Gustav Heinrich Ernst Martin Wilhelm Furtwängler (UK: /ˈfʊər t vɛŋɡ lər/, US: /-vɛŋ lər/; German: [ˈvɪlhɛlm ˈfʊɐ̯tvɛŋlɐ]; 25 January 1886 – 30 November 1954) was a German conductor and composer. He is considered one of the best conductors of symphonies and operas in the 20th century. Many later conductors were influenced by his work, and his name is often discussed when describing their styles of performance.

Furtwängler led the Berlin Philharmonic from 1922 to 1945 and again from 1952 to 1954. He also led the Gewandhaus Orchestra from 1922 to 1926 and conducted other major orchestras, such as the Vienna Philharmonic, as a guest.

Although he did not support Nazism, he remained in Germany during the Nazi era. He openly opposed antisemitism, and the Nazi government did not try to stop him, as Joseph Goebbels insisted it was useful for propaganda purposes. This situation caused much debate, and whether his presence helped give Nazi Germany respect is still discussed today.

Early life

Wilhelm Furtwängler was born into a well-known family in Schöneberg, Germany (now a part of Berlin). His father, Adolf Furtwängler, was an archaeologist, and his mother was a painter. Much of his childhood was spent in Munich, where his father taught at the city's Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU). He received musical training from a young age and loved the works of Ludwig van Beethoven, a composer he remained closely connected to throughout his life.

As a child, he sometimes stayed with his grandmother in Mannheim. Through her family, he met the Geissmars, a Jewish family who were important lawyers and amateur musicians in the town. Berta Geissmar later wrote, "Furtwängler became very skilled at skiing, almost like a professional… He enjoyed almost every sport, such as tennis, sailing, and swimming… He was a good horseman…" She also said he was strong and enjoyed climbing mountains and hiking.

Career

Wilhelm Furtwängler became famous for his work as a conductor, but he considered himself more of a composer than a conductor. He started conducting to perform his own music. By the age of twenty, he had written several compositions. However, his early works were not well received, and the financial challenges of being a composer led him to focus on conducting instead. His first conducting performance was with the Kaim Orchestra (now known as the Munich Philharmonic) in Anton Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony. Later, he held conducting positions in Munich, Strasbourg, Lübeck, Mannheim, Frankfurt, and Vienna.

In 1915, Furtwängler became the principal conductor of the Mannheim Opera and Music Academy after Artur Bodanzky. He remained in this role until 1920.

Berta Geissmar became Furtwängler’s secretary and business manager in Mannheim and later in Berlin. She worked with him until she had to leave Germany in 1935. From 1921 onward, Furtwängler spent holidays in the Engadin with Berta and her mother. In 1924, he bought a house there. After he married, the house was a place where many friends gathered.

In 1920, Furtwängler was named conductor of the Staatskapelle Berlin, succeeding Richard Strauss. In January 1922, after the sudden death of Arthur Nikisch, he was appointed to the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. Soon after, he was named conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, also succeeding Nikisch. Furtwängler made his London debut in 1924 and continued to perform there until 1938, when he conducted Richard Wagner’s Ring. He later returned to London many times between 1948 and 1954. In 1925, he appeared as a guest conductor with the New York Philharmonic and returned for performances in the following two years.

In January 1945, Furtwängler fled to Switzerland. During this time, he completed his most significant composition, the Symphony No. 2 in E minor. The symphony premiered in 1948, performed by the Berlin Philharmonic under Furtwängler’s direction. It was recorded for Deutsche Grammophon.

After World War II, Furtwängler resumed conducting and recording music. He remained popular in Europe, though his actions during the 1930s and 1940s were often criticized. He died in 1954 in Ebersteinburg, near Baden-Baden. He is buried in the Heidelberg Bergfriedhof.

Relationship with the Nazis

Wilhelm Furtwängler strongly disagreed with Adolf Hitler's appointment as Chancellor of Germany in January 1933. He believed Hitler would not remain in power for long. In 1932, Furtwängler had said, "This hissing street peddler will never get anywhere in Germany."

