Customer Reviews

Herbert Von Karajan: A Life in Music

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Classical music lovers and those who are interested in understanding more about the Nazi era in Germany and Austria will find this book to be a very rewarding experience.

HERBERT VON KARAJAN -- A Life in Music provides an unusually multidimensional biography of the conductor. Author Richard Osborne takes us through the famous and not-so-famous concert halls in the world, visiting the natural intrigues that exist in the musical world, examining the role of the Nazi Party in Germany within the musical establishment, detailing the life of a civilian in Germany during the Nazi years, and developing an evolving story of creativity from the podium and from the musical director's perspective. The sweep and detail of his portrayal of von Karajan are imposing and fascinatng, as the man himself was.

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.... The story of the music and the man are both much more unusual and important than I had reason to hope for. Mr. Osborne's biography was very rewarding in both areas, and also took me to places where I did not expect to go.

For I had not known that von Karajan had been a member of the Nazi party from 1935 until his resignation during the war after marrying his second wife, Anita, whose ancestors included Jews. Apparently, his career was significantly affected by this alliance with the party. First, it helped him to get musical jobs in Germany until the above-mentioned marriage. Second, it made it hard for him to get certain musical jobs after World War II, even though he was cleared by the American and Austrian authorities of criminal activities. Apparently, his motives were career-oriented, rather than overtly political . . . despite many press stories to the contrary. The book contains much detail on this involvement, including documentation of the occurrences. I was impressed that nothing seemed to be glossed over. You also get comparisons to the degree of collaboration with and avoidance of the Nazis that other conductors and musicians took during the same time. I learned a lot as a result.

On the musical side, I was impressed by the hundreds of descriptions of how von Karajan created the musical results. The man was willing to put intense efforts into preparation, and then would rehearse and perform wihout a score. He was very aggressive in getting control over personnel in the orchestras he was involved with, obtaining lots of rehearsal time, and teaching the players to listen to one another to bring out the texture in the score. ....

Von Karajan usually conducted symphonic works with his eyes closed, making few gestures . . . often not openly marking the tempo. This could unnerve soloists until they began to realize that this conveyed more freedom to them, and that the orchestra would support them.

Due to the strange way his career evolved, von Karajan learned to master opera first. His casting decisions were often challenged by others because he was as interested in the acting as he was the singing. Great actors are rarely great singers and vice versa. Appearance was important to him also, so the compromises could become even stranger. Traditionally, casts were chosen for the singing alone. Not so with von Karajan.

I love detailed program notes. Much of the book is written like a series of them, built around important performances and recordings. You get a sense of how his performances differed from those that he and others had performed previously, the composer's intentions, and what the musicians and singers thought the interpretations should be. ....

Finally, I learned about what Mr. Osborne and others consider to be the great recordings of much of the world's best classical music. It will keep me busy for years seeking out these recordings, and enjoying them. ....

This is probably the ultimate biography of a complex and controversial personality in recent musical history. The book is conventionally structured: it is based on a detailed chronology supported by a rich factual database on Karajan's accomplishments as an orchestra builder and manager, recording artist and film maker. Stretching to more than 700 pages, the rich detail of Osborne's account certainly is one of the main attractions of this book. We learn a tremendous amount about Karajan's working methods, contract negotiations, concert tours, recording schedules, casting policy, press reviews, etc. As the story progresses Osborne branches out in all kinds of directions, gradually weaving more and more threads into the basic narrative. Given the quality of Osborne's prose this never becomes tedious. And it really does learn us something substantial about the breathtaking speed, economy, tenacity and versatility of the Karajanesque genius. There is no doubt that the book as a whole transcends the merely anecdotal. What emerges is a rich, multifaceted, holographic image of a great artist. What is even more impressive about Osborne's book is that it gives us an idea of what constitutes the essence of great conductorship. Instead of being confronted with woolly and simplistic generalizations about a certain 'Factor X' that allows an individual to coax exactly the right sound from a full symphony orchestra, we see the conceptual foundations of this most elusive of disciplines emerge in all its technical, psychological and somatic richness. Therefore, this book is definitely a must-read for any classical music lover, irrespective of personal predilections with respect to the man himself.

Richard Osborne's carefully documented portrayal of Karajan presents the picture of a complex perfectionist, sometimes gregarious and sometimes reclusive. For those readers who are collectors of Karajan's recordings, Osborne's narrative details the long association of the conductor with the Philharmonia, Vienna Philharmonic, and Berlin Philharmonic, as well as, the conductor's numerous opera recordings, the author includes information about production, technical, and musical matters that illustrate how substantial Karajan's commitment to recording was throughout his career. Osborne includes an appendix to the book about Karajan's membership in the Nazi party. A Chapter with transcipts from the denazification tribunal will be of interest to readers clarifying this stage of the conductor's complex life. The book provides fascinating background to the pre- and post-war musical lives of Vienna, Salzburg, and Berlin and enables the reader to view Karajan as a musical leader of extraordinary power and influence in an era of profound political and cultural upheaval in Europe and the world.

