goebbels then suggested that Furtwängler publicly admit that Hitler was in charge of cultural policy. Furtwängler agreed. Hitler was a dictator and controlled everything. But Furtwängler added that it must be clear he wanted nothing to do with politics. He would remain a non-political artist without any official job. They reached an agreement. Goebbels announced that Furtwängler's article on Hindemith was not political. He said Furtwängler spoke only from an artistic view. He also stated that Hitler was in charge of cultural policy in Germany.

Goebbels did not reveal the second part of their deal. However, the agreement was mostly followed. At his later denazification trial, Furtwängler was accused of conducting only two official concerts for the Nazis between 1933 and 1945. He also appeared in only two short propaganda films.

Other Nazi leaders were not happy with the compromise. They felt Furtwängler had not fully given in. Rosenberg demanded Furtwängler apologize to the government, but it was useless. Goebbels, who wanted to keep Furtwängler in Germany, wrote in his diary that he was happy with the deal. He laughed at "the incredible naïvety of artists."

Hitler now allowed Furtwängler to have a new passport. When they met again in April, Hitler criticized Furtwängler for supporting modern music. He made him stop regular conducting for a while, except for his planned appearance at Bayreuth. However, Hitler confirmed that Furtwängler would not get any official titles. He would be treated as a private person. But Hitler refused Furtwängler's request to announce this. He said it would harm the "prestige of the State."

Furtwängler started conducting again. On April 25, 1935, he returned to the Berlin Philharmonic. The program was all Beethoven. Many people who had avoided the orchestra during his absence came to support him. He was called back to the stage seventeen times. On May 3, before conducting the same program, he was told that Hitler and his staff would attend. He was ordered to greet Hitler with the Nazi salute. Furtwängler was so angry he ripped wood from a radiator. Franz Jastrau, the orchestra manager, suggested he keep his baton in his right hand the whole time. When he entered the hall, all the Nazi leaders were giving the Hitler salute. But Furtwängler held his baton and started the concert right away. Hitler probably did not expect such an insult. But he decided to put on a good show. He sat down, and the concert continued.

At the end of the concert, Furtwängler kept his baton in his right hand. Hitler understood the situation. He stood up and clearly held out his right hand to Furtwängler. The same thing happened at another concert later. A photographer was there to capture the moment for the Nazis. The photo of the famous handshake between Furtwängler and Hitler was spread everywhere by Goebbels. Goebbels got what he wanted: to keep Furtwängler in Germany. He also wanted to make people outside Germany think Furtwängler supported the regime.

Furtwängler wrote in his diary in 1935 that there was a complete conflict. It was between the Nazis' racial ideas and true German culture. He meant the culture of Schiller, Goethe, and Beethoven. In 1936, he added, "living today is more than ever a question of courage."

The New York Philharmonic Offer

In September 1935, a Nazi party member reported Furtwängler to the Gestapo. He claimed Furtwängler said, "Those in power should all be shot." Hitler then banned him from conducting for several months. This ban lasted until Furtwängler's fiftieth birthday in January 1936. Hitler and Goebbels allowed him to conduct again and offered him gifts. Hitler offered an annual pension of 40,000 Reichsmarks. Goebbels offered a fancy baton made of gold and ivory. Furtwängler refused both.

Furtwängler was offered the main conductor job at the New York Philharmonic. This was the most desired and best-paying job in music worldwide. He was supposed to follow Arturo Toscanini, who said Furtwängler was the only one who could replace him. Furtwängler accepted the job. But the Gestapo recorded his phone calls.

While Furtwängler was traveling, the Berlin office of the Associated Press leaked a news story. It was ordered by Hermann Göring. The story suggested Furtwängler would likely be reappointed director of the Berlin State Opera and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. This made people in New York turn against him. It seemed Furtwängler was now a Nazi supporter. After reading the American press, Furtwängler decided not to take the New York position. He also did not accept any job at the Berlin Opera.