In 1933, Furtwängler met with Hitler to try to stop his new policy against Jewish people in music. He prepared a list of important Jewish musicians, including composer Arnold Schoenberg, musicologist Curt Sachs, violinist Carl Flesch, and Jewish members of the Berlin Philharmonic. Hitler ignored Furtwängler, and their meeting turned into an argument. Berta Geissmar later wrote, "After the meeting, he told me that he now understood Hitler's actions were not only antisemitic but also a rejection of artistic and free cultural ideas."

On April 10, 1933, six weeks after the Nazis took power, Furtwängler wrote a public letter to Joseph Goebbels to criticize the new government's antisemitism. Historian Fred K. Prieberg noted that this letter showed Furtwängler cared more about national pride and patriotism than about race. In June 1933, Furtwängler wrote, "The Jewish question in music: a race of brilliant people!" He warned that if Jewish musicians were excluded from artistic work, he would resign from all his positions and stop giving concerts.

Because Furtwängler was well-known, his public opposition to Nazi policies caused mixed reactions. Heinrich Himmler wanted to send him to a concentration camp. However, Goebbels and Hermann Göring ordered their staff to listen to Furtwängler’s requests and make him think they would comply. This made Furtwängler believe he could influence the Nazis to stop their racial policies. He later invited Jewish and anti-fascist artists, such as Yehudi Menuhin, Artur Schnabel, and Pablo Casals, to perform in his 1933/34 season. These artists refused to come to Nazi Germany. Furtwängler also invited Jewish musicians from his orchestra, like Szymon Goldberg, to perform as soloists.

The Gestapo, a Nazi secret police group, accused Furtwängler of helping Jewish people. He gave all his concert fees to German emigrants, including Hans Mayer, a German literary scholar. Mayer later said that for Wagner operas performed in Paris before the war, Furtwängler only cast German emigrants, including Jews and political opponents of the Nazis. Georg Gerullis, a director at the Ministry of Culture, wrote to Goebbels, "Can you name a Jew on whose behalf Furtwängler has not intervened?"

As the Nazis persecuted Jewish people more, Jewish musicians were forced to leave Germany. The Nazis knew Furtwängler might also leave, so they exempted the Berlin Philharmonic, which employed many Jewish musicians, from their policies. In 1933, when Bruno Walter was fired from his position as principal conductor of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Nazis asked Furtwängler to replace him for an international tour. Their goal was to show the world that Germany did not need Jewish musicians. Furtwängler refused, and Richard Strauss took his place instead.

Furtwängler never joined the Nazi Party. He refused to give the Nazi salute, conduct the Horst-Wessel-Lied, or sign his letters with "Heil Hitler," even those he wrote to Hitler. Historian Fred K. Prieberg found all of Furtwängler’s letters to Hitler, which were always requests to meet and defend Jewish musicians or those labeled "degenerate." Refusing to sign "Heil Hitler" was seen as a major insult by the Nazis, which is why many of his requests were denied. Furtwängler accepted honorary positions, such as first vice-president of the Reichsmusikkammer and Staatsrat of Prussia, to try to change Nazi policies in music and support Jewish musicians.

Before the war, Furtwängler refused to conduct Nazi anthems or perform in halls with swastikas. At a 1937 Paris exhibition, a photo showed Furtwängler as the only German not giving the Nazi salute. The photo was hidden at the time but later kept by the Gestapo as proof of his opposition to Nazi policies.

On April 26, 1933, Furtwängler and the Berlin Philharmonic performed a concert in Mannheim to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Wagner’s death and raise money for the local orchestra. The concert was planned before the Nazis took power. However, the Nazi-controlled Mannheim Orchestra Committee demanded that Szymon Goldberg, the Jewish leader of the Berlin Philharmonic, step aside so the local orchestra leader could take his place. Furtwängler refused, and the concert went on as planned.

Before a banquet later that evening, members of the Mannheim Orchestra Committee accused Furtwängler of lacking "national sentiment." Angered, he left the event and joined Berta Geissmar and her mother. His choice to stay with his "Jewish friends" instead of attending the Nazi-hosted banquet caused controversy. Furtwängler refused to conduct in Mannheim again until 1954.

