Artistic Excellence, Careerism, and the Nazis
Herbert von Karajan
https://www.classical-music.com/features/articles/trouble-karajan/
Herbert von Karajan succeeded Furtwangler as the conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic in the mid 50’s. He enjoyed fabulous success as a renowned conductor and recording artist until his death in the late 1980s.
He first rose to fame as a German conductor during the 30’s; his rise was contemporaneous with his joining the NAZI Party in 1933; he stayed a party member ‘til 1944. He fled with his wife to Milan in 1945. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_von_Karajan#Nazi_years After the war, he declared his membership was merely to advance his career, nothing more. In other words, from his stated perspective, he had been an opportunist trying to get a plum conducting job, not a dedicated NAZI. He had showed none of Furtwangler’s unwillingness to play NAZI anthems, participate in NAZI events, or be a part of NAZI propaganda. https://www.classical-music.com/features/articles/trouble-karajan/ There is no contemporary evidence that he took action to save any of his colleagues or fellow musicians from persecution or the concentration camps as Furtwangler did.
He married Anita Gutermann, who was 1/4th Jewish, in 1942, and she helped cleanse his name and reputation after the war had ended when the allies were investigating collaborators. After being cleared of collaboration by the authorities, he continued on to an extraordinary performing and recording career and became extremely wealthy from his recording contracts.
In his later years, German and Austrian music historians began to investigate his past NAZI associations. https://www.nytimes.com/1983/03/17/arts/germans-explore-ties-of-musicians-of-nazis.html Shortly before his passing, the US Justice Department began investigations into his past associations with the NAZI party — an effort that ceased after his passing. https://apnews.com/article/cbcbcf46eaf8719c9e29bca25c180412
So who was he behind this glittering career and incredible artistic excellence? He seemed to have been eyes wide shut during the most murderous, heinous regime of the 20th Century.