VIENNA YEARS AND RECORDS (1951-1956)

(based on "A Memoir" by John Russell) 

Kleiber in fact did not like much the gramophone and it is a paradox that his most lasting records are those for Decca, left from his last years. These records are made in a time when a gramophone record of the best quality (in the literal and the figurative sense of the word) contributed for confirming the reputation of a conductor much more than many concerts in front of an audience. This effect is one of the caprices of the musical history, which according to me, later turned into a phenomenon with an unfavorable effect. At first, it gave extremely high authority of the criticism against the gramophone records. Kleiber himself did not have any reason to complain of critics and realized that the long-playing record could carry away the exact idea of a performance to places, where it had been unknown before; besides, the record allows people, who love music, to get acquainted with works, which they could rarely or never hear at the opera or at the concert hall. The result, according to the historians, is the most accurate presentation of the conception of the conductor about the work. 
But Kleiber was not interested in this point of view at all. Of course, he missed the thing, which each musician misses when he makes records: the spiritual trill, the shared sympathy and enthusiasm, which make every hall performance unique, and at the same time differ from the ones, which the same performers experience in other cases. It is exactly this lack that was extremely unpleasant to him, because on top of that he was most remarkable as a "mediator", and whatever the mediation is, it can not exist when the only audience is a black box and none of the moments brings the feeling of fatality. Then follow the problems with the dates: the great Vienna records of Kleiber are realized at the end of the opera season, when everybody already wants to go on holiday. The possibility to be formed a united cast for acute hearing, and in this way to be reached better sound than the sound at the stage, brings forth also an obstacle, opposite to all of that: the exclusiveness, i.e. the thing which most of the sound-record companies require. It is not depreciation or dishonoring of his reputation to say that Kleiber had not been able to avoid the disadvantages in this system neither in "Der Rosenkavalier", nor in "Figaro". 
In spite of the fact that he had almost 30 years experience in the sphere of records, Kleiber was almost never satisfied with them. Regardless of that, many of his gramophone records possess an extraordinary and exciting spontaneity. The overture to "Carmen" with the Czech philharmonic orchestra is a magnificent example how even the most popular music can surprise us at any moment. The Second Symphony of Beethoven with the Brussels orchestra is also with old registration (1929), but at the end the emotions exceed the determined level of the bad record. You can find even some of the short plays in the antique shops, recorded between 1923 and 1949, for example the overture "Donna Diana" and the series "Johan Strauss with the London Philharmonic orchestra". It is worth the effort to look for them because no one but Kleiber could make more in such minimum space. After the appearance of the longplay records, it is absolutely natural for the sound record companies to want to present full versions of the most significant classic works as soon as possible. That is why Kleiber records symphonies No. 3, 5, 6, 7 and 9 of Beethoven for Decca during his visits in Amsterdam and Vienna. Some of these records enjoy such glory that nothing could stop me emphasizing their qualities. Anyway, Kleiber never liked others of them. The record, which mostly approaches his ideal, undoubtedly, is "Der Rosenkavalier", realized in Vienna in the spring of 1954 with Maria Reining, Sena Jurinac, Hilde Guden and Ludwig Weber. Even the fact of the realization of this record itself meant much for him. But the fact that this happened in Vienna and at this particular stage in the relationship with his hometown, presents one of the ironies in the destiny of his career. Kleiber had returned in Vienna several times after the war and not once the Vienna daily newspapers announced the inevitable concluding of a contract with the Vienna Staatsoper. As a whole these announcements provoked unappealing refutations on his part, but we must say that attempts have been made (or at least it looked like such have been made) to be signed a contract with him several times during the years 1945-55. The only result of this is the isolated agreement for "Der Rosenkavalier" in the Vienna Theater in March 1951. This performance remains as one of the most memorable of his achievements and Kleiber was extremely appreciated by the orchestra (in 1948 Max Graf notifies that "Kleiber, with his energetic temper, dominated the orchestra from the very beginning"). Because of that there is no argument that he, if nothing else, has been one of the conductors, mostly mentioned in connection with the Vienna Staatsoper. But it would be really naive to make conclusions that at this time in Vienna all this was in his favor. 
Therefore it is not strange at all that Kleiber, who had much too rich experience with the Vienna betrayals (other word would be inaccurate), showed such reserve. He was extremely exigent regarding the role distribution, the rehearsal hours, the orchestra members, i.e. all that, which the administrator wanted to have the last word for. Namely this is the reason most of the cooperative projects of Kleiber with the Vienna Staatsoper usually to complete with indignation against "unreasonable requirements" on one part, and on the other - with the "real Viennese slap". "But the town is so beautiful!", Kleiber often was saying. 
The opinion of some of his friends was that he had been unnecessarily strict regarding all details in the work. It is comprehensible that an outer person penetrates difficulty into the area of the chief conductor, where often a man is evaluated according to his disadvantages and where showing your worth could turn in a mysterious way to be to your disadvantage more than if you do not manifest yourself at all. But in Vienna there were two iron rules for closing a contract with a guest conductor, who is threateningly talented. The first is: "Do not let him work!" And the second: "If you can not impede him from working, set the things in a way, that a lot more to be demanded out of his work!" Kleiber was excessively energetic in order not to let himself be in the second situation.