1936 to 1937

Furtwängler included Jewish and other non-Aryan musicians on his tours abroad in the 1930s. For example, in France in April 1934, he conducted Wagner operas. Hans Mayer, a literature professor and Jewish communist exiled from Germany, said after the war that Furtwängler purposely chose a cast almost entirely of Jews or people forced out of Germany for these concerts. Similarly, at the 1937 World Exhibition in Paris, Furtwängler performed a series of Wagner concerts that were a huge success. Goebbels announced in the German press that Furtwängler and Wagner were praised in Paris. In reality, those who made Furtwängler a success were German exiles, including many Jews, living in Paris. They saw Furtwängler as a symbol of anti-Nazi Germany. Furtwängler also refused to conduct the Nazi anthem. He demanded that all swastikas be removed from his concert halls. The Nazis realized and complained that Furtwängler was not bringing any money back from his tours abroad. They first thought he was spending it all on himself. Later, they realized he was giving all the money to German emigrants. After the war, it was confirmed that the conductor gave them everything he had "to the last penny" when he met them. Furtwängler always refused to do the Nazi salute and conduct Nazi hymns. When the Berlin orchestra performed abroad, he had to start the concert with the Nazi anthem Horst-Wessel-Lied. As the English and French saw between 1935 and 1939, Furtwängler was replaced by the steward Hans von Benda. Furtwängler only entered the room afterward.

Furtwängler conducted at the Bayreuth Festival in 1936. It was his first time there since 1931, despite his bad relationship with Winifred Wagner. He conducted a new production of Lohengrin. Hitler made sure no expense was spared for this. The costumes and sets were bigger and more expensive than anything seen before at Bayreuth. This performance was broadcast across Europe and the Americas. It was used as propaganda to show the "New Germany" as the proud heir of German music. Furtwängler's presence was key to this. Both Hitler and Goebbels attended the festival. They tried to force him to accept an official position.

Furtwängler avoided the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. He canceled all his public performances that winter to compose music. He returned to the Berlin Philharmonic in 1937. He performed with them in London for the coronation of George VI. He also performed in Paris for the world fair. There, he again refused to conduct the Horst-Wessel-Lied or attend political speeches by German officials.

The Salzburg Festival was seen as a festival of the "free world." It was a place for artists who opposed the Nazis. Hitler had forbidden all German musicians from performing there. In 1937, Furtwängler was asked to conduct Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in Salzburg. Despite strong opposition from Hitler and Goebbels, he accepted the invitation.

Arturo Toscanini, a strong anti-Nazi, was furious to learn Furtwängler would be at the Festival. He agreed to perform in Salzburg only if he did not have to meet Furtwängler. But the two did meet and argued about Furtwängler's actions. Toscanini said, "I know you are not a Party member. I also know you helped your Jewish friends. But everyone who conducts in the Third Reich is a Nazi!" Furtwängler strongly denied this. He said, "By that, you imply that art and music are just propaganda. They are a false front for any government in power. If a Nazi Government is in power, then, as a conductor, I am a Nazi. Under communists, I would be a Communist. Under democrats, a democrat... No, a thousand times no! Music belongs to a different world. It is above chance political events." Toscanini disagreed, and that ended their talk.

Furtwängler returned to the Bayreuth Festival. His relationship with Winifred Wagner was worse than ever. He did not appear in Bayreuth again until 1943. He wrote a letter to Winifred Wagner, sending copies to Hitler, Göring, and Goebbels. He accused her of betraying Wagner's legacy. He said she was choosing artists based on race, not art. He also accused her of trusting "the powers of an authoritarian state." This clear attack on Hitler caused a strong reaction. Hitler wanted to remove Furtwängler from Bayreuth completely. Goebbels wrote in his diary in 1937 that Furtwängler was constantly helping Jews, "half-Jews," and "his small Hindemith."

According to historian Fred Prieberg, by the end of 1937, no one who was well-informed could accuse Furtwängler of working for the Nazis.

Herbert von Karajan

Nazi leaders looked for another conductor to challenge Furtwängler. A young, talented Austrian conductor, Herbert von Karajan, appeared in Nazi Germany. Karajan had been a Nazi Party member since 1935. He was much more willing to take part in the new government's propaganda than Furtwängler.

Furtwängler had attended several of Karajan's concerts. He praised Karajan's technical skills but criticized his conducting style. He did not see him as a serious rival. However, when Karajan conducted Fidelio and Tristan und Isolde in Berlin in late 1938, Göring decided to act. Music critic Edwin von der Nüll wrote a review of these concerts with Göring's support. Its title, "The Karajan Miracle," referred to the famous article "The Furtwängler Miracle." That article had made Furtwängler famous as a young conductor in Mannheim. Von der Nüll praised Karajan, saying, "A thirty-year-old man creates a performance for which our great fifty-year-olds can justifiably envy him." Furtwängler's photo was printed next to the article, making the comparison clear.

The article was part of a larger attack against Furtwängler. The Nazi press criticized him for being "a man of the Nineteenth century." They said his political ideas were old-fashioned. They claimed he did not understand or accept the new changes in Germany. The situation became unbearable for Furtwängler. He got a promise from Goebbels to stop these attacks.

