Otto Klemperer, his life and times / Peter Heyworth.

Author/creator Heyworth, Peter
Format Book
Publication InfoCambridge [Cambridgeshire] ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 1983-
Descriptionvolumes : illustrations ; 24 cm
Subjects
Klemperer, Otto, 1885-1973.
Conductors (Music)--Germany. --Biography.

Contents v. 1. 1885-1933 -- v. 2. 1933-1973 .
Contents v. 1. Childhood -- A student in Berlin -- Apprenticeship in Prague -- Hamburg: 'Himmelhoch jauchzend, zum Tode betrubt" -- Shipwreck -- With Pfitzner in Strasbourg -- Cologne: conversion and marriage -- Cologne: galley years -- Berlin beckons -- Wiesbaden: the world opens up -- The call comes -- Klemperer's Kroll opens -- The Kroll gets under way -- The Kroll in midstream -- The end of the Kroll -- The Kroll: an epilogue -- On devil's island -- Crossing the Red Sea -- Appendix: The Berlin opera houses during the Weimar Republic ; Biographical glossary ; Discography / by Michael H. Gray.
Contents v. 2. Into exile -- 'A cloudburst of non-sequiturs' -- Bread and work -- In the wrong place -- On the road to self-destruction -- 'Ajax fell through Ajax's hand' -- Europe remains Europe -- Behind the curtain -- Caught in the crossfire -- A sea of troubles -- The high ground regained -- Ordeal by fire -- Exit Legge -- The shadows lengthen -- The final years -- Biographical glossary ; Discography / by Michael H. Gray ; Klemperer on film / by Charles Barber.
Abstract Otto Klemperer was one of the great conductors of the century, best known in the last years of his life for his performances and recordings of the classical symphonic repertory from Mozart to Mahler. The uncompromising integrity of his interpretations earned him a respect bordering on reverence among fellow artists as well as the general public. He also won sympathy for the courage that enabled him to continue conducting in the teeth of accidents and illnesses that would have finished the career of a less tenacious man. That, however, is only part of the story. Throughout his life Klemperer was obliged to struggle against a severe psychological illness. A manic-depressive temperament caused violent swings in mood that affected his career and in his earlier years involved him in tempestuous love affairs. In the mot scandalous of these episodes he eloped with the great singer, Elisabeth Schumann, who was a recently married woman. Although later regarded as a classicist, Klemperer was earlier a leading champion of new music; as director of the Kroll Opera in Berlin he headed a house that breathed new life into opera and made it available to a broader public. This book contains the first full and critical study of the Kroll to be published in any language. When Hitler came to power in 1933 Klemperer was obliged to flee from Germany. Emigration and a long life gave him an almost unique variety of musical lives, ranging from the nineteenth-century conditions in Austrian Prague to the wild west circus in Los Angeles, from Strasbourg Opera run as a bastion of Prussianism to the Stalinism in Hungary. He was also involved with some of the greatest composers of his time, such as Mahler, who launched him on his career, Busoni, Strauss, Pfitzner, Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Hindemith and Weill. This biography reveals Klemperer as a crucial figure in the musical life of the first half of the twentieth century. It is based on family letters and a wide range of documents hitherto unused.
Abstract The first volume covers the years 1885 to 1933 and includes a discography by Michael Gray of all Klemperer's recordings of the period. The second volume follows the conductor's fortunes from his time as an émigré in the United States to his final years as conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra of London. His time in America was frustrating and unhappy. He became chief conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, but failed to secure important engagements on the East Coast. Bedevilled by manic depression, his euphoric moods led to wild escapades, on one occasion finding him in police cells. Returning to Europe in 1946, he found work at the Budapest State Opera until Stalin's grip forced him away. In the fifties he found work where he could, suffering illness, accidents and depression. Finally, he was given a contract with EMI and his concerts and recordings with the Philharmonia brought, at last, the worldwide recognition that had so long eluded him. The two volumes are also available as a set.
General noteIncludes index.
Bibliography noteDiscography: v. 1, pages 444-452.
Bibliography noteBibliography: v. 1, pages 453-458.
Awards noteAssociation for Recorded Sound Collections Award, 1997.
LCCN 83001992
ISBN0521242932 (v. 1) :

Availability

Library Location Call Number Status Item Actions
Music Closed Stacks - Ask at Circulation Desk ML422.K67 H53 1983 V. 1 ✔ Available Place Hold
Music Closed Stacks - Ask at Circulation Desk ML422.K67 H53 1983 V. 2 ✔ Available Place Hold