That American sure was a lunatic. No, Herbert von Karajan wasn't Albert Schweitzer indeed! Nobody wished Von Karajan to be Albert Schweitzer. Schweitzer was Schweitzer and Von Karajan was Von Karajan. Thank goodness for diversity.

What an idiot!

He looks quite spiffy on the cover of my LP of Beethoven's 9th (1961)! Would have made an effective menswear model, especially for the turtleneck sweater indfustry, had music not proven a suitable field.

I understand there are various stances on the value and worth of his interpretations, and I feel unqualified to opine thereof, but certainly he had the dedication, energy and basic ability to ensure that classical music performance in the 20th century cannot be discussed without referring to him at some point.

How curious that, in a piece that attacks Karajan for, inter alia, extreme egotism, one should find the following sentence:

"On the only occasion he asked to meet me, in 1985, I decided to decline the offer of an interview, preferring to observe him at a distance, the way most musicians did."

Even for those of us who, in some ways, found Karajan an artistic irritation, Lebrecht has again here stepped beyond the boundaries of good taste.

I found Karajan's 're-orchestrations' of Beethoven nothing short of insolent. In particular his addition of the 1st Trumpet playing the main theme near the end of the first movement of the 'Eroica' was especially calous and barberous, especially since the actual notes he supplied were in fact readily available and easily playable on the natural trumpet (!), even though Beethoven didn't want to use them on this instrument.

But - after all - Karajan's original boxed set of the Beethoven symphonies is still (to me) an exhilarating experience. I now prefer Norrington's performances, but don't feel they take anything away from Karajan's efforts.

But my God! Isn't Lebrecht a complete PR*CK!?

Baz 

And he can't spell callous, any fule no that.

The HvJ 1944 Eroica  Skaatskapdelle is my absolute favourite.

Indeed overtures were made to him along these lines but here is a picture of him declining them.

PLEASE tell me that piece was somehow intended for April 1 but missed... on reading that snippet I can't help thinking of the old gag about <any famously arrogant person> finding him/herself next to someone incredibly gorgeous at a bar who offers to, shall we say, perform an intimate act upon them. Famously arrogant person thinks for a moment and replies "so what's in it for me?".

(No, I can't read Lebrecht's pieces for myself any more, I've been told the inevitable rise in blood pressure could be dangerous if repeated as regularly as it has been in the past.)

(Should we perhaps have a Say Something Nice thread for Norman? Or would that be tempting fate?)