However, Furtwängler's position was weaker. He knew that if he left Germany, Karajan would immediately become the conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic. This started an intense dislike for Karajan that lasted until Furtwängler's death. He often refused to call Karajan by name, simply calling him "Herr K." Hitler believed that even if Furtwängler was much better than Karajan as a conductor, it was necessary to keep Karajan "in reserve." This was because Furtwängler was "not politically trustworthy."

Kristallnacht and the Anschluss

Furtwängler was very affected by the events of Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass). Berta Geissmar, who met him in Paris, said he was "greatly depressed." Friedelind Wagner, who also saw him in Paris, wrote that he was a "very unhappy man." Andrew Schulhof, who met him in Budapest, said Furtwängler felt that "what he had done before for his Jewish friends had been lost."

Furtwängler approved of the Anschluss, when Austria joined Germany on March 12, 1938. But he quickly disagreed with the Nazi leaders' plan to "annex Austrian culture." This meant ending independent cultural activity in Austria and making it part of Berlin's control. Right after the Anschluss, Furtwängler saw a huge Swastika flag in the hall of the Musikverein in Vienna. He refused to conduct the Vienna Philharmonic "as long as the rag is visible." The flag was finally removed.

Goebbels wanted to get rid of the Vienna Philharmonic. He also wanted to turn the Vienna Opera and the Salzburg Festival into branches of the Berlin Opera and the Bayreuth Festival. Plus, he wanted to take the world's largest music collection, belonging to the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna, and move it to Berlin. Hitler's goal was to deny that Austria had its own culture separate from Germany. Austrian musicians asked Furtwängler, who was the honorary president of the Vienna Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, to help them.

Furtwängler campaigned to convince Nazi leaders to drop their plans. According to historian Fred K. Prieberg, he conducted concerts, often with the Vienna Philharmonic, for German leaders during this time. He did this in exchange for keeping the orchestra. He organized several concerts of Austrian music in Berlin and Vienna for Hitler. This was to highlight Austrian culture. The Nazi leadership wanted to use this situation. They invited Furtwängler in 1938 to conduct Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg with the Vienna Philharmonic in Nürnberg for the Nazi party congress. Furtwängler agreed to conduct, as long as the performance was not during the party congress. Hitler eventually accepted Furtwängler's terms. The concert took place on September 5, and the political event formally opened the next morning. This concert, along with one in Berlin in 1942 for Hitler's birthday, led to strong criticism of Furtwängler after the war. However, Furtwängler had managed not to participate in the party congress. He had also succeeded in saving the Vienna Philharmonic, the music collections of Vienna, and the Vienna Opera. He persuaded Hitler and Goebbels to agree to Karl Böhm as artistic director there. At both the Vienna Philharmonic and the Berlin Philharmonic, Furtwängler managed to protect 'half-Jews' or members with 'non-Aryan' wives until the end of the war. These were rare cases in Nazi Germany. However, unlike with the Berlin Philharmonic, he could not save the lives of 'full-blooded' Jews. They were persecuted, and some died in concentration camps.

Goebbels was happy that Furtwängler had conducted concerts in Vienna, Prague, and Nürnberg. He thought these concerts gave a "cultural" reason for taking over Austria and Czechoslovakia. During this time, he said Furtwängler was "willing to place himself at my disposal for any of my activities." He called him "an out-and-out chauvinist." However, he often complained that Furtwängler was helping Jews and 'half-Jews.' His complaints continued during the war. Goebbels wrote in his diary that Furtwängler's goal was to get around Nazi cultural policy. For example, Goebbels wrote that Furtwängler supported the Salzburg festival to balance the Bayreuth festival, which was a key part of the Nazi regime.

Furtwängler was very affected by the events of the 1930s. Fred K. Prieberg described Furtwängler in 1939 as a "broken man." The French government gave him the Legion of Honour in 1939. This might suggest that Western diplomats knew Furtwängler did not support the Nazi government. Hitler forbade news of the award from being spread in Germany.

World War II

During the war, Furtwängler tried to avoid conducting in occupied Europe. He said, "I will never play in a country such as France, which I am so much attached to, considering myself a 'vanquisher.' I will conduct there again only when the country has been liberated." He refused to go to France during its occupation, even though the Nazis tried to force him. Since he had said he would only conduct there if invited by the French, Goebbels forced the French conductor Charles Munch to send him a personal invitation. But Munch wrote in small letters at the bottom of his letter, "in agreement with the German occupation authorities." Furtwängler declined the invitation.

