Carlos Kleiber Documentary

[MishaK]

Furtwangler?

No, not quite. I like Furtwängler too, but in that finale Kleiber is in a league of his own.

[Charles Barber]

It may -- or may not -- surprise readers that Kleiber was a TREMENDOUS admirer of Furtwängler. I knew and studied with CK from 1989 to the end, and cannot count the occasions when Carlos examined, lauded, and marveled at "Furty's" take on a particular work. We talked about him a lot.

In April and May of 1950, CK attended virtually every rehearsal and performance given by Furtwängler at the Colón in Buenos Aires, his home at the time.

"Kleiber was in particular awe of Furtwängler's capacity to find and release the singing line. He saw and heard in Furtwängler one of the great exponents of unbroken melos, the underground river connecting every harmonic and melodic design above.

"Kleiber was nineteen when Furtwängler appeared in Buenos Aires. He was open to everything that could be learned. During those weeks Carlos appears to have attended the rehearsals and performances of every work. He heard Furtwängler prepare and conduct Bach, Debussy and Haydn, Handel and Castro, Ugarte and Mahler, Brahms' Symphony No. 4,  Richard Strauss' 'Also Sprach Zarathustra' and 'Till Eulenspiegel', the Bartok 'Concerto for Orchestra', Beethoven, Schubert, Tchaikovsky and, perhaps most impressively, Richard Wagner. 30  In particular, the Prelude and Liebestod from 'Tristan und Isolde' was unlike anything he had ever encountered."

So unalike on the podium, Carlos and Furtwängler shared a deep awareness of music and musicianship, I believe.

Charles Barber
CITY OPERA VANCOUVER

[mahler10th]

It may -- or may not -- surprise readers that Kleiber was a TREMENDOUS admirer of Furtwängler. I knew and studied with CK from 1989 to the end, and cannot count the occasions when Carlos examined, lauded, and marveled at "Furty's" take on a particular work. We talked about him a lot.

In April and May of 1950, CK attended virtually every rehearsal and performance given by Furtwängler at the Colón in Buenos Aires, his home at the time.

"Kleiber was in particular awe of Furtwängler's capacity to find and release the singing line. He saw and heard in Furtwängler one of the great exponents of unbroken melos, the underground river connecting every harmonic and melodic design above.

"Kleiber was nineteen when Furtwängler appeared in Buenos Aires. He was open to everything that could be learned. During those weeks Carlos appears to have attended the rehearsals and performances of every work. He heard Furtwängler prepare and conduct Bach, Debussy and Haydn, Handel and Castro, Ugarte and Mahler, Brahms' Symphony No. 4,  Richard Strauss' 'Also Sprach Zarathustra' and 'Till Eulenspiegel', the Bartok 'Concerto for Orchestra', Beethoven, Schubert, Tchaikovsky and, perhaps most impressively, Richard Wagner. 30  In particular, the Prelude and Liebestod from 'Tristan und Isolde' was unlike anything he had ever encountered."

So unalike on the podium, Carlos and Furtwängler shared a deep awareness of music and musicianship, I believe.

Charles Barber
CITY OPERA VANCOUVER

Good Lord.  Charles Barber.  Honoured to meet you Sir, if it IS you.  Any friend of Carlos Kleiber is a friend of mine.

[Charles Barber]

Allo, John of Scots.

Yup, it's true. When I was a grad student in conducting at Stanford I first saw him work. Couldn't believe my eyes -- or ears. I wrote him a letter, asking if I could study with him, and he replied. It went on like that for 15 years and about 200 letters, and a chance to learn from (in my view) the greatest conductor of the age. I recently published a book about him, as I got fed up with all the lurid nonsense being peddled by lazy 'journalists' who never even met the guy. You would have liked him. BBC3 is doing a long-form radio documentary about CK, based on the book, due to be transmitted on March 10.

We share a heritage, John. Half of my family is Scots, from Livingstone Station. We won't talk about the other half.

PS:  Carlos had a wonderful, relentless and bizarre sense of humour. Among many admirable traits, he "got" Fawlty Towers.

Charles Barber
CITY OPERA VANCOUVER

[mahler10th]

Allo, John of Scots.
I wrote him a letter, asking if I could study with him, and he replied. It went on like that for 15 years and about 200 letters, and a chance to learn from (in my view) the greatest conductor of the age.

Yes, I saw that on one of the features from 2009 Radio 3.  Excellent.  Honoured indeed.  I will now look for your book, and get it!  Thank you also for the Radio 3 documentary news which I will most definitely be tuned to.  How astonishing that after 'suddenly' switching on to Herr kleiber, that I am speaking to you of all  people about it.  Thank you Maestro.
Just one thing.  Your heritage coming from Livingston, Midlothian.  Livingston Station?  Is that the bus station or what?  Your parents were born in in a bus station in Scotland?      0:)

[mahler10th]

For anyone who doesn't know what has just happened here...and how privillaged we are...

"I never write letters of recommendation, so this is an exception. Charles Barber is a scholar and a conductor who adores and understands music. We have become friends, and he pretends to believe that I have taught him something."

~~~ Carlos Kleiber, 1997

[eyeresist]

He heard Furtwängler prepare and conduct Bach, Debussy and Haydn, Handel and Castro, Ugarte

Hmmm ... ?

[Charles Barber]

Indeed, WF did conduct S American composers -- at the request of the Teatro Colón's management. In the course of researching the Kleiber book, and through Sebastiano De Filippi, I was able to acquire copies of those programmes. I believe the same info about WF's S American repertoire appears in John Hunt's book and, if not mistaken, John Ardoin's as well.

Similarly, WF also conducted in Venezuela on that tour, and recordings have survived.

[Charles Barber]

Yes, I saw that on one of the features from 2009 Radio 3.  Excellent.  Honoured indeed.  I will now look for your book, and get it! 
====thank you / do not operate heavy machinery within six hours of reading it / very dangerous

Thank you also for the Radio 3 documentary news which I will most definitely be tuned to. 
====I hope you enjoy it. We're taping my voice-overs this Wednesday morning, via CBC Vancouver

How astonishing that after 'suddenly' switching on to Herr kleiber, that I am speaking to you of all  people about it.  Thank you Maestro.
=====my pleasure. I actually first 'saw' him on PBS one night. My friend Mark and I were bicycling from Stanford to Los Angeles, down the coast, and one night (my birthday) rented a motel room. While Mark was in the shower I was channel-surfing, and there was Kleiber (whom I did not recognize) leading the Concertgebouw in Beethoven 4. Changed my life.

Just one thing.  Your heritage coming from Livingston, Midlothian.  Livingston Station?  Is that the bus station or what?  Your parents were born in in a bus station in Scotland?      0:)
=====no, in a handbag at Victoria Sta... ohh. Sorry. Couldn't pass up.
===my parents were born in Canada. Talking the generations prior.

Hello again!

Family tales advise that the Walker (my mom's) side came from Livingstone Station, then a small village on a rail line, in what is now a suburb of Edinburgh. They emigrated to Canada about a century ago, and I presume that the 'station' is long gone. Luckily, the accents have survived. My sisters and I can still do a reasonable approximation, though I doubt we would fool YOU.

Best,


Charrrrrles