World-famed German Conductor Wilhelm Furtwangler was worried. Since war's end he had conducted orchestras in Britain and Switzerland, but the bid from Chicago was his first solid offer to conduct again in the U.S.
The thought of Chicago's climate bothered him, for one thing: "I'm afraid the wind would make me nervous." He was even more worried about Chicago's hospitality. Explained an intimate friend: "The maestro . . . fears he may be unwelcome because he was appointed first musician of the Reich by Hitler, although he has [since] been cleared by the denazification...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