Bundesarchiv Bild 183-L0607-504, Berlin, Furtwängler dirigiert Konzert in AEG-Werk
Furtwängler conducting the Berlin Philharmonic in a "work-break" concert at AEG in February 1941. This was part of the Nazi "Strength Through Joy" program.

Furtwängler did conduct in Prague in November 1940 and March 1944. The 1940 program, chosen by Furtwängler, included Smetana's Moldau. According to Prieberg, "This piece is part of the cycle in which the Czech master celebrated Má vlast (My Country). It was meant to support his compatriots' fight for independence from Austrian rule. When Furtwängler began with the 'Moldau,' it was not a deliberate risk, but a statement of his stance towards the oppressed Czechs." The 1944 concert marked the fifth anniversary of the German occupation. It was the result of a deal between Furtwängler and Goebbels. Furtwängler did not want to perform in April for Hitler's birthday in Berlin. He told Goebbels in March (as he had in April 1943) that he was sick. Goebbels asked him to perform in Prague instead. There, he conducted Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9. He conducted in Oslo in 1943, where he helped the Jewish conductor Issay Dobrowen escape to Sweden.

In April 1942, Furtwängler conducted Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the Berlin Philharmonic for Hitler's birthday. The final minutes of the performance were filmed and can be seen online. At the end, Goebbels came to the front of the stage to shake Furtwängler's hand. This concert led to strong criticism of Furtwängler after the war. In fact, Furtwängler had planned several concerts in Vienna during this time to avoid this celebration. But after the German army's defeat in the Battle of Moscow, Goebbels decided to give a long speech the day before Hitler's birthday. This was to inspire the German nation. The speech would be followed by Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Goebbels wanted Furtwängler to conduct the symphony at all costs. He wanted to give the event a powerful, almost spiritual feel. He called Furtwängler shortly before to ask him to agree. But Furtwängler refused, saying he had no time to rehearse and had to perform concerts in Vienna. But Goebbels forced the organizers in Vienna to cancel the concerts. Some were even physically attacked by the Nazis. He ordered Furtwängler to return to Berlin. In 1943 and 1944, Furtwängler provided fake medical certificates in advance. This was to make sure such a situation would not happen again.

It is now known that Furtwängler continued to use his influence to help Jewish musicians and others escape Nazi Germany. He managed to get Max Zweig, a nephew of conductor Fritz Zweig, released from Dachau concentration camp. Others he helped included Carl Flesch, Josef Krips, and the composer Arnold Schoenberg.

Furtwängler refused to be in the propaganda film Philharmoniker. Goebbels wanted Furtwängler to be in it, but Furtwängler said no. The film was finished in December 1943. It showed many conductors connected with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, but not Furtwängler. Goebbels also asked Furtwängler to direct the music in a film about Beethoven, again for propaganda. They argued fiercely about this project. Furtwängler told him, "You are wrong, Herr Minister, if you think you can exploit Beethoven in a film." Goebbels gave up his plans for the film.

Friedelind Wagner, who strongly opposed the Nazis, shared a conversation with her mother Winifred Wagner during the war. She said Hitler did not trust or like Furtwängler. Göring and Goebbels were upset with Furtwängler's constant support for his "undesirable friends." Yet, Hitler, grateful that Furtwängler refused to leave Berlin even during bombings, ordered Albert Speer to build a special air raid shelter for the conductor and his family. Furtwängler refused it, but the shelter was built in his house against his will. Speer said that in December 1944, Furtwängler asked if Germany had any chance of winning the war. Speer said no and advised him to flee to Switzerland to avoid possible Nazi revenge. In 1944, he was the only famous German artist who refused to sign the brochure 'We Stand and Fall with Adolf Hitler'.

Furtwängler's name was on the Gottbegnadeten list ("God-gifted List") in September 1944. He was one of only three musicians in a special category called unersetzliche Künstler ("indispensable artists"). The others were Richard Strauss and Hans Pfitzner. However, he was removed on December 7, 1944. This was because of his connections with the German resistance to Nazism. Furtwängler had strong links to the German resistance. This group organized the 20 July Plot. He stated during his denazification trial that he knew an attack was being planned against Hitler, though he did not help organize it. He knew Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg very well. His doctor, Johannes Ludwig Schmitt, who wrote him many fake health prescriptions to help him avoid official duties, was a member of the Kreisau Circle. Furtwängler's concerts were sometimes chosen by members of the German resistance as a meeting point. Rudolf Pechel, a member of the resistance group that organized the 20 July Plot, told Furtwängler after the war, "In the circle of our resistance movement, it was an accepted fact that you were the only one in the whole of our musical world who really resisted, and you were one of us." Graf Kaunitz, also a member of that circle, said, "In Furtwängler's concerts we were one big family of the resistance."

