Karl Böhm’s 1939 Recordings of the Beethoven Piano Concertos op. 37, op. 58, and op. 73

More than four decades after his death, what “remains” of Karl Böhm seems to have become fixed in a few leitmotifs and positions. The old-school conductor, revered by many, who contributed to cultural reconstruction after the Second World War from the podiums in Vienna, Salzburg and Bayreuth and was at times regarded as the most popular conductor of the German-Austrian tradition alongside Herbert von Karajan, is met from another quarter with references to his attitude and actions during the Nazi era. And whilst some regard his performances of Mozart, Wagner and Strauss as setting the standard, others reject them outright, frequently describing his Mozart in particular as “dreadful, at times shamefully routine” (Peter Gülke).

The 23 essays in this volume, divided into the chapters ‘Biography & Career’ and ‘Repertoire & Interpretation’, provide the first comprehensive critical examination of this controversial conductor, who – although often judged differently in moral and aesthetic terms – has left an undeniable mark on music history.

With contributions by Julian Caskel, Andreas Domann, Martin Elek, Harald Haslmayr, Raymond Holden, Ursula Kramer, Michael Kraus, Hartmut Krones, Erik Levi, Helmut Loos, Laurenz Lütteken, Moritz Oczko, Richard Osborne, Arabella Pare, Ryan M. Prendergast, Oliver Rathkolb, Peter Revers, Paula Schlüter, Rainer Schwob, Arne Stollberg, Chanda VanderHart and Thomas Wozonig.