Reichorchester [Blu-ray]

Playing for Germany
"Then all of a sudden the portrait of Mendelssohn vanished". Thus begins the Berlin Philharmonic's 12-year period under Nazi control. The Philharmonic had been owned by the musicians, but in early 1934 Josef Goebbels' propaganda ministry took over and the orchestra became part of the effort to promote the superiority of German culture. But as this fine documentary makes clear, it was never a "Nazi orchestra". There were a handful of committed Nazis who intimidated their colleagues, and the 4 Jewish members soon emigrated. As to the rest, some eventually joined the Nazi party, whether out of careerism or self-preservation, while the rest made sure not to rock the boat. And there were good reasons not to, aside from the political threat - they were, after all, the elite Berlin Philharmonic, with Furtwangler as their conductor; who would want to give that up? When war broke out, the musicians were deemed essential in their propaganda role, and none was obliged to enter military service,...

Superb documentary of Berlin Philharmonic in Third Reich
I can only add my words of praise to everyone else. This documentary is a superb telling of the Berlin Philharmonic during the Third Reich. It doesn't gloss over, it doesn't condemn - it simply tells you what it was like and allows you to make your own decisions. I learned a great deal from this documentary that I hadn't realized before.

I do confess, however, to curiosity over why there is NO mention of von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic during the Third Reich. Of course, he wasn't the principal conductor - that was Furtwangler - but Karajan WAS a guest conductor during that period, plus, he was Goring's protege, Hitler had named him State Conductor, etc. It's simply curious that he was totally absent - they mentioned other guest conductors, etc., but never him. Oh, well, no matter. Even without him, this was a superb documentary which I enjoyed immensely and learned a great deal from.

The Art of Moral Compromise
This documentary by Enrique Sánchez Lansch focuses on a fascinating and under-examined historical subject--how the Berlin Philharmonic, Germany's preeminent orchestra, adapted itself to the political and cultural realities under the Nazi regime from 1933 to 1945. The orchestra, known for its brilliant musicianship under the legendary conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler, had to toe the party line under Hitler's rule, purging its Jewish members (four of the musicians were forced to leave) and allowing itself to be used for propaganda purposes in Germany and on foreign tours. Archival footage shows the orchestra playing at Nazi party conferences, before and after speeches by Hitler and Goebbels, and during the opening ceremonies of the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin under the grim, watchful eyes of the military and political elite. In return for its cooperation, the Philharmonic was granted a number of special privileges. Its members were exempt from military service and enjoyed a...

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