The Furtwangler Record - Hardcover

Ardoin, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0931340691 ISBN 13: 9780931340697

Publisher: Amadeus Press, 1994

Synopsis

(Amadeus). Furtw ngler's recordings remain for many the standard by which all subsequent performances are judged. This study offers an overview of his career and his place in the mainstream of the German school of conducting, with commentaries on all his recorded performances.

About this title

From Booklist:

Widely regarded during his lifetime as the custodian of the German musical tradition, Wilhelm Furtw„ngler (1886-1954) is one of the greatest conductors of this century and one of the most controversial. His inward-looking, spiritually intense interpretations exert their spell through recordings to this day, yet his reputation has suffered from the stigma of his decision not to leave Nazi Germany and to continue his direction of the Berlin Philharmonic. Ardoin provides a useful overview of Furtw„ngler's career, but the backbone of his book is a study of the conductor's recorded legacy. Ardoin groups the recordings by musical period (baroque, classical, etc.), provides exhaustive information about Furtw„ngler's various recordings of each particular score, and uses excerpts from Furtw„ngler's diaries and correspondence to illuminate his interpretative approach to individual composers and scores especially well. Furtw„ngler's interpretations remain a basic gloss on the works of the German musical masters, and because they remain accessible in recordings, Ardoin's exhaustive study will be valuable in any library with patrons deeply interested in classical music. John Shreffler

From Publishers Weekly:

Books continue to proliferate about the great German conductor, who died 40 years ago. This one by Dallas-based music critic Ardoin is perhaps the most useful of them, a deeply informed guide to the maestro's significant recordings together with Furtwangler's own thoughts on interpretation of many of the works Ardoin discusses. Ardoin is an unabashed admirer, who finds that "what was a circumscribed cult [of enthusiasts] in the first decade following his death has become a widespread phenomenon." He champions Furtwangler against Arturo Toscanini as the century's greatest conductor, joins those who find the maestro naive but not blameworthy in electing to stay in Nazi Germany, and feels that we will not look upon his like again. There is a wonderfully thorough discography (by John Hunt), which emphasizes the remarkable fact that almost every major recording Furtwangler made is now available on CD. An invaluable book for admirers and record collectors. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Amadeus Press
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0931340691
• ISBN 13: 9780931340697
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 376