Menuhin talking about Furtwängler

This sheds some light on the relationship between Furtwängler and Menuhin and his professional relationship towards Heifetz and Toscanini.

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Music

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• boe

[peachy557]

@rtega I'm currently in the play Taking Sides as Furtwangler. And @SteveAndrewLangford poses a correct statement. Nothing kept him from leaving. At one point, Goebbels actually summoned Furtwangler and demanded that he leave. Wilhelm refused and demanded that he be allowed to stay, to work. He could have left whenever he wanted to.

[rtega]

@peachy557 Steve makes it sound as though Furtwangler stayed because he didn't care at all what was happening and he only stayed to save his job. You should now since you are playing his part that that was not entirely the case. He did everything that was in his power to save people that were persecuted and didn't want to betray the people that were not with the nazis but stuck in Germany. This is quite contrary to other musicians who simply joined the party to get higher up.

[mydarlingfilms]

Very, very interesting. Is this clip from a documentary about Menuhin's life ? I like the end too : "la bave du crapaud n’atteint pas la blanche colombe"

[rtega]

@mydarlingfilms This is indeed from a documentary about Menuhin's life. "Yehudi Menuhin - The violin of the century".

[TheStockwell]

@peachy557 I agree. Furtwangler had opportunities to leave. However, Goebbels NEVER summoned him or asked him to leave. That just never happened. Goebbels knew the propaganda value of keeping WF in Germany. What kept WF in Germany, among other things, was Arnold Schoenberg's imploring him to do in order to help other people get out. At least a hundred people survived the war due to WF's assistance, something that would've been impossible if he'd fled. Harwood's play omits that . . .

[xpto228]

Menuhin, a true gentleman with a true love for music. I got to know Bach's sonatas and partitas for violin through him. I love how he plays the Chaconne in D minor, I still haven't found any other recording that quite matches his.

[Mendy7952]

Don't you love Yehudi's elitist crap to use his Anti-American sentiment to make the Americans (who were not natural-born Americans at all, but refugees of the Commies and the Nazis) appear to be the bad people, and he, Yehudi, the smarter and the saint. The truth is, Menuhin's PLAYING was gone from alcoholism by 1945, and the only place he could regain fame would be by returning to Germany and Europe to show his "love" for them. No POLITICS for this SAINT! It worked and he died "Lord Menuhin"!

[froehlicherelter]

HappyWandy457, one ot the great problems, human beings have, is to accept welfare instead of hate. Furtheron, in art there seems to happen the same situation: They want to do art, in spite off . . . In this case, Furtwägler, as a human being and artist, is so far away of having lack of integrity, that normal people cannot avoid to set appart this, because he happened to be inserted into the mess of nazi-deutschland. To be a god man is rather difficult to be believed . . .

[Freudboy]

@peachy557 Actually, Goebbels told Furtwangler that he could leave, but if he chose to, he could never return as long as the Third Reich lasted. Furtwangler was genuinely attached to the members of his orchestra and feared for their well-being if he left. He also feard for his mother's safety. You might say that a certain amount of blackmail was involved in convincing him to stay. He did stay, but refused any duties that officially connected him with the state. I salute him as a noble artist!

[15chrystyne]

Sure wish all of you would keep POLITICS out of wonderful performances and music. This is an Art Form,, not a political podium. PLEASE !

enjoy what these magnificent Artist are letting us hear. E N J O Y !!!!

[peachy557]

@rtega Of course that's not the case. But Furtwangler still had the option to leave. As did several others who didn't leave their countries but didn't join the party. I.E. Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Eisenstein. Furtwangler didn't look at Jews or Non-Jews. He looked at talent. It's what he cared about. But Steve is still very true in saying that he COULD have left if he wanted to. He says that in the play. He actually says "It would have been better if I'd left in 1934."

[harryfaber]

@rtega Do you stay, and try to preserve some decency, or do you run away and save yourself and avoid being accused of colaboration? I do not know the answer, I am very relieved that I have not had to debate the question with my own conscience.

I think, and I may be wrong, that Furtwangler was a decent and honourable man.