Der Rosekavalier 

The question regarding the second opening of the Staatsoper itself was also important; the thoughts of everyone were in this direction. This was the Olympic final, in connection with which the performances in the Vienna Theatre were simply preparatory meetings, from which as exceptions could be considered the stars and the praised favorites. The more the opening date came closer, the more intense the backstage intrigues became. One, a second and then a third famous conductor gave his friends an inkling of himself that the solemn opening performance would go off under his baton. 
But in March 1951 the upper mentioned problems were still in embryo. Music continued to be of first importance and it was not brought simply to insignificant part of the electoral campaign. According to the words of Madame Jurina, "Der Rosenkavalier" under the conducting of Kleiber presented to the performers - Hilde Konetzni, Sena Jurinac, Wilma Lipp, Fritz Krenn, Anton Dermota - a question of utmost tension - something which rarely happens in the routine of an opera theatre. One of the spectators remembers how he entered the room of the artists by mistake before the first rehearsal and saw the singers from the exceptional cast deadly pale from anxiety. But Kleiber did not approve such kind of spirit among the actors at all and had already settled the atmosphere of heartiness and trust which was typical for him. After the performances had begun, they turned to be something like a revelation for the Vienneses, who got inebriated on the sense that "Der Rosenkavalier" was something that belonged to them in a special way. The truth is that the Vienna opera will always arouse agitation. The conductor, upholder of magnificence and range, will find support in almost the whole musical scope, because although situated in Vienna since XVIII century, this work is so monolithic, as the wardrobe of a Bavarian peasant one hundred years later. The indication "durchaus parodistisch" of Strauss is set in the text of the 21 st act. Few are those among the audience, as well as among the performers, who would object to the fact that the conductor extends the indication in question over three actions. And this is so, because as it is appropriate to suppress the strong parody of the text of Hofmannsthal, in the same way many efforts could be saved if a person is reconciled with the small disadvantages in the scope of Strauss and sincerely says "let it go". 
Of course the lyric scenes in "Der Rosenkavalier" charm the spectator, but this is first of all a narrative opera and the first problem of the conductor, connected with it, is to fix a tempo, which to cover the whole action; and the second problem is to reach clear expression of the words without harming the mighty resource, with which Strauss has endowed the orchestra. Kleiber's decisions of these problems surprised some of the Vienna critics. Without endlessly dipping in the deep emotional moments, he opposes the ones, who loved to sink into "Der Rosenkavalier" in a way, in which others dip into a sauna. He holds the orchestra in piano and pianissimo page after page, and in this way the audience is given much more than it has expected to hear. Kleiber moulds the preludes to the third action with such unsurpassed clearness, that many musicians shared with him after that that they had never heard such a performance. Drawing the essence of the musical tissue, he exceeds the ordinary effectiveness, authentic and rough to a small degree, to which the audience is used to trust. The Handel's abundance of sounds is really reached in some passages, like for example the recitative of baron Ochs in the first act, where he compares himself to "Jupiter happy with his thousand faces". But at the same time Kleiber reaches the fleetness, which is peculiar to Handel and is not corresponding to what people expect from "Der Rosenkavalier". 
In order to follow the pure professional qualities of Kleiber, it is best to turn to the passage in the first action, (No.l24-FF in the score), where Ochs speaks to himself, to Octavian and Marshallin at one and the same time. Ludwig Weber, who records this role with Kleiber, once told me, that regarding the pure virtuosity, he had never seen another, who holds the action crystal clear in this scene better that Kleiber, and the huge orchestra - mobile and flexible, as it is in the "Ariadna auf Naxos" opera by the same author. Exactly the long lyrical moments are the most memorable in "Der Rosenkavalier". The humor can be maximally influential, but if it does not get to the heart, the action would appear to be endless to the audience. Kleiber was not an upholder of the teary pattern, imposed to this opera. Strauss and Hofmannsthal call it a comedy and in the record, made by Kleiber, it continues to be such. But it does not mean at all that his interpretation lacks depth of feelings. On the contrary, what it is missing is sentimentality. With Kleiber there is no need of underlining each note, and when the music appeals for a crucial blow (as it is in the third action, when the word "vorbei" (ending) transferred from one voice to another, as an envelope, which no one dares to open), then the narrator gives it back hot and strong and this blow, in spite of the whole sweetness, hidden in it, is lethal. Kleiber directs proficiently the orchestra and the opera all the time, and this is a lecture for using the reserves, when they come from overabundance of feelings, of course. Only people with strong character can afford not to beg for the attention of the audience or in other words to put a pole in the wheel. 
It seems to me that "Der Rosenkavalier" with Kleiber is one of the best social entertainments ever presented to the audience. There is rarely a word, and more rarely an action without a deeply hidden element of social observation. Not all aspects of life in Vienna have changed and when Portuguese and Neapolitans are said to be ridiculous intruders, when Och points out Paris as the capital of the culture, when there is a talk about what the people in Graben would say, it is more than important all the words to be clear. Even Sittenpolizei are not something from the past and the gulf between those, who possess a golden key and those, who open with an ordinary one, still continues to exist. "Der Rosenkavalier" radiates luxury and a high social position and strikingly resembles Vienna in XVIII century, as "Flotenkonzert" of Menzel resembles Potsdam as Voltaire knew it. Strauss (as well as Menzel) has been an author, confident in what he was doing. Due to this the work is abundant in small details, describing in front of us what Marshallin calls "true portrait of a man". 
Regarding harmony, "Der Rosenkavalier" is remarkable for its extraordinary wealth. That is why the waltz in la major in the scene with the breakfast connects so perfectly with the moment of dreams, the last happy moment, which Octavian and Marshallin live through. But everything looks crystal clear under the baton of Kleiber. When the curtain in the Vienna theatre fell down, one critic felt an impulse to present himself in the role of an echo of the words of Sophie and Octavian. He wrote: "Kleiber has enchanted the orchestra, making it create such an unearthly atmosphere, that not until fading away of the last measure the spectator says to himself: "This is a dream, it could not be true!""

