Deryk Barker wrote:

>It's also worth pointing out that in the 1919 Italian election Toscanini
>stood as a fascist candidate and that, until he was roughed up by a gang
>of fascists at the stage door (La Scala? don't recall the year) he
>continued to visit and conduct in Mussolini's fascist Italy.

My friend Deryk is indulging in one of his Toscanini moments, my
friend who is a devoted admirer of Furtwangler.  Now, if I enjoyed
any of Furtwangler's music-making, I would say that I enjoyed it while
not having any admiration for his character as someone's court fiddler.
There is a fascinating matter of Furtwangler, Wagner's family, and Herr
Hitler.

The interesting notes to the Archipel release of the 1936 Bayreuth
Lohengrin remnants, live and studio, say (in their English translation):
"Considering all these [very special] circumstances [of the 1936 festival],
it almost goes without saying that extravagances for staging...  and
designs...  surpassed everything known until then in Bayreuth and that
Hitler's financial support was much higher than normal.  As a musical
feature, a cut in the Grail Narration was restored for the first time;
the second part of the Narration had been eliminated by Wagner already
before the premiere .....  The restoration-- and at the same time the
first performance-- of the complete version was not announced to the
audience (what caused the surprised Hitler in the premiere to take the
hand of Winifred Wagner sitting next to him and to nod his head in
understanding)".

Alas this world premiere is missing from the live fragments which
recorded sound has left us of this Furtwangler performance.  A film
would be wonderful.  The Archipel (superb sonics and wonderful music)
however, in addition to the fragments preserved from the live Furtwangler
performance, includes studio recordings made a month later by the same
singers under Tietjen which do include Volker doing both parts of the
Grail Narration, the usual first section as well as the second section
"Nun horet noch, wie ich zu euch gekommen" which Furtwangler and Hitler
restored.  This is a glorious recording but Furtwangler was to remain
the court fiddler until the end and still persons cry over his fate.

Cheers, Yoel having a hard time remembering to remove all diacritics.

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