Grove Online states that Furtwängler was "within a few hours of being arrested" by the Gestapo. This was when he fled to Switzerland after a concert in Vienna with the Vienna Philharmonic on January 28, 1945. The Nazis had started to crack down on German liberals. At the concert, he conducted Brahms's Second Symphony. This performance was recorded and is considered one of his greatest.

After World War II

In February 1946, Furtwängler met Curt Riess in Vienna. Riess was a German Jew who had fled Germany in 1933. Riess was a musician and writer who later wrote a book about Furtwängler. At the time, Riess was a journalist for American newspapers in Switzerland. He thought Furtwängler was a Nazi helper and did not want him to conduct in Switzerland in 1945. Furtwängler asked to meet him. After Riess studied all the documents about Furtwängler, he completely changed his mind. He realized Furtwängler had never been a Nazi and had helped many Jewish people. Riess then became his "denazification advisor." They became close friends, and Curt Riess spent the next two years working to clear Furtwängler's name. Roger Smithson wrote that Furtwängler's return to conducting was largely due to Curt Riess's skill and determination.

Furtwängler first wanted Curt Riess to write articles about him, using the many documents he provided. But Riess preferred to meet General Robert A. McClure, who was in charge of Furtwängler's case. After meeting Riess and having all the documents translated, the general admitted that no serious charges could be made against Furtwängler. He said they had made a mistake about the conductor, who was "a very good man." He asked Riess to tell Furtwängler not to speak to the press. This was to avoid giving the impression that he was pressuring the Allied forces. He said the case would be closed within weeks. Riess sent a telegram to Furtwängler, but it arrived too late.

Meanwhile, Furtwängler made a big mistake. He went to Berlin, which was occupied by the Soviets. The Soviets welcomed him like a head of state. They wanted to have him, whom their representative Arsenyi Gouliga called the "greatest conductor in the world," lead a major cultural policy in Berlin. The Soviets offered Furtwängler the job of director of the Berlin State Opera, which was in their zone. General Robert A. McClure was forced to make Furtwängler go through the normal denazification process. He explained to Curt Riess by phone that otherwise, it would seem like the Americans had given in to the Soviets on Furtwängler's case. The American authorities knew the conductor would be cleared by the denazification court. The Soviet authorities said this trial made no sense and was "ridiculous." So, with the Cold War starting, Furtwängler had to go through the denazification court. He really wanted to get back the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, which was in the British zone.

Furtwängler had to go through a process called denazification. The accusations against him were minor. He was accused of conducting two official Nazi concerts between 1933 and 1945. Furtwängler said that for two concerts that were "forced" on him, he had avoided sixty others. The first was for the Hitler Youth on February 3, 1938. It was presented to Furtwängler as a way to introduce classical music to younger generations. According to Fred Prieberg, "when he looked at the audience he realized that this was more than just a concert for school kids in uniform; a whole collection of prominent political figures were sitting there as well [...] and it was the last time he raised his baton for this purpose."

The second concert was a performance of Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg with the Vienna Philharmonic on September 5, 1938. This was the evening before the Nazi congress in Nürnberg. Furtwängler had agreed to conduct this concert to help save the Vienna Philharmonic. He insisted that the concert not be part of the congress.

He was also accused of holding the honorary title of "Prussian State Counselor" (German: Preußischer Staatsrat). He had resigned from this title in 1934, but the Nazis refused his resignation. He was also accused of making an anti-Jewish remark about the part-Jewish conductor Victor de Sabata. The head of the commission, Alex Vogel, known for being a communist, started the trial by saying:

"The investigations showed that Furtwängler had not been a member of any [Nazi] organization. He tried to help people persecuted because of their race. He also avoided... formalities such as giving the Hitler salute."