Last years

But what the audience would think or say in no way changed the attitude of the administration toward Kleiber and he was never hired again. The truth is that many people did not want him to return. Many were the clerks, patrons and impresarios, whose lives were easier without him. He could destroy a lot of determined "combinations" between them as well. He was left with no option but to leave the country again. At first he went in Florence, where he made a version of "I Vespri Sicilian!", in which he worked with Maria Callas and Boris Christoff But this famous duet did not at all influence the detailed preparation, usually done by him; and he kept it that way till the orchestra gradually started to express the vigor, required by Verdi. Kleiber got to like Florence and Rome, as Amsterdam and Copenhagen. Sometimes with productions like "Orfeo", rediscovered work of Haydn, and "Due Pezzi" of Dallapiccola, he cut himself away from the standard repertoire more than the conservative Italian audience would like. But he won the ovation of the public due to his "extraordinary conductor's and theatrical wisdom" through Verdi's operas, in which he knew well how to make the musical line penetrate into the audience like a steel wire. On the other hand, the patience of the Italian singers was put to the test. "He is not a bass", Kleiber says for a famous actor, "he is too stupid for that. He is a failed tenor." And for another: "He can not be expected to express some feeling while he sings. At this time he thinks that he is playing a game of poker." 
Regarding the discipline during the following years, Kleiber had no problems. In exceptional cases, when the performer did not manage to give the best of himself, Kleiber did never let himself be cheated. He either immediately pointed out what was wrong (he once even broke a timpani during the scherzo of the Ninth Symphony of Beethoven), or with some unexpected expression made it clear he knew what was happening. Once, when the third trumpet got lost and stopped playing during a strong instrumental passage, Kleiber continued till the end and not until then he said: "Everything was very good, only the third trumpet was too loud." The subtle sense of humor served him very well in such situations. Sometimes he was able to change the atmosphere at a rehearsal in London, imitating the most swaggering clerk in "Foreign Office", for example. He also disposed of quite a big store of local idiomatic phrases, which he used for easing up of the atmosphere. His alumni from Covent Garden gave him a book with songs from Tirol as a present, with the following dedication: "To our dear teacher Erich Kleiber, who forms us in two lines". But the psychology of rehearsals appeared to be extremely complex in Latin America predominantly; one sentence there, said at the proper moment, could be more efficient than a long and strict pleading. Let us take for ex- ample the slang of the pamp - Kleiber attained proficiency in it well enough through the help of a textbook, given to him by one of the orchestras. And while in Europe he would raise up the spirit of the team with "Vivere in pericolo", in Buenos Aires he relied on a lightning "Hold strong, we will race!" Or the explicit "Only over my dead body!" 
During the last few years some of the outstanding contradictions continued and even intensified. On one hand Kleiber was known with the high fees he demanded, and on the other - he often worked for free, i.e. for the good of the orchestra (in London, Brussels and elsewhere), or, as it was in Munich, for the rebuilding of the theaters, destroyed during the war. He demonstrated lack of patience and restraint at concerts of others; he often appeared unexpectedly at the rehearsal of some of his colleagues and stayed uncomplainingly the whole evening. And in spite of becoming more and more practical in the leading of second-grade performers, he managed to keep himself completely inviolable for the compromises and recommendations, which seemed inevitable in such situations. Regarding the preparation, he became stricter than ever, when it was necessary. Before the records of Figaro" and before "Requiem" of Verdi, realized in Vienna in the winter of 1955-56 year, he returned again and again to the original texts. In particular, he continuously had been visiting his old adherent Erich Engel, although he was so ill, that he could only note with pencil in the margins of Kleiber's writings "yes" or "no". After long years of reconciliation with what he had at hand, it was at least possible for him to work with singers, who had for ever left their mark on some roles: Flagstad, Callas, Jurinac, Weber, Christoff, Siepi... 
Nevertheless, every musician from the generation of Kleiber continues to carry deep in himself the feeling that music, such as he had known it, has lost its brilliance and quality. "As they had known it" - with Bartok, Berg, Schonberg, Hindemith and Strauss in the prime of their life - a dozen of great performers, among whom he could choose; performers, much closer (in time, school, sensi- tiveness and gifts) to the roots of music than the present ones; and also the still visible reflection of the musical life in XIX century at the horizon. 
A concert that gave great pleasure to Kleiber in the beginning of the summer of 1953 is the one, which again brought him together with the orchestra of Darmstadt. In this way he again managed to visit the town, where he had experienced his first successes, a town, which had preserved its ancient love towards arts. 
