Norman Lebrecht

[Rosy]

Dear David,

Let me first of all thank you for the article. Then, I'll make the whole traslation. You know, my English is poor.

But, I want to emphasize a sentence of this article. The last.

What was right for me, what has moved me!

**************************************************************************

Rosy

[darkehmen]

prahcello said:

I agree that a section in this forum for the critics only reinforce their so-called "importance".

This is the point that I made at the beginning, and I still maintain it.

prahcello said:

I also think that reaction is necessary. I would like to suggest that the members of this forum express their feelings to the critics in question, and the editors of the magazines that publish their rubbish.

Very much so. To use a military analogy, wherever a war is fought, that ground ends up being ravaged. I'd rather see other publications defaced by squabbling than this forum. The refreshing thing about it, up to now, has been the fact that it has been a refuge from the bickering of other Web forums, and a rare forum of honest and genuine appreciation. It woud be sad to see this, too, become a disagreeable place.

[darkehmen]

dgp said:

This time it's from one Ivan Hewett writing two days ago in the Daily Telegraph here in the UK.

And sadly, by linking to it and driving up its hit count on the newspaper, we only make the publication more eager to print more such pieces.

It isn't even original -- it's just a rehash of the slurs in Lebrecht and in the juvenile piece in the January Gramophone.

Again, it's 100% political propaganda, and in true "political spin" style, the writer attacks Karajan's strengths and pretends that they are liabilities. The man who democratized music more than any other, and he's accused of turning it into a "luxury consumer item"? How are my $10.00 CDs "luxury" items?

But the point where he shows his true colours is when he admits a preference for today's classical-music scene (what's left of it) because of its "pluralism." Pluralism is not a musical goal; it's a political goal. It has nothing to do with music quality (or lack thereof). Like many of his ideological strip have always done, he puts political goals first, and grades art and artists according to the degree that they advance those political goals.

What he is really doing celebrating the triumph of propaganda culture -- and that fact that classical music is increasingly turning into a marginal art for the people who share those particular political sensibilities.

[~Linda~]

I logged on this morning to find an issue which I am not happy about.

This Forum was set up as an addition to my website and is for Karajan enthusiasts. There are plenty of sites on the Internet for so-called "Karajan bashing" but this Forum is not the place for such postings. I have therefore banned the recently joined member concerned and have removed the relevant postings.

Members may feel that my action is heavy-handed in that I am not allowing free discussion but I feel that Karajan's memory is not well served at the moment and my site and this Forum hopes to re-dress the balance.

Would a football supporters’ club, for instance, welcome a member who spends his time attacking the club?

Linda

[roger]

Apologies for entering this discussion so late. But no one has mentioned that Norman Lebrecht was sued for libel in 2007! His book was withdrawn from publication and large damages paid. You can read about his public humiliation by typing into your search engine the words - Norman Lebrecht + libel. I recommend an article in The New York Times which takes him apart and exposes his rackety journalistic methods. They described him as 'factually challenged.' Whenever I read someone who accepts Lebrecht's opinions as gospel I tell them to read about his libel humiliation.

Actually, Lebrecht has been the great loser in this anniversary year.

Nothing he has said has stopped the celebrations, nor diminished the interest in von Karajan. I suspect his tirades have been counter-productive. They have stirred up interest in the Austrian conductor. All a person has to do is look up von Karajan on the internet. They can see him conducting on You Tube and hear extracts from his music elsewhere. Also, the sensible will read Richard Osorne's biography and view Robert Dornhelm's marvellous video biography to find out what von Karajan was really like.

Lebrecht has done himself untold damage by his extremism. He has exposed himself recklessly in public and the whole world knows about it. Poor old Norman!

[kapapala]

I believe Lebrecht’s criticism is motivated by politics. The three open biases he promotes are that Karajan was a Nazi party member, that he ruled the classical music business until his death and that he mad a lot of money in the process. The Nazi membership, indeed, is a black mark on more than 30 million Germans and Austrians, but it has nothing to do with Karajan's art. I assume Lebrecht is a leftist who resents artists, particularly gentiles, making money. He recently attacked Anne-Sophie Mutter for asking too high fees. To me Lebrecht is an unreliable critic and a dubious journalist whose musical and journalistic instincts must be questioned. His publisher withdrew one of his books recently as part of a legal settlement because it contained falsehoods and distortions.

[thitch]

I've read a copy of this book in its North American paperback edition by Anchor. It is written in a gossipy, tabloid journalism-style that makes for a few laughs and light, summer reading on the beach - if you're looking for that kind of thing - but certainly nothing to take too seriously, in my view. His contempt for Karajan is well known and doesn't bear repeating here again. I was reading the late American historian/philosopher Will Durant the other day, and came across a suitable quote that could be applied in this situation:

"I know how unfashionable it is now to acknowledge in life or history any genius loftier than ourselves. Our democratic dogma has leveled out not only all voters but all leaders; we delight to show that living geniuses are only mediocrities, and that dead ones are myths. If we may believe historian H.G. Wells, Caesar was a numbskull and Napoleon a fool. Since it is contrary to good manners to exalt ourselves, we achieve the same result by slyly indicating how inferior are the great men of the earth."

Best regards,

Tim.

[stuartg]

Hello Tim

Your Will Durant quote reminded me of a most excellent observation made by Friedrich Nietzsche on this aspect of human nature.

In 'Apophthegms and interludes no. 185' from his book 'Beyond Good and Evil' Nietzsche asks us to consider the following:

"I dislike him."-why?- "I am no match for him." - Did anyone ever answer so?

Does this not shed light on so many of Karajan's detractors?

Stuart

[thitch]

Thanks Stuart. As I mentioned in my post for the April 5'th thread, Karajan was a great, influential conductor. But not only that, he was successful. Of course, success in one way or another opens anyone up to attack it seems, from some quarters - which brings us back to the timely quotes you and I (and others) have made before regarding this phenomenon.

[Catalin N. R.]

Sorry for resuming this discussion after several months of silence, but I have a similar topic on my own Karajan-dedicated group: classicalmusicuk.ning.com/group/karajan.

I read and I am in complete agreement with John Hunt's reply, but I think this reply is too gentle, too civilized and polite for such a blasphemous article like Lebrecht's one... Of course, John Hunt shouldn't have cursed Lebrecht (like I've done), but just to be more frowning and incisive with him. However, that idiotic article signed by Lebrecht roused only indignation, but not many replies, so I think the general public just ignored it...
I'll try to do the same from now on!

Catalin

[stuartg]

Dear all,

Lebrecht is a man with very low self-esteem, and like all such people who are unhappy with themselves and resent beauty, light and dynamism, seek to destroy anything that they cannot be a part of.

Ignore him; let's not inadvertently give him a platform on this site for his perfidious views.

With the greatest respect to CatalinNR (and I'm sure we all empathise with his sentiment), let's have no more postings about this ugly Lebrecht creature.

Stuart