There has never been a book written on the subject of the Berlin Philharmonic during the Third Reich, in any language. The historiography is scant, and strewn with rumours and misinformation. This book represents the first comprehensive study of the relationship between Hitler’s regime and its musical crown jewel. The Nazi regime’s patronage afforded the Berlin Philharmonic innumerable privileges unique among German cultural institutions. The orchestra accepted these benefits with a combination of gratitude and apprehension. As the musicians attempted to balance their exceptional status with a degree of artistic and organisational autonomy, tensions between ideological principle, legal jurisdiction, personal taste, and pragmatic regulation, revealed profound contradictions at the heart of the Nazi State. The transformations of the Berlin Philharmonic between 1933 and 1945 remain the models for the orchestra’s organisation to the present day.

MISHA ASTER is a Canadian, educated at McGill University and holds an M.A. in Dramaturgy. He has directed operas in Toronto, Innsbruck, Austria and Berlin. His articles have been published in Canada, most recently in The Walrus magazine, in the United States, and in Germany. He lives in Berlin.

Misha Aster's profile page