Kleiber described the concert in a letter, which he wrote a week later to his old colleague Lert, who had been married since a while and lived in California. Here is part of this letter: 
Dear old colleague, and most of all friend, 
Many people came to greet me and the most exciting of all was the audience. In spite of being from another generation, they accepted me as an honorable citizen of Dammstadt! [Darmstadt- "The town of dykes"] I know that you keep a warm feeling in your heart for the town and for that wonderful time, when here we became someone. 
To You and Your family, with many love, good-bye, from some other part of the globe, but always with Muuuuusik! 
Heart greetings, 
Your old friend, Erich Kleiber 
Kleiber had always cherished the hope that after the war Vienna would take its peculiar place of a musical capital in the world again. During the last weeks of the struggle in Europe he spoke at the radio from Mexico, but nowadays his words sound too pathetical: "All of you, who are true Austrians, should have one ideal, one and only: the word "Austria" must mean something more than what it meant in the past. And a new Austria must be born out of the victory of the Alliance forces. This should be our aim and, I ask you, not to worry for the form of our future government. Further on we will have time for politics, so I congratulate all our countrymen with a sincere and enthusiastic "Greetings!" God save our small country and give it a happy resurrection." 
Filled with deep patriotic feeling, Kleiber returned in Vienna for two series of records, which won him a new fame at different places of the world. During these visits at the height of the summer, the Maestro could be seen in the illuminated and velvet upholstered saloon of "Sacher": big man, full of energy, with ashy gray tropic suit and obviously nervous that he had to loose a single working hour. "How much I work", he often repeated, "Like a black slave! But it is worth!" And with a winking added: "I mean, the money!", concerned not to require something in advance, however. He appeared only once in front of the audience in Vienna and may be because of that he gave a tremendous zeal in the performance of Verdi's "Messa da Requiem", which he was invited to conduct in November 1955. 
Although it was unofficial, this concert was part of the celebrations, fol- lowing the opening of the Vienna State Opera. No one, who was in Vienna at that time, could forget the irresistible excitement in the streets then. The per feet time to listen to a concert in Vienna is in a wonderful winter Saturday morning, and after the hours spent with the Philharmonic orchestra on November 6th it was already easy to go out of the very ugly, but beloved musical hall and to feel that Vienna and the music are an integral whole. 
At that time Kleiber was in Schruns, Volarberg. In spite of the telegrams he had sent to the State Opera "with best wishes from an old member of "Vierte Gallery", it was extremely difficult for him to watch the tearing down of this monumental symbol of Austria, so expected and wished during all these years. Then he shut himself up and devoted himself to the preparation of Verdi's Requiem. Four first-class Italian performers from Milan were promised to him for this case; all tickets were sold in less than an hour and the work itself was of those, which Kleiber especially loved. Maybe there had not been a concert, which he so much yearned for. 
There should have been two performances of the Requiem - on November 23rd and 24th. The four soloists under question had to return to Milan on November 25th, in order to start rehearsals for "Die Zauberflote" under the conducting of Herbert von Karajan. This was planned long time ago. But when Kleiber arrived in Vienna for the consentient dates of the rehearsals he discovered that the authorities in Milan had considered as proper to draw out the starting date five days ahead. As a result of that the four soloists were forced to cancel their contracts. But the Requiem is not a work, which can be played at prima vista even by a well working team. One of the conditions, set by Kleiber, was to have at his disposal the soloists, chosen by him. Two years ago the "Requiem" was presented under the conducting of Karajan (of course with first-class soloists from "La Scala"). This coincidence increased the overall interest to both performances. 
Kleiber is not a man, who would bend before the problems and insisted the concerts to be performed with unknown cast - three of the soloists were Italians, and the forth one was Miss Jean Madeira, who had just made her debut as mezzo-soprano in the Vienna Staatsoper. The weather was extremely bad during that week. The first concert went off, accompanied by a fierce storm, which could be heard inside the hall. It was not strange that under these conditions one of the three Italians was not able to sing at all and the other two were not in their best shape. But some critics noticed that Miss Madeira showed huge progress after this week of work with Kleiber. A daily newspaper wrote for the Maestro himself: "He is the same as always, with expression of Maestro, with technique of Maestro, without affectedness, without "aesthetic" movements, with the only determination to serve to music and to the single musician, calmly, reliably and in concentration." The same critic said about the concert itself: "Vienna does not have time for intrigues and law agitators. Vienna needs strong and pure personalities, with a single word, personalities like Kleiber!"