In 1934, Furtwängler publicly called Hitler an "enemy of the human race" and described the political situation in Germany as a "disgrace." On November 25, 1934, he wrote an article in the Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung titled "The Hindemith Case" to support composer Paul Hindemith, who had been labeled a "degenerate" by the Nazis. Furtwängler conducted a piece by Hindemith, Mathis der Maler, even though the Nazis had banned it. The concert was widely praised but caused political outrage. The Nazis, led by Alfred Rosenberg, launched a campaign against Furtwängler, who resigned from his official roles, including vice-president of the Reichsmusikkammer and member of the Prussian State Council. Göring refused Furtwängler’s resignation from the State Council, and Goebbels forced him to give up all his artistic positions.

Furtwängler decided to leave Germany, but the Nazis stopped him. They used the opportunity to replace Jewish members of the orchestra with non-Jewish ones. Most Jewish musicians had already left Germany with Furtwängler’s help.

Berta Geissmar became a target of the Nazis. She wrote in her book that the Nazis investigated whether she was Furtwängler’s lover. After two years of harassment, she moved to London to work with Sir Thomas Beecham. In a book she wrote in 1943, she described Furtwängler’s life in England. Goebbels

Conducting style

Wilhelm Furtwängler had a unique way of thinking about music. He believed that symphonic music was like a natural creation, and that only through sound could it be truly expressed. Neville Cardus, who wrote for the Manchester Guardian in 1954, described Furtwängler’s conducting style this way: "He did not see the written notes in a score as the final version, but as symbols that change and must be felt and realized in a personal way." Similarly, conductor Henry Lewis said, "I admire Furtwängler for being original and honest. He avoided treating the score as a strict rule. He understood that the notes on the page are only symbols. The score is not the real meaning of the music. Furtwängler had a rare ability to go beyond the written notes and show the true meaning of music."

Many people and experts consider Furtwängler the greatest conductor in history. Musicologist Walter Frisch, in his book about Johannes Brahms, called Furtwängler "the finest Brahms conductor of his generation, perhaps of all time." Frisch said Furtwängler’s recordings showed "greater attention to detail and Brahms’ markings than others, and also a strong sense of how the music flows in time, even when small changes happen." He praised Furtwängler for "respecting and making musical sense of instructions about loudness and softness in the music."

Frisch said Furtwängler had "the rare ability to understand both sound and structure." Vladimir Ashkenazy said Furtwängler’s sound was "never rough. It was strong but never heavy. In his loudest parts, every voice in the orchestra was clear. I have never heard such beautiful loud sections in an orchestra." Daniel Barenboim said Furtwängler had "a rare subtlety in tone color. His sound was always full and interesting, unlike other great German conductors of his time."

Some critics, like David Hurwitz, criticized Furtwängler’s approach. He called fans of Furtwängler "the Furtwängler wackos" and said they "forgive him for serious mistakes." He described Furtwängler as "occasionally brilliant but often careless." Unlike conductors like Carlos Kleiber or Sergiu Celibidache, Furtwängler did not focus on perfect details. He had few rehearsals with his orchestra. He once said:

Furtwängler’s style is often compared to that of his contemporary Arturo Toscanini. He once left a Toscanini concert, calling him "a mere time-beater!" Unlike Toscanini, Furtwängler preferred a heavier, less strict rhythm, with more use of bass instruments and changes in speed not written in the score. He focused on the spiritual side of music rather than perfect details. Sergiu Celibidache explained:

Furtwängler’s conducting style is seen as the peak of the "Germanic school of conducting," which began with Richard Wagner. Unlike Felix Mendelssohn, whose style was "quick and precise," Wagner’s approach was more flexible and focused on changing the speed of music. Wagner believed that interpreting music was like re-creating it, not just following written instructions.

