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Wilhelm Furtwängler Beethoven Symphony No HISTORIC PERFORMANCES Wilhelm Furtwängler Beethoven Symphony No. 9 Elisabeth Schwarzkopf | Elsa Cavelti Ernst Haefliger | Otto Edelmann Lucerne Festival Chorus | Philharmonia Orchestra Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 I. Allegro ma non troppo e un poco maestoso 18:38 II. Molto vivace – Presto – Coda 12:09 III. Adagio molto e cantabile – Andante moderato 19:49 IV. Finale. Presto – Allegro assai – Allegro assai vivace (alla Marcia) – Andante maestoso – Adagio ma non troppo ma divoto – Allegro energico e sempre ben marcato – Allegro ma non tanto – Presto – Maestoso – Prestissimo 25:56 ELISABETH SCHWARZKOPF soprano ELSA CavelTI alto ERNST HAEFLIGER tenor OTTO EDELMANN bass LUCERNE FESTIval CHORUS PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA Wilhelm Furtwängler Furtwängler’s last Ninth. An elemental he turned his back on Europe. Mean- musical event as a legacy while, the festival’s initial success encour- aged its organisers and an élite of Swiss “An interpretational highlight”, “a sonic orchestral musicians to continue the IMF, document of a magic moment”: this is how despite war related difficulties. In 1943, advertising slogans for this live record- the Swiss Festival Orchestra (SFO) was ing of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with founded, a formation which was newly Wilhelm Furtwängler might be worded. assembled each year and who, hence- Aside from the platitude of such catch- forth, played all orchestral concerts phrases, however, the particular histori- under re-nowned conductors. With a cal significance of this recording, newly few interruptions, Wilhelm Furtwängler re-mastered from the original tapes, acted as a figurehead in this undertak- would be overlooked – both in view of ing: in 1944 he appeared for the first time, the history of the festival and in view of conducting two concerts, and from 1947, the history of interpretation, especially of after his conducting ban had been lifted, course the constant and changing aspects he returned each year until his death of Furtwängler’s (very subjective) view of (with the exception of the 1952 season). In Beethoven’s Ninth. short, Toscanini gave the initial impulse. It was Arturo Toscanini who, with his Furtwängler, on the other hand, who had performances in 1938 – the first season closer ties to Switzerland than the Ital- of the Internationale Musikfestwochen ian conductor – after the war, he lived on (IMF), as LUCERNE FESTIVAL was ini- Lake Geneva, had many Swiss friends and tially called – and the following year, was throughout his life appeared with several instrumental in promoting Lucerne’s Swiss orchestras – managed to establish reputation as an important musical city. the IMF as one of the then small number During the Second World War, however, of great festivals. The SFO, via its delegates, was respon- Founded in 1945 by Walter Legge ini- time in 1948, thus enabling his return to sible for the festival’s artistic planning tially as a pure recording orchestra, and the international stage – Furtwängler, with during these early years, whilst an honor- assembled from the best British musi- some diplomatic aptitude and as a symbol ary Lucerne committee was in charge of cians, the Philharmonia Orchestra soon of exclusive appreciation, was granted two the organisation. In 1949, this structure achieved great success – not least thanks concerts and a remarkable fee. This tradi- bore strains for the first time, for the com- to the strict training of Herbert von Kara- tion seemed to be doomed when the Phil- mittee felt that its expertise was disad- jan who, within a very short amount of harmonia Orchestra was booked, since the vantaged with regard to programming. time, formed a first-class ensemble out of musicians wished to perform two concerts The initial differences in the relationship the motley group of players. Engaging the with their chief conductor Karajan – which resulted in veritable disputes, ending in British orchestra, however, faced the would inevitably have resulted in Furtwäng- escalation. By the time the mutual mis- Lucerne management with a delicate task, ler cancelling. Thus trench warfare also trust had degenerated into an insuperable for they now had to manage the difficult took over the management: according to barrier in 1954, the management, with- relationship between the “pope” Furtwän- the minutes, one party accused Karajan of out further ado, decided to dispense with gler and his “anti-pope” Karajan. Not cunning tactics, warning and fearing that the SFO and instead engaged the London infrequently did the acutely confident Furtwängler would be sacrificed, whilst Philharmonia Orchestra for nine concerts. Furtwängler react extremely sensitively to the other party argued that Furtwängler (The SFO, however, was revived