Coda

Just two and a half months after that Kleiber died. He had always been too concerned about his health and most of his friends could give him 20 more years of life. His work was more and more notable (people, who witnessed his concerts in Stuttgart and Cologne would agree for sure) and it was obvious that his career also attained completely new dimension. May be some photo pictures could alarm for the forthcoming, as in the light of the latest information they reveal a wound that was never healed. But, as a whole, January 1956 year was good for Kleiber. His concert in Cologne, which included Weber's First Symphony, Mozart's Clarinet concerto (performed by Lothar Faber) and a score of dancing works by Mozart, is held out in a strange mixture of intensity, mastership and clear analysis. Mozart's "Dances" is the series that he had played during each of the passed 30 years on the occasion of Mrs. Ruth Kleiber's birthday dates. The Maestro loved to call them "Birthday Dances". The short dance "Walk with a sleigh" K605 had to be played encore. This is the last work, conducted by him... 
At the end of his life Kleiber was not very sociable. He loved to tear himself away from the surrounding world while dealing for example with the preparation of "Parsifal" in La Scala, which premiere was announced for the Easter holidays in 1956. In his case this meant to lead the simple way of life, which only a millionaire could afford. At these periods of drawing back, his favorite refuge was the "Dolder" hotel in Zurich. Due to their long stays there, the Kleibers managed to maintain a rhythm of life, completely independent from the life of the rest of the people in the hotel. And like many other famous musicians, Kleiber was always glad to enter his room, to close the double door and patiently to wait for his excellent meals, always served at the strictly determined hour. He also appreciated the diligence of the valet at the floor, who was serving him for long years and who in his turn was a musician with taste and criteria. 
But this stay would continue longer than the period, including January 27, 1956, which is connected with the celebration of two centuries anniversary of Mozart's birth. Kleiber was one of the few conductors, who would not lift up the bacon on this day. The Maestro in fact planned to remain in the hotel, while Mrs. Kleiber set off by car for Lugano, in order to prepare his departure to Rome. (He had to conduct a suite of "La Clemenza di Tito"). He would not have remained alone, because doctor Willi Reich, a friend, scientist and biographer of Alban Berg, would have had lunch with him, in order to exchange ideas regarding the suit "Lulu " that Kleiber had to conduct in America with the Vienna Opera. Meantime, he would also have written some letters and for sure there exists a letter with a big decorative title: "Two hundred years since Mozart's birth". But he never managed to do that... 

1957

1. Preface

2. Erich Kleiber - In Memoriam
3. The Great Maestro
4. A Talk With Erich Kleiber About His Recordings
5. Vienna Years And Records


NEXT:
6. Carlos Kleiber - The Myth Carlos
7. The Enigma Carlos Cleiber
8. The Son Of A Minor God
9. The Maverick

10. Appendix

Българска версия