Changing the speed of music was not new. Beethoven himself used freedom in his own performances. He once said, "My speed choices are only correct for the first few measures, because feeling and expression need their own speed." He also said, "Why do people ask for my speed choices? If they are good musicians, they should know how to play my music. If they are not, my instructions would not help them." Beethoven’s followers, like Anton Schindler, said he changed the speed when he conducted his own works.

Wagner’s ideas were followed by the first two permanent conductors of the Berlin Philharmonic. Hans von Bülow focused on the structure of symphonies, while Arthur Nikisch emphasized the richness of sound. Furtwängler combined their styles.

In Munich (1907–1909), Furtwängler studied with Felix Mottl, a student of Wagner. He admired Arthur Nikisch as his model. John Ardoin said Wagner’s style led to Furtwängler, while Mendelssohn’s style led to Toscanini.

Furtwängler was deeply influenced by Heinrich Schenker, a Jewish music theorist. Schenker created Schenkerian analysis, which studied the long-term harmony in music. Furtwängler read Schenker’s book on Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in 1911 and tried to read all his works. He met Schenker in 1920, and they worked together on music Furtwängler conducted. Schenker never got a university job in Austria or Germany, even though Furtwängler tried to help him. Schenker relied on supporters, including Furtwängler. Furtwängler’s second wife later said Schenker had a huge influence on him. Schenker called Furtwängler "the greatest conductor in the world" and "the only conductor who truly understood Beethoven."

Furtwängler’s recordings are known for their "rich sound," with special focus on cellos, double basses, percussion, and woodwinds. He said he learned this sound from Arthur Nikisch. His "fluid beat" created small pauses between notes, letting listeners hear each instrument clearly. Vladimir Ashkenazy said, "I never heard such beautiful loud sections as Furtwängler’s." Yehudi Menuhin said Furtwängler’s fluid beat was harder to follow but better than Toscanini’s precise beat.

Unlike Otto Klemperer, Furtwängler did not hide emotion in his performances. His recordings from World War II are famous for their emotional intensity. Conductor and pianist Christoph Eschenbach said Furtwäng

Influence

Wilhelm Furtwängler was a respected conductor who influenced many musicians. One of his early students was Karlrobert Kreiten, a young pianist who was killed by the Nazis in 1943 because he had criticized Hitler. Furtwängler also inspired Daniel Barenboim, an Argentine-born pianist and conductor. Barenboim decided to become a conductor when he was eight years old after hearing a performance of J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion conducted by Furtwängler in Buenos Aires in 1950. Furtwängler’s wife, Elisabeth, once said that Barenboim’s conducting style reminded people of Furtwängler’s. Barenboim later recorded Furtwängler’s Second Symphony with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Many famous conductors have praised Furtwängler’s work. These include Valery Gergiev, Claudio Abbado, Carlos Kleiber, Carlo Maria Giulini, Simon Rattle, Sergiu Celibidache, Otto Klemperer, Karl Böhm, Bruno Walter, Dimitri Mitropoulos, Christoph Eschenbach, Alexander Frey, Philippe Herreweghe, Eugen Jochum, Zubin Mehta, Ernest Ansermet, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Bernard Haitink, Rafael Kubelík, Gustavo Dudamel, Jascha Horenstein, Kurt Masur, and Christian Thielemann. For example, Carlos Kleiber once said that “no one could match Furtwängler.” He also claimed that no one could conduct Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony as well as Furtwängler because “he had already said everything about it.” Kleiber made similar comments about other works, such as Bruckner’s Eighth and Fourth Symphonies.

Other notable musicians, such as George Szell, kept a picture of Furtwängler in his dressing room, even though their musical styles were very different. Arturo Toscanini, who often disagreed with Furtwängler politically, once said that Furtwängler was the greatest conductor in the world besides himself. Herbert von Karajan, who had competed with Furtwängler early in his career, always acknowledged Furtwängler as a major influence on his music, even though their styles were very different.

