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As a service to members who can not attend events in Central London, or who wish to have a record of a meeting they enjoyed, we are very pleased to offer a CD recording of selected events.

NEW CD FOR 2009

Paul Dawson Bowling – Karajan and Wagner – An Ecstatic Lyricism

18^th February 2009, Portland Place School

We are delighted to inform members that we have decided to make a CD recording of Paul Dawson Bowling’s recent talk on Karajan that took place at Portland Place School on February 18^th.  As always, a large crowd assembled to hear Paul’s popular annual lecture, this year with Karajan’s interpretations of Wagner as its subject.

Paul told us a little about Karajan the man – about how the great, world-famous and much recorded conductor struggled to climb the musical career ladder in his youth and about how he never later forgot his early days of poverty and rejection.  He was born in Salzburg and studied at the Mozarteum, after which he eventually found work as Kapellmeister in Ulm.  Various engagements, including several at the Salzburg Festival, later led to a post with the opera house in Aachen.  His long association with Berlin began just prior to the Second World War and he made his first recording in 1938 with Deutsche Gramophon.

Karajan spent most of the war years as conductor of the Staatskapelle in Berlin.  He joined the Nazi party, but was not an activist.  He never found favour as a conductor with Hitler, and toward the end of the war years was falling out of favour with the Nazi party in general. After the war, he resumed his career in Vienna and London.  Karajan also conducted at Bayreuth in 1951 and 1952.  In 1955 he was appointed Music Director for life of the Berlin Philharmonic, unquestionably the role with which he is most associated.  He also remained closely involved with the Vienna Philharmonic and the Salzburg Festival until his death in 1989.

The main subject of Paul’s talk however was Karajan’s interpretation of Wagner’s works.  He had a very distinct style of conducting Wagner, and strove for clarity above all – he had a horror of the “dicke Suppe” style of thick, blended sound, favoured by others.  Under Karajan’s baton, the glorious passion and emotion of the music really came to life.  This was brilliantly illustrated by the selection of recordings chosen by Paul to illustrate his talk – nearly all of which featured the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.  I especially noted the wonderful, lump-in-the-throat-inducing Wotans’ Farewell from Die Walküre and the stirring conclusion to Act 2 of Lohengrin.  The excellent sound quality of Gil Limor’s equipment augmented the clarity and depth of the music and the audience were entranced by every example.

For those who couldn’t make the talk, and equally for those who could and would like to re-live the experience, our CD is now available, priced at £18 including p&p.  If you would like a copy, please send a cheque in favour of the Wagner Society to: Andrea Buchanan, 7 Avenue Mansions, Finchley Road, London NW3 7AU.

PLEASE NOTE that the following recordings of Paul’s previous annual lectures for the Wagner Society are also available to order from Andrea similarly priced at £18:

Götterdämmerung – Rare and Interesting Recordings – 2005

Hans Knappertsbusch – Master of the Ring – 2006

Astrid Varnay – Goddess of the North – 2007

Wolfgang Sawallisch – Wagner Champion of the World - 2008

Gilead Limor

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