The Political Orchestra: The Vienna and Berlin Philharmonics during the Third Reich

by Fritz Trümpi, Kenneth Kronenberg (Translator)

This is a groundbreaking study of the prestigious Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics during the Third Reich. Making extensive use of archival material, including some discussed here for the first time, Fritz Trümpi offers new insight into the orchestras’ place in the larger political constellation.

Trümpi looks first at the decades preceding National Socialist rule, when the competing orchestras, whose rivalry mirrored a larger rivalry between Berlin and Vienna, were called on to represent “superior” Austro-German music and were integrated into the administrative and social structures of their respective cities—becoming vulnerable to political manipulation in the process. He then turns to the Nazi period, when the orchestras came to play a major role in cultural policies. As he shows, the philharmonics, in their own unique ways, strengthened National Socialist dominance through their showcasing of Germanic culture in the mass media, performances for troops and the general public, and fictional representations in literature and film. Accompanying these propaganda efforts was an increasing politicization of the orchestras, which ranged from the dismissal of Jewish members to the programming of ideologically appropriate repertory—all in the name of racial and cultural purity.

Richly documented and refreshingly nuanced, The Political Orchestra is a bold exploration of the ties between music and politics under fascism.

Genres: Music

335 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Ayden Wiggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fritz Trumpi's study, published in English by the University of Chicago, The Political Orchestra, unveils the complex and often disturbing relationship between classical music and Nazi Germany, focusing specifically on the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonics during the Third Reich. Through archival research and interviews, Trumpi describes how these prestigious orchestras became willing participants in the Nazi regime's cultural propaganda machine. Trumpi was very effective in tying the administrative, cultural, and economic implications of every stage of the orchestras' Nazification. His examination of conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler's moral compromises particularly stands out, illustrating the impossible choices artists faced under totalitarianism. However, Trumpi occasionally overshares excessive administrative details about orchestra management, which can make certain chapters feel dry. The book's handling of post-war denazification efforts is especially powerful, documenting how many orchestras whitewashed their Nazi-era activities through selective memory and institutional silence. As someone who loves both history, politics, and classical music, I found this book to be a great merger of interests and very entertaining. While I understand that many people will not feel the same way, due primarily to the administrative details mentioned above, anyone who reads this study will find immersed in the difficulties of both Trumpi in his research and the musicians of Berlin and Vienna.

[Vance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somewhat spoilers, the book The Political Orchestra, which was written by Fritz Trump. This is where spoilers begin so you have been warned: A simple explanation as to what the book is, it is about the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonics during the Third Reich. The book lays out some ground information about things happening during this time, one detail was about how Germany when originally making items was seen as somewhat bad quality compared to France or Spain. However, as time went on German products started to become better eventually becoming seen as some of the best items anyone can buy and the item is of good quality. After talking about some of the information the book presents, the begins to talk about the two previously mentioned Philharmonics and their impact on World War I. Starting with Berlin, they appeared to avoid the war a decent amount and preferred not to get truly involved. One thing however they partially did was attempt to decrease aggression with varying results. On the other hand, Vienna rather stoked the flames when it came to getting people to think about the war. They attempted with success to get people to support the war and help with the war which did bring an uproar with the war. This is close to more than one-third of what the book is about explaining it and returning to it with more information. Moving past the long summary, I am fond of this book, mainly because it is more or less a recount of the past events that are important to the world. I do give this book a four out of five stars, the girth of the book makes it quite appealing in the fact it holds a large amount of information; unfortunately, at times some things are repeated. In general, I recommend this book to most, but mainly people who like to know little-ish things happening in an import time.