Furtwängler’s performances of Beethoven, Wagner, Bruckner, and Brahms are still important today. His interpretations of other works, such as Haydn’s 88th Symphony, Schubert’s Ninth Symphony, and Schumann’s Fourth Symphony, are also highly regarded. He supported modern music and conducted the world premiere of Sergei Prokofiev’s Fifth Piano Concerto in 1932. He also performed works by Béla Bartók, Paul Hindemith, and Arnold Schoenberg.

Many famous musicians, including Arnold Schoenberg, Paul Hindemith, and Arthur Honegger, have praised Furtwängler. Soloists such as Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Yehudi Menuhin, Pablo Casals, Kirsten Flagstad, Claudio Arrau, and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf have said that Furtwängler was the most important conductor of their time. For example, Fischer-Dieskau once said:

John Ardoin reported that in 1968, Maria Callas discussed Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony with George Szell after listening to a performance by the Cleveland Orchestra.

Notable recordings

There are many recordings of Wilhelm Furtwängler available today, most of which were made during live performances. Many of these recordings were created during World War II using early tape technology. After the war, these recordings were taken by the Soviet Union and kept for many years. They have only recently become widely available, often released by several different record companies. Despite the technical challenges of these older recordings, they are highly appreciated by fans of Furtwängler’s work.

The following list includes a small selection of some of Furtwängler’s most famous recordings:

• Johann Sebastian Bach, St Matthew Passion (first half only), live performance with the Vienna Philharmonic in 1952 (Südwestfunk)
• Béla Bartók, Violin Concerto No. 2, studio recording with Yehudi Menuhin and the Philharmonia Orchestra in 1953 (EMI)
• Ludwig van Beethoven, Third Symphony, live performance with the Vienna Philharmonic in December 1944 (Music and Arts, Preiser, Tahra)
• Ludwig van Beethoven, Third Symphony, live performance with the Berlin Philharmonic in December 1952 (Tahra)
• Ludwig van Beethoven, Fifth Symphony, live performance with the Berlin Philharmonic in June 1943 (Classica d’Oro, Deutsche Grammophon, Enterprise, Music and Arts, Opus Kura, Tahra)
• Ludwig van Beethoven, Fifth Symphony, live performance with the Berlin Philharmonic in May 1954 (Tahra)
• Ludwig van Beethoven, Sixth Symphony, live performance with the Berlin Philharmonic in March 1944 (Tahra)
• Ludwig van Beethoven, Seventh Symphony, live performance with the Berlin Philharmonic in October 1943 (Classica d’Oro, Deutsche Grammophon, Music and Arts, Opus Kura)
• Ludwig van Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, live performance with the Berlin Philharmonic in March 1942 with Tilla Briem, Elisabeth Höngen, Peter Anders, Rudolf Watzke, and the Bruno Kittel Choir (Classica d’Oro, Music and Arts, Opus Kura, Tahra, SWF)
• Ludwig van Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, live performance at the 29 July 1951 re-opening of Bayreuther Festspiele with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Elisabeth Höngen, Hans Hopf, and Otto Edelmann (Orfeo D’or, 2008)
• Ludwig van Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, supposedly a live performance at the 29 July 1951 re-opening of Bayreuther Festspiele but claimed by the president of the Wilhelm Furtwängler Society of America to be edited studio recordings from a dress rehearsal (EMI, 1955)
• Ludwig van Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, live performance at the 1954 Lucerne Festival with the London Philharmonia, Lucerne Festival Choir, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Elsa Cavelti, Ernst Haefliger, and Otto Edelmann (Music and Arts, Tahra)
• Ludwig van Beethoven, Violin Concerto, studio recording with Yehudi Menuhin and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra in 1947 (Testament)
• Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 5, studio recording with Edwin Fischer and the Philharmonia Orchestra in 1951 (Naxos)
• Ludwig van Beethoven, Fidelio, live performance with the Vienna Philharmonic with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Kirsten Flagstad, Anton Dermota, Julius Patzak, Paul Schoeffler, Josef Greindl, and Hans Braun in August 1950 (Opus Kura)
• Ludwig van Beethoven, Fidelio, both live and studio recordings with Martha Mödl, his preferred soprano, and Wolfgang Windgassen, Otto Edelmann, Gottlob Frick, Sena Jurinac, Rudolf Schock, Alfred Poell, Alwin Hendriks, Franz Bierbach, and the Vienna Philharmonic
• Johannes Brahms, First Symphony, live performance with the North German Radio Symphony Orchestra, Hamburg, in October 1951 (Music and Arts, Tahra)
• Johannes Brahms, Second Symphony, live performance with the Vienna Philharmonic in January 1945 (Deutsche Grammophon, Music and Arts)
• Johannes Brahms, Third Symphony, live performance with the Berlin Philharmonic in December 1949 (EMI)
• Johannes Brahms, Fourth Symphony, live performance with the Berlin Philharmonic in December 1943 (Tahra, SWF)
• Johannes Brahms, Fourth Symphony, live performance with the Berlin Philharmonic in October 1948 (EMI)
• Johannes Brahms, Violin Concerto, studio recording with Yehudi Menuhin and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra in 1949 (Tahra, Naxos)
• Johannes Brahms, Piano Concerto No. 2, live performance with Edwin Fischer and the Berlin Philharmonic in 1942 (Testament)
• Anton Bruckner, Fourth Symphony, live performance with the Berlin Philharmonic in October 1941 (WFCJ)
• Anton Bruckner, Fifth Symphony, live performance with the Berlin Philharmonic in October 1942 (Deutsche Grammophon)
• Anton Bruckner, Sixth Symphony, live performance with the Berlin Philharmonic in October 1942 (Deutsche Grammophon)
• Anton Bruckner, Seventh Symphony, live performance with the Berlin Philharmonic in October 1942 (Deutsche Grammophon)
• Anton Bruckner, Ninth Symphony, live performance with the Berlin Philharmonic in October 1942 (Deutsche Grammophon)
• Anton Bruckner, Ninth Symphony, live performance with the Berlin Philharmonic in October 1942 (Deutsche Grammophon)
• Anton Bruckner, Ninth Symphony, live performance with the Berlin Philharmonic in October 1942 (Deutsche Grammophon)
• Anton Bruckner, *Ninth Symphony