The prosecution thought they had stronger evidence. Hans von Benda, a former Nazi Party member, was the artistic director of the Berlin Philharmonic during the Nazi period. He had worked closely with Furtwängler for years. He really wanted to testify against Furtwängler, accusing him of being anti-Jewish. He claimed he heard Furtwängler say during an argument, "a Jew like Sabata cannot play Brahms' music." This story quickly seemed silly. Furtwängler had played Brahms' music with many Jewish musicians, especially those in his orchestra. This was likely a mistake or misunderstanding. Furtwängler probably had no anti-Jewish feelings towards Sabata, who was his friend. Also, Hans von Benda had to admit he was not directly present when Furtwängler supposedly said these words. So, his testimony was not taken seriously. Hans von Benda's behavior had a reason. He was fired from his job at the Berlin Orchestra on December 22, 1939, for many serious professional mistakes. He wanted to use the trial to get revenge on Furtwängler. He thought Furtwängler was responsible for his firing because he supported Karajan. Furtwängler and his wife strongly denied this. Also, historian Fred Prieberg proved that Hans von Benda had constantly sent information to the Nazis. He reported that Furtwängler was helping Jews and opposing Nazi policies.

Two main people who helped prepare Furtwängler's defense were German Jews who had to flee the Nazi regime: his secretary Berta Geissmar and Curt Riess. They had very different backgrounds. Berta Geissmar knew Furtwängler personally. She saw everything he did at the start of the Nazi period. She left Germany in 1936 but returned from exile. Curt Riess did not know Furtwängler at all and initially had a very negative view of him. Geissmar had collected hundreds of documents for the defense. These files listed over 80 Jewish and non-Jewish people who said Furtwängler had helped or saved them. This list was not complete, but it included cases where Geissmar found clear proof. Among those helped were Communists, Social Democrats, and even former Nazis whom the regime had turned against. Berta Geissmar had sent the documents to General Robert A. McClure, who was in charge of Furtwängler's trial. But the documents mysteriously disappeared in Berlin before they reached the general in the American occupation zone. Curt Riess also could not find these documents in the Washington archives. So, Furtwängler was left without proof of the help he had given. However, three Jewish people traveled to Berlin. On December 17, 1946, the second day of the trial, they confirmed that Furtwängler had risked his life to protect them. One of them was Paul Heizberg, a former opera director.

The prosecution itself admitted that no charge of anti-Jewish feelings or support for Nazi ideas could be made against the conductor. Furtwängler was cleared of all accusations. Even after Furtwängler was found innocent, Thomas Mann still criticized him. Mann said Furtwängler was wrong to keep conducting in Germany. He also criticized Furtwängler for believing art could be separate from politics in a regime like Nazi Germany, which used art for propaganda. In a letter he drafted, Mann praised Furtwängler for helping Jewish musicians and as a "preeminent musician." But he ultimately presented him as an example of a terrible "lack of understanding" of what had taken over Germany.

Furtwängler's tomb in Heidelberg

The violinist Yehudi Menuhin, along with Arnold Schoenberg, Bronisław Huberman, and Nathan Milstein, were among the Jewish musicians who had a positive view of Furtwängler.

In 1949, Furtwängler accepted the job of main conductor for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. However, the orchestra had to take back the offer. This was because several famous musicians, including Arturo Toscanini, threatened to boycott them.

According to a New York Times report, Horowitz said he "was prepared to forgive the small fry who had no alternative but to remain and work in Germany." But Furtwängler "was out of the country on several occasions and could have elected to keep out." Rubinstein also wrote in a telegram, "Had Furtwängler been firm in his democratic convictions he would have left Germany." Yehudi Menuhin was upset by this boycott. He said some of the main organizers admitted to him that they only organized it to stop Furtwängler from performing in North America.

Wilhelm Furtwängler died on November 30, 1954, from pneumonia in Baden-Baden. He was buried in Heidelberg cemetery, the Bergfriedhof, in his mother's family tomb. Many important people from the arts and politics attended, including Chancellor Konrad Adenauer.

At the end of his life, Yehudi Menuhin said of Furtwängler, "It was his greatness that attracted hatred."

Conducting Style

Furtwängler had a special way of thinking about music. He believed that symphonic music was like something from nature. It could only be brought to life through sound in a personal way. Neville Cardus wrote in 1954 that Furtwängler did not see the notes on the page as the final word. Instead, he saw them as symbols of an idea that was always changing. It had to be felt and understood personally.

Conductor Henry Lewis also said, "I admire Furtwängler for his originality and honesty. He freed himself from being controlled by the music score. He realized that notes printed in the score are just SYMBOLS. The score is not the true heart or spirit of the music. Furtwängler had this very rare and great gift of going beyond the written notes. He showed what music truly was."