the fol- criticism; his friendly manner in dealing was an ill man and Karajan the conductor lowing year and remained an important with colleagues equally often changed of the future. In the end, a solution was pillar of the festival until 1993, when it into the opposite, escalating into petty found. As Guido Cantelli was unable to was finally dissolved.) This circumstance jealousies. He observed Karajan’s steep accept his invitation to Lucerne, Karajan alone awards the year 1954 special status rise, including in Lucerne, with suspicion was granted two performances as his in the long festival history, for the invita- and in a downright embarrassing manner. “replacement”. One of the two Furtwäng- tion of the London orchestra introduced When both of them, following the ler concerts was programmed twice so the annual “parade” of famous guest “De-Nazi fication Processes”, had become that he would have three performances in orchestras which has become a hallmark regular guests in Central Switzerland – the total, thus one more than his antipode. It of LUCERNE FESTIVAL. festival had invited Karajan for the first was Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony that Furtwängler interpreted twice, on 21 and atmosphere which Furtwängler concerts, bygone times, and as an anti-perfectionist wängler’s last performance of the Ninth. 22 August 1954. Three days later, he also incomparably, created and of which con- who was aware of the effect of his per- Generally speaking, its (very broad) conducted the closing concert featuring temporary witnesses rave to the present sonality and his musical persuasiveness, tempos differ only marginally from the symphonies by Haydn and Bruckner. The day. used to “ecstatic glances from musicians Bayreuth version; in Lucerne, Furtwängler remaining programmes of this first According to Herbert Haffner, Furtwäng- and audience” (Peter Gülke), Furtwängler took only seconds longer, whereas his appearance by the Philharmonia Orches- ler’s last performance of Beethoven’s Ninth had his reservations about LP recordings. pace in Berlin was more extreme, meaning tra were directed by André Cluytens, Edwin was also his 103rd! Towards the end of Sep- He did not like the sterile atmosphere of that for the third movement, he chose an Fischer (from the piano), Ferenc Fricsay tember 1954, his hearing began to wane the studio. On top of that, the strategy even slower speed, and for the other and Rafael Kubelík. alarmingly; in mid-November he also con- of the record mogul Legge (His Master’s movements a slightly faster tempo. Furtwängler had already programmed tracted bronchial pneumonia. A doctor Voice / EMI), to whom he was contractu- Despite these differences, which are only Beethoven’s Ninth in 1948 at Lucerne gave up hope and noted that Furtwängler ally bound, incurred his displeasure, since relevant to bean counters, the conductor (this concert sadly was not recorded by had “become possessed by the fear that he the latter promoted his antipode Karajan. remains true to himself and his approach. Swiss Radio). With his final interpretation was going towards the same fate as Bee- Around a dozen recordings of Beethoven’s In his essay Der Erwählte [The chosen one], in 1954, he created another artistic and thoven … In this deep depression, he had Ninth Symphony under Furtwängler sur- Peter Gülke made most pertinent com- intellectual peak of the festival. The press contracted an acute illness which might vive, though not one of them is a studio ments concerning the essence of agreed – in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Willi have been managed if the patient had recording. Two live recordings are still Furtwäng ler’s interpretation of the Ninth Reich wrote that “both evenings were the not given up on himself. I am convinced regarded as reference recordings: the which are based on the 1942 performance artistic pièce de résistance of the festival”; that a doctor cannot help a patient whose notorious, energetic Berlin performance but which do not lose their validity for his the Lucerne Vaterland commented that will to live has faded” (Herbert Haffner: which Furtwängler conducted in 1942 in later performances. For instance, when he the festival had received a “prestigious Furtwängler, 2003). Furtwängler died on front of assembled leading Nazis, and that observes that the first movement is sub- crown”; and Richard Rosenberg reported 30 November. of 1951, re-opening the Bayreuth Festival. jected to “overpressure which almost tears in the Luzerner Tagblatt that “communi- His death and Toscanini’s demise three Those who listen to the Lucerne inter- the structure apart; the falls occur with cated like this, Beethoven’s sounds of joy years later marked the end of an artistic pretation and compare it to these two or great momentum, as though they were resulted in
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