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# **BERNHARD KLEE (1936–2025), A LIFE** ## **I. Early Years and Musical Formation (1936–1960)** Bernhard Klee was born on 17 April 1936 in **Schwerin**, in a Germany still grappling with the shadows cast by…

# **Hans Feodor von Milde (1821–1899) — The First Telramund** Hans Feodor von Milde was born in the Austrian Empire and studied with Manuel García, one of the greatest vocal teachers of the century.…

# **LORIN MAAZEL — 30 ANECDOTES & CURIOSITIES** **1. The Little Boy Who Conducted Before He Could Read** Family friends remembered a toddler standing on a sofa, waving his arms with uncanny authority whenever…

𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐍’𝐒 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐏𝐋𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐎 — 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝟏𝟗𝟔𝟗 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐉𝐀𝐍, 𝐎𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐊𝐇, 𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐂𝐇 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 Few classical recordings have ever assembled such an extraordinary concentration of musical personalities as the celebrated 𝟏𝟗𝟔𝟗 EMI recording of Beethoven’s Triple…

𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘 𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐍’𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐇 𝐒𝐘𝐌𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐘 Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 in B-flat major, Op. 60 has an extraordinarily rich discography and, precisely because of its transparent, rhythmic and apparently light character, it allows…

𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋𝐎 𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐈 𝐀𝐒 𝐀 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐍 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐓𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐄𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐎 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐍 Arcangelo Corelli occupies an unusual position in the history of musical pedagogy. He left no violin method, no systematic…

𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐋 𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐁𝐎𝐙 — 𝟐𝟎 𝐅𝐀𝐒𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒, 𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐔𝐌𝐀𝐍 𝐕𝐎𝐈𝐂𝐄 Michel Corboz was never one of those conductors who built a public image around theatrical gestures or celebrity.…

𝐌𝐎𝐙𝐀𝐑𝐓 — 𝟐𝟎 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐘𝐌𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐒. 𝟒𝟎 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝟒𝟏 Mozart’s final two symphonies invite radically different approaches. Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550, thrives on tension, nervous energy and emotional…

𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐓𝐙𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐍 — 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐄𝐏𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐕𝐎𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐑’𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐃𝐈𝐔𝐌 Nathalie Stutzmann is one of the most unusual figures in contemporary classical music. Long before becoming an internationally celebrated conductor, she was already…

𝐌𝐀𝐗𝐈𝐌 𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐘𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐕 — 𝐀 𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇𝐘 From Baroque opera and historically informed Mozart to Schubert, Mendelssohn and Brahms, Maxim Emelyanychev has built an increasingly important discography both as conductor and keyboard player. 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟓 𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐄…

𝐌𝐀𝐗𝐈𝐌 𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐘𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐕 — 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐑 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐋 𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 Maxim Emelyanychev has become one of the most distinctive conductors of his generation: restless, spontaneous, theatrical and intensely communicative. Born in Russia in…

𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐔𝐃𝐈𝐎 𝐀𝐁𝐁𝐀𝐃𝐎 — 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐑 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐁𝐔𝐈𝐋𝐓 𝐎𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐒, 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐄𝐆𝐎𝐒 Claudio Abbado belonged to a generation in which the great conductor was still frequently imagined as an absolute ruler: an imposing figure…

𝐄𝐔𝐆𝐄𝐍 𝐉𝐎𝐂𝐇𝐔𝐌 — 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐑 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐃 𝐁𝐑𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐑 𝐀𝐒 𝐀 𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐔𝐀𝐋 𝐉𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐘 For Eugen Jochum, Anton Bruckner’s symphonies were far more than monumental constructions designed to display the splendour of a great orchestra. He…

𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐓 𝐕𝐎𝐍 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐉𝐀𝐍 — 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐏𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐔𝐈𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 Herbert von Karajan approached an orchestral rehearsal not as a routine preparation for a concert, but as the laboratory in which an interpretation had to…

## 𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐎 𝐓𝐎𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐈 — 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐑 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐃 Arturo Toscanini became legendary for stepping onto the podium and conducting vast symphonies, operas and choral works **entirely from memory**. To…

𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐌 𝐅𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐖Ä𝐍𝐆𝐋𝐄𝐑 — 𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐐𝐔𝐄 Wilhelm Furtwängler did not believe that a musical masterpiece could be reproduced like a finished object. For him, a score was not a set…

𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐎𝐒 𝐊𝐋𝐄𝐈𝐁𝐄𝐑 — 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐑 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐀𝐍 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓 Carlos Kleiber occupies an almost unique position in the history of conducting. He never directed a major orchestra for decades in the manner…

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗛𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗢𝗥 𝗕𝗘𝗥𝗟𝗜𝗢𝗭 𝗔𝗦 𝗪𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗡 𝗕𝗬 𝗛𝗜𝗠𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗛𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗢𝗥 𝗕𝗘𝗥𝗟𝗜𝗢𝗭 𝗔𝗦 𝗪𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗡 𝗕𝗬 𝗛𝗜𝗠𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗙 𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗧 𝟭𝟴 𝗔 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗲𝘁 𝗔𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱: 𝗚𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆, 𝗛𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗿𝘆, 𝗥𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗮, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗡𝗼 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗲…

𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗞𝗬 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗥𝗔𝗩𝗘𝗟 — 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗠𝗨𝗧𝗨𝗔𝗟 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗖𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬 𝗧𝗢 𝗔 𝗖𝗢𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗪𝗢 𝗠𝗢𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗡 𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦 The relationship between 𝗜𝗴𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗸𝘆 and 𝗠𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗥𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹 was one of the most significant artistic friendships of the years immediately…

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗛𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗢𝗥 𝗕𝗘𝗥𝗟𝗜𝗢𝗭 𝗔𝗦 𝗪𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗡 𝗕𝗬 𝗛𝗜𝗠𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗙 𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗧 𝟭𝟴 𝗔 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗲𝘁 𝗔𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱: 𝗚𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆, 𝗛𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗿𝘆, 𝗥𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗮, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗡𝗼 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 — 𝟭𝟴𝟰𝟮 For years, 𝗛𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗼𝘇 had struggled…

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗛𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗢𝗥 𝗕𝗘𝗥𝗟𝗜𝗢𝗭 𝗔𝗦 𝗪𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗡 𝗕𝗬 𝗛𝗜𝗠𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗙 𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗧 𝟭𝟬 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘅 𝗱𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗔 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗛𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗔𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗲 — 𝟭𝟴𝟮𝟲 For 𝗛𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗼𝘇, the…