Conductor. He was a 20th-century German conductor. Born Gustav Heinrich Ernst Martin Wilhelm Furtwnägler, the son of an eminent archaeologist, he studied piano and composition at the Conservatory of Munich of Bavaria. His first attempts of composing music were not well received by the German public, thus he decided to devote his studies only to orchestral conducting. During his long career, Furtwängler has conducted the Philharmonic Orchestra of Munich of Bavaria, he held important roles in Lübeck, Mannheim, Frankfurt, Vienna and Leipzig, he was Director of the Salzburg Mozart Festival, of the Wagner Festival in Bayreuth, and from 1928 to 1945 Director and conductor of Berliner Philharmoniker. His repertoire was very broad, yet he had a real fondness for Beethoven. He gave concerts in many European cities, including London, Rome, Turin, Milan and Salzburg. Furtwängler had a technique conduction very original. He saw the symphony as a creation of nature: for this reason, composers as Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner and Wagner were central figures of his repertoire. He considered them as great forces of nature. He is considered, along with Herbert von Karajan, one of the greatest interpreters of German classical music. On the dawn of World War II, he attempted to keep Jewish musicians in his orchestra while publicly denouncing in April of 1933 the Nazi anti-Semitic agenda. He assisted in numerous Jewish musicians escaping persecution in Germany, yet many died in concentration camps. Although he never joined the Nazi Party, he played for Adolph Hitler's birthday party in 1942, leading to much controversy on his stance. There are several biographies written on his life including Curt Martin Riess' "Furtwangler: Music and Politics" in 1953.
Conductor. He was a 20th-century German conductor. Born Gustav Heinrich Ernst Martin Wilhelm Furtwnägler, the son of an eminent archaeologist, he studied piano and composition at the Conservatory of Munich of Bavaria. His first attempts of composing music were not well received by the German public, thus he decided to devote his studies only to orchestral conducting. During his long career, Furtwängler has conducted the Philharmonic Orchestra of Munich of Bavaria, he held important roles in Lübeck, Mannheim, Frankfurt, Vienna and Leipzig, he was Director of the Salzburg Mozart Festival, of the Wagner Festival in Bayreuth, and from 1928 to 1945 Director and conductor of Berliner Philharmoniker. His repertoire was very broad, yet he had a real fondness for Beethoven. He gave concerts in many European cities, including London, Rome, Turin, Milan and Salzburg. Furtwängler had a technique conduction very original. He saw the symphony as a creation of nature: for this reason, composers as Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner and Wagner were central figures of his repertoire. He considered them as great forces of nature. He is considered, along with Herbert von Karajan, one of the greatest interpreters of German classical music. On the dawn of World War II, he attempted to keep Jewish musicians in his orchestra while publicly denouncing in April of 1933 the Nazi anti-Semitic agenda. He assisted in numerous Jewish musicians escaping persecution in Germany, yet many died in concentration camps. Although he never joined the Nazi Party, he played for Adolph Hitler's birthday party in 1942, leading to much controversy on his stance. There are several biographies written on his life including Curt Martin Riess' "Furtwangler: Music and Politics" in 1953.
Bio by: Lucy & Chris
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