The Political Orchestra

This is a groundbreaking study of the two most prestigious orchestras in Germany and Austria--and two of the preeminent musical institutions in the world of classical music--during the dramatic period of the Third Reich. Written in clear and accessible style, the book adds not only a great deal of new information about the role of the two orchestras in the cultural politics of the Third Reich, but also reveals uncomfortable truths about their involvement with Nazi ideology. Some of the most fascinating aspects of the story told stem from the similarities and differences between the two orchestras, their organizational structure (as originating in the nineteenth century), their claim to the tradition of classical music, and their function as agents of local and national culture. Indeed, the relationship between the orchestras was long shaped by a competition for preeminence in the authentic interpretation of Austro-German orchestral music. The book’s opening chapters lay the ground for understanding the gradual politicization of the two orchestras. The first chapter shows how, in the closing decades of the nineteenth century and during the Great War, both orchestras were called on to represent the "superior" Austro-German symphonic music against inferior non-Germanic operatic repertories (notably French music). The second chapter explores the interwar years of the Weimar Republic in Germany and the Austrian First Republic, a time when the orchestras were integrated, in different ways, into larger administrative and social structures of their respective cities and countries and became dependent on subsidies and vulnerable to various forms of political manipulation. The four central chapters deal with the Nazi period in detail by focusing on how both orchestras came to play a major role in the politics of the Third Reich. Both the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic became part of what is now considered the political use of "soft power," that is, by showcasing nationally and internationally the superiority of Germanic culture in concert tours, through mass media, and in fictional representations in literature and film. During the Third Reich, such propaganda efforts went hand in hand with the increasing radicalization of the two orchestras, ranging from the dismissal of Jewish members to the programming of ideologically appropriate repertory--all in the name of racial and cultural purity. During World War II, moreover, the orchestras were increasingly tapped to perform for the troops and the workforce as well as presenting German culture in the occupied territories. Trumpi's meticulously and richly documented account explores various dimensions of this process, ranging from valuable statistics of the repertory played over this period, to sources that demonstrate the sustained financial effort and personal stakes expended on "their" orchestra by politicians and functionaries of the Third Reich (Goebbels in Berlin; Baldur von Schirach in Vienna), to the demonstrably increased control by the Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda over the orchestras’ personnel, touring schedules, and media presence. What sets this study apart from other recent studies about the relationship between musical culture and totalitarian regimes is that it’s not caught up in questions of aesthetics and morality. Indeed, Trumpi’s comparative approach and dual focus presents a double case study that demonstrates, with a rather dispassionate sobriety, how the relationship between music and politics in a totalitarian regime was shaped by specific local circumstances and contingencies that both favored and resisted total manipulation.