Readers’ Corner: Music during World War II
It is my usual practice to listen to a live performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in a concert hall in December. At the end of 2024, however, I decided to listen to the symphony on two LPs produced in the Soviet Union some 70 years ago. The recordings came from German broadcasters. Before the Russia-Ukraine War, I corresponded with a Russian record collector in English, and I was able to buy those records. The symphony was conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler and performed in Berlin in 1942, during World War II. According to the conductor’s wife, people wanted to hear music so badly that they sold their clothes and shoes to buy a ticket. They had to walk through rubble from the bombings to get to the concert hall. I believe the Berlin Philharmonic musicians performed during the air raids as if it was their very last concert. (148 words) You can send me comments or stories at jaremaga@gmail.com