Notable premieres

• Bartók, First Piano Concerto, the composer performed as the soloist, Frankfurt Theater Orchestra, Frankfurt, July 1, 1927
• Schoenberg, Variations for Orchestra, Op. 31, Berlin Philharmonic, Berlin, December 2, 1928
• Prokofiev, Piano Concerto No. 5, the composer performed as the soloist, Berlin Philharmonic, October 31, 1932
• Hindemith, Symphony "Mathis der Maler," Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Berlin, March 11, 1934
• Richard Strauss, Four Last Songs, Kirsten Flagstad performed as the soloist, Philharmonia Orchestra, London, May 22, 1950

Notable compositions

• Overture in E ♭ Major, Op. 3 (1899)
• Symphony in D major (1st movement: Allegro) (1902)
• Symphony in B minor (Largo movement) (1908; the main theme of this piece was later used as the main theme in the first movement of Symphony No. 1, in the same key)

• Symphonic Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1937, revised in 1952–1954)
• Symphony No. 1 in B minor (1941)
• Symphony No. 2 in E minor (1947)
• Symphony No. 3 in C ♯ minor (1954)

• Piano Quintet (for two violins, viola, cello, and piano) in C major (1935)
• Violin Sonata No. 1 in D minor (1935)
• Violin Sonata No. 2 in D major (1939)

• Schwindet ihr dunklen Wölbungen droben (Chorus of Spirits, from Goethe's Faust) (1901–1902)
• Religöser Hymnus (1903)
• Te Deum for Choir and Orchestra (1902–1906) (revised in 1909) (first performed in 1910)

In popular culture

British playwright Ronald Harwood wrote a play called Taking Sides in 1995. The play takes place in 1946 in the American zone of occupied Berlin and focuses on U.S. accusations that conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler had supported the Nazi regime. In 2001, the play was adapted into a movie directed by István Szabó. The film stars Harvey Keitel and features Stellan Skarsgård as Wilhelm Furtwängler.