Many experts and critics think he was the greatest conductor ever. Music expert Walter Frisch wrote that Furtwängler's recordings show him to be "the finest Brahms conductor of his generation, perhaps of all time." He said Furtwängler paid more attention to details than others. At the same time, he kept a larger sense of the music's flow. He could make sense of how loud or soft the music should be. What comes through, Frisch noted, is a rare mix. Furtwängler understood both the sound and the structure of the music. Vladimir Ashkenazy said Furtwängler's sound "is never rough. It's very weighty but at the same time is never heavy. In his fortissimo you always feel every voice.... I have never heard so beautiful a fortissimo in an orchestra." Daniel Barenboim said Furtwängler "had a subtlety of tone color that was extremely rare. His sound was always 'rounded,' and incomparably more interesting than that of the great German conductors of his generation."

On the other hand, critic David Hurwitz criticizes Furtwängler's style. He calls Furtwängler's fans "wackos" who "will forgive him virtually any lapse." He describes Furtwängler himself as "occasionally incandescent but criminally sloppy." Unlike conductors like Carlos Kleiber, Furtwängler did not try to make every detail perfect. He also had fewer rehearsals.

His style is often compared to that of his rival, Arturo Toscanini. Furtwängler once walked out of a Toscanini concert, calling him "a mere time-beater!" Unlike Toscanini, Furtwängler aimed for a heavier, less strict rhythm. He preferred a sound with more bass. He also used tempo changes that were not written in the music. Instead of perfect details, Furtwängler looked for the spiritual meaning in art.

DBPB 1955 128 Wilhelm Furtwängler
Furtwängler commemorated on a stamp for West Berlin, 1955

Furtwängler's conducting is seen as the best example of the "Germanic school of conducting." This style was started by Richard Wagner. Unlike Mendelssohn's conducting, which was fast and precise, Wagner's way was grand and very emotional. It included changing the speed of the music. Wagner believed that performing music was like creating it again. He focused more on the overall musical phrase than on individual measures. Changing tempos was not new. Beethoven himself played his own music with a lot of freedom. Beethoven wrote, "my tempi are valid only for the first bars, as feeling and expression must have their own tempo." He also said, "why do they annoy me by asking for my tempi? Either they are good musicians and ought to know how to play my music, or they are bad musicians and in that case my indications would be of no avail." Beethoven's students said the composer changed tempos when he conducted his works. Wagner's tradition was followed by the first two main conductors of the Berlin Philharmonic. Hans von Bülow focused on the overall structure of symphonies. Arthur Nikisch emphasized the beauty of the sound. Furtwängler combined the styles of these two conductors.

In Munich (1907-1909), Furtwängler studied with Felix Mottl, a student of Wagner. He considered Arthur Nikisch his role model. According to John Ardoin, Wagner's personal style of conducting led to Furtwängler. Mendelssohn's more objective style led to Toscanini.

Furtwängler's art was greatly influenced by the Jewish music expert Heinrich Schenker. They worked together from 1920 until Schenker's death in 1935. Schenker created Schenkerian analysis, which looks at the long-term musical tensions and resolutions in a piece. Furtwängler read Schenker's famous book on Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in 1911. He then tried to find and read all his books. Furtwängler met Schenker in 1920. They continuously worked together on the music Furtwängler conducted. Schenker never got a teaching job in Austria or Germany, even with Furtwängler's help. Schenker relied on several supporters, including Furtwängler. Furtwängler's second wife later said that Schenker had a huge influence on her husband. Schenker believed Furtwängler was the greatest conductor in the world. He called him the "only conductor who truly understood Beethoven."

Furtwängler's recordings are known for their "extraordinary rich sound." He put special emphasis on cellos, double basses, percussion, and woodwind instruments. Furtwängler said he learned how to get this sound from Arthur Nikisch. This rich sound is partly because of his "vague" or "fluid beat." This fluid beat created small gaps between the sounds made by the musicians. This allowed listeners to hear all the instruments in the orchestra, even when everyone was playing at once. Vladimir Ashkenazy once said, "I never heard such beautiful fortissimi as Furtwängler's." According to Yehudi Menuhin, Furtwängler's fluid beat was harder but better than Toscanini's very precise beat. Unlike Otto Klemperer, Furtwängler did not try to remove emotion from his performances. Instead, he gave his interpretations a very romantic feel. The strong emotion in his World War II recordings is especially famous. Conductor and pianist Christoph Eschenbach said Furtwängler was a "formidable magician." He was "a man capable of setting an entire ensemble of musicians on fire, sending them into a state of ecstasy." Furtwängler wanted to keep an element of surprise and improvisation in his concerts. Each performance was like a new creation. However, the main melody and the overall unity of the music were never lost with Furtwängler. This was partly due to Heinrich Schenker's influence. It was also because Furtwängler was a composer and studied composition his whole life.

