Book, Reich Orchestra, A: the Berlin Philharmonic 1933-1945[LS]

Since its creation at the end of the 19th century, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra has been synonymous with excellence in concert music. Managed by its own members as a cooperative, it was experiencing serious financial problems in the 1930s, when Nazism came to power. Sensing the opportunity to control and use the international prestige of the glorious orchestra in his power project, Joseph Goebbels made the State take over its accounts and programming. Protected by the Nazis and enjoying privileges, the Berlin Philharmonic undertook international tours before and during the Second World War and on countless official occasions - from the party's annual convention in Nuremberg to the opening of the 1936 Olympic Games. , or on Hitler's birthday. The orchestra accepted these advantages as a combination of gratitude and fear, while at the same time seeking justifications for its position in the regime. This work offers a comprehensive portrait of the relationship between Hitler's regime and his great musical jewel. In doing so, it analyzes the ideological position of the musicians, the complex bureaucracy of Nazism and the intensity of its cultural policy.