Well-written biographies of great conductors are not hard to find. However, Herbert von Karajan, certainly one of the most important of the 20th century, had none. Osborne's wonderfully written word fills that void admirably.

Osborne investigates all of the controveries of Karajan's life, and there were many, in depth and with clarity. The disputed dates of his entry into the Nazi party; his supposed careerism, vanity and greed, all are investigated with the attempt to find the man behind the image.

For someone so well-known Karajan has remained a mystery to many, especially on this side of the Atlantic. Osborne's fine book will do much for those who care to read it.

I bought this book in England before it appeared in the US and began to wonder if it would ever appear here. Happily it has and has my strong recommendation.

Maestro von Karajan has been the subject of much writing, pro and con. The strength of this book is its straightforward honesty and judiciousness. Von Karajan is shown in all his glory and all his pettiness. His association with the Nazis is explored in unabashed detail. There was nothing sinister there beyond an unscrupulous self-promoter (which von Karajna's detractors will surely challenge but until unknown documentation surfaces, Mr Osborne is thorough in his examination).

Mr Osborne writes with a flowing narrative that makes the biography a pleasure to read.

Highly recommended.

Herbert von Karajan was a musical genius. Love him or hate him, he left a legacy that will scarcely be touched by virtually all conductors. Osborne has written a compelling account of a man who goes from idealistic musician, eager to work, to a man obsessed with power. Peppered throughout this book are wonderful first-hand accounts on experiences with the man which provide a unique glimpse into the life of this most gifted man. Osborne, at times, struggles to keep neutral in certain affairs and one is occasionally forced to wonder whether certain events would be told differently by others. However, on the whole this is a gripping and well told account of one this century's greatest musicians.

This is a glorious,all encompassing book which lives long in the memory and repays re-reading.Osborne succesfully demolishes a number of myths about Karajan's assosciation with the Nazi's and gently suggests that we shouldn't be excessively righteous with the benifit of hindsight (Rubenstein used to dine out on stories of his refusal to work with karajan).It must be remembered that we don't think anything less of Shostakovich/Oistrakh for their complicity with Stalin's equally tyrannical regime.
Interestingly,karajan's sexuality (more than a hint of bi-sexuality emerges) is tackled in some depth but without ever being scurrulous or insensitive.This is typical of the even-handed,flowing manner of Osborne's writing.
Perhaps the maestros enthusiasm for avant-garde music is slightly understated:I once heard from a good source that Karajan financially backed either the first recording of Stockhausen's Gruppen (on DG)or the initial performance of that work: most admirable when you consider the reactionary tastes of all too many conductors.An even more colourful picture emerges!

This book is the most fascinating description of the stunning life of the mythical Herbert von Karajan. It gave me a more "real" feeling of a person I admired for so long. Richard Osborne's book helped me with the demystification of one of the persons I admire most - artistically speaking - aftera all, he was only human and with many flaws... The book is really a wonderful synthesis of the life of this incredible conductor. Is without doubts the best Karajan biography I ever read. And the little writings of Karajan ("die probe", as an example) are lovely little pieces of history. Wonderful!

I have to be honest and say that I had this book for quite some time before I read it, but I am glad I did take the time. It was a pleasurable and engrossing read. Osborne is well known to British lovers of classical music for his work for Grammophon magazine. Osborne knew and interviewed Karajan, interviewed people connected with Karajan privately and publicly, researched contemporary evidence, and as far as one can tell listened to and evaluated all Karajan's monumental musical output (audio and visual/audio).

In a style that is intelligent and highly readable, Osborne treats all aspects of Karajan's life and evaluates his recordings and films. The bulk of the book treats Karajan's early and middle years, whilst the later years are dealt with more leanly; endnotes provide additional comment and all the necessary references and recording details.

Osborne is clearly sympathetic to Karajan, but not in such a way that he cannot be critical when necessary. He is sober and balanced on the question of Karajan's status and movements during the Third Reich, and, importantly, he quotes relevant documentary evidence. For these reasons this is an important biography. Too much of what has be written about Karajan's life and conducting is blatantly and thoughtlessly hostile and a corrective has long been needed. This book provides it.

The late Herbert von Karajan was and still is a controversial musician in many circles. Now that 15 years have passed since his death, perhaps the time has come for a calmer reappraisal of the maestro and his work.

Richard Osborne has produced an exceedingly well written and well researched book. I was impressed by just how much of Karajan's personality he was able to capture. His focus on Karajan's use of technology is highly appropriate. Karajan helped to develop the compact disc, was one of the earliest conductors to switch over to digital recording, worked to develop a market for classical music home videos, and was very much interested in musical/medical research.

This is a calm and measured approach to Karajan's legacy. In this biography, we find that Karajan the man was quite different to the stories told about him. It also deals with the highly controversial aspects of Karajan's membership in the Nazi party.