Furtwängler was known for being very bad at explaining music with words. His student Sergiu Celibidache remembered that the best he could say was, "Well, just listen" (to the music). Carl Brinitzer from the German BBC tried to interview him. He thought Furtwängler was unintelligent. A live recording of a rehearsal with a Stockholm orchestra shows hardly anything understandable, just humming and mumbling. However, a collection of his essays, On Music, shows he had deep thoughts.

Influence on Other Musicians

One of Furtwängler's students was the amazing pianist Karlrobert Kreiten. The Nazis killed Kreiten in 1943 because he had criticized Hitler. Furtwängler had a big impact on the pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim. Barenboim decided to become a conductor at age eight after hearing Furtwängler conduct Bach's St. Matthew Passion in 1950. Furtwängler's widow, Elisabeth Furtwängler, said of Barenboim, "Er furtwänglert" ("He furtwänglers"). This meant he conducted like Furtwängler. Barenboim has recorded Furtwängler's 2nd Symphony with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Other conductors who admired Furtwängler include Valery Gergiev, Claudio Abbado, Carlos Kleiber, Carlo Maria Giulini, Simon Rattle, Sergiu Celibidache, Otto Klemperer, Karl Böhm, Bruno Walter, Dimitri Mitropoulos, Christoph Eschenbach, Alexander Frey, Philippe Herreweghe, Eugen Jochum, Zubin Mehta, Ernest Ansermet, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Bernard Haitink (who decided to become a conductor as a child while listening to a Furtwängler concert on the radio during World War II), Rafael Kubelík, Gustavo Dudamel, Jascha Horenstein (who was Furtwängler's assistant in Berlin in the 1920s), Kurt Masur, and Christian Thielemann. For example, Carlos Kleiber thought "nobody could equal Furtwängler." George Szell, whose precise music style was very different from Furtwängler's, always kept a picture of Furtwängler in his dressing room. Even Arturo Toscanini, who was often seen as Furtwängler's opposite, once said, when asked to name the world's greatest conductor besides himself, "Furtwängler!" Herbert von Karajan, who was Furtwängler's rival when he was young, always said Furtwängler was a major influence on his music. This was true even though Karajan's cool, objective, modern style was very different from Furtwängler's passionate Romanticism.

Furtwängler's performances of music by Beethoven, Wagner, Bruckner, and Brahms are still important today. His interpretations of other works, like Haydn's 88th Symphony, Schubert's Ninth Symphony, and Schumann's Fourth Symphony, are also highly regarded. He also supported modern music. He notably championed the works of Paul Hindemith and Arnold Schoenberg. He conducted the first performance of Sergei Prokofiev's Fifth Piano Concerto (with the composer playing the piano) on October 31, 1932. He also performed Béla Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra.

The musicians who spoke most highly of Furtwängler are some of the most important of the 20th century. These include Arnold Schoenberg, Paul Hindemith, and Arthur Honegger. Soloists like Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Yehudi Menuhin, Pablo Casals, Kirsten Flagstad, Claudio Arrau, and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf played with almost all the major conductors of the 20th century. They often said that Furtwängler was the most important one for them.

Famous Recordings

Many of Furtwängler's recordings are available today. Most of them are live performances. Many were made during World War II using new tape technology. After the war, the Soviet Union took them for decades. They have only recently become widely available. Even with their sound limits, Furtwängler fans greatly admire these wartime recordings.

Here are some of Furtwängler's most famous recordings:

Notable First Performances

Furtwängler conducted the first public performances of these important works:

Notable Compositions

Wilhelm Furtwängler also composed music, especially large orchestral works.

Orchestral Works

Early pieces

  • Overture in E-flat Major, Op. 3 (1899)
  • Symphony in D major (first movement: Allegro) (1902)
  • Symphony in B minor (Largo movement) (1908)

Later pieces

  • Symphonic Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1937, revised 1952-54)
  • Symphony No. 1 in B minor (1941)
  • Symphony No. 2 in E minor (1947)
  • Symphony No. 3 in C-sharp minor (1954)

Chamber Music

  • Piano Quintet (for two violins, viola, cello, and piano) in C major (1935)
  • Violin Sonata No. 1 in D minor (1935)
  • Violin Sonata No. 2 in D major (1939)

Choral Works

(All early pieces)

  • Schwindet ihr dunklen Wölbungen droben (Chorus of Spirits, from Goethe's Faust) (1901–1902)
  • Religöser Hymnus (1903)
  • Te Deum for Choir and Orchestra (1902–1906) (revised 1909) (first performed 1910)

See also

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