Satoshi Akima ([log in to unmask]) wrote:

>...  Whereas in Austria, the sort of reverence for Bruckner expressed by
>Karajan, who loved Bruckner above all other symphonists, is not uncommon,
>in non-German speaking countries he is sadly not as widely appreciated.
>Indeed it seems that Karajan had a horribly frustrating time in London
>trying to convince the English of Bruckner's virtues - one of the reasons
>why he was only too glad to leave for Berlin.

Oh I think there was a lot more to it than that.  karajan always wanted the
BPO and siezed his chance when Furtwaengler's untimely death in November
1954 left them without a conductor for5 their already scheduled 1955 N
American tour.

I have heard that Karajan agreed to do it only on condition that he be made
conductor for life.  Management was so desparate to get somebody to do the
tour they agreed.  One memeber of the orchestra observed a year or so later
that if Furtwaengler had realised Karajan would get his orchestra "he would
never have died."

There was also considerale strife between HvK and the Philharmonia
orchestra, culminating during a US tour I gather, with an excahgne between
HvK and a violinist (I can check his name at home) who was a former
Spitfire pilot in the RAF.

After the orchestra was berated just one time too many, he got to his feet
and said to Karajan "I spent six years of my life shooting people like you
out of the sky and I'm not going to stand for this now."

I gather (from a member of the orchestra who was present for the memorable
exchange) that HvK demanded an apology from the entire orchestra.  When he
didn't get it he informed Walter Legge that from now on he would make all
his recordings in Berlin.

>Nonetheless it is utterly remarkable to think that Norrington's 3rd was
>the first ever Bruckner recording with an English conductor with an English
>orchestra.

First studio recording.

>...  I hope this means that the genuine appreciation of Bruckner is no
>longer going to be exclusively limited to German speaking countries.

Oh I don't think that't the case even now.  If you'd been in the audience
at Horenstein's 1970 8th with the LSO you'd have no doubts.

>As for Harnoncourt, well he learnt his Bruckner playing as a cellist under
>Karajan.  Not to mention that he too, as much as both Karajan and Bruckner,
>is Austrian.

harnoncourt was a cellist in the VSO.  yes Karajan conducted them in
bruckner in the concert hall.  But Jascha Horenstein recorded the 8th
(first recording of Nowak) and 9th with them.

Actually I really didn't like Harnoncourt's 3rd. although his 4th is
IMHO considerably better.

Deryk Barker
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