Bruckner - Symphony No. 8

[Petrushka]

I wonder if I'm alone in having difficulty understanding the disapproval of a musician's performances because of his political opinions. Freedom of opinion and freedom of speech were surely what we are suposed to be in favour of. When Otto Klemperer went back to Germany in 1946 they said 'our first oboe is not very good. We have a better one but he was a Nazi. Which would you prefer?' . Klemperer, whose career was ruined by the Nazis in 1933 and had to flee for his life, said 'the Nazi, of course'. And Yehudi Menuhin insisted in performing with Futwangler after 1945.

Webern was pro-Nazi too, but I don't think that makes his music rubbish. Maybe we have to decide if music is more important than politics. I'm sorry if this is crudely-put for some more sophisticated intellects here, but I don't think Reggie Goodall damaged the allied cause and I'd rather hear his Bruckner 8 than hear that he'd been 'cancelled' because of his politics.

This is pretty much my view, too.

It's worth remembering that the Berlin Philharmonic gave concerts with Furtwangler in this country as early after the war as 1948.

[smittims]

And what wonderful concerts they were,as a newsreel of part of Brahms 4 reveals. The Vienna Opera came to Britain around the same time, as their theatre had beendestroyed , and their performances were universally praised. Are we sure ther were no ex-Nazis among them?

[Ein Heldenleben]

Idly googling I came across this interview done by Leeds Student with Goodall in the 70’s . Featured also on Page 4 Captain Beefheart no less!
Difficult to imagine a student newspaper featuring classical music now.

http://digital.library.leeds.ac.uk/10067/1/LUA-PUB-002-LS-95_000.pdf

[oliver sudden]

And Yehudi Menuhin insisted in performing with Furtwangler after 1945.

The Wikipedia page on Furtwängler is very much worth a read.

[Ein Heldenleben]

And what wonderful concerts they were,as a newsreel of part of Brahms 4 reveals. The Vienna Opera came to Britain around the same time, as their theatre had beendestroyed , and their performances were universally praised. Are we sure ther were no ex-Nazis among them?

Just listening to Capriccio on R3 now -the Mondschein scene that closes the opera with that wonderful horn solo.How can music of such wondrous beauty be composed in such terrible circumstances? The ability of great artists to shut themselves off from reality Is extraordinary. Should we condemn them for that ? I don’t know …

[smittims]

No, I don't think we should. Richard Strauss at 78 could not have stopped the war, but he gave us a little beauty instead. Haydn and Mozart wrote some innocently happy music while there were atrocities being committed in Europe. Having to endure the dark doesn't mean we must deny ourselves the light. Otherwise you get like the young man in M. Hulot's Holiday who can't enjoy a week at the seaside because of the need to impress people with the struggle of the working classes.