The Devil's Music Master - Controversial Life and Career of Wilhelm Furtwangler (Hardcover)

Child prodigy turned conductor, Wilhelm Furtwängler was a dominant figure in Central European music between 1922 and his death in 1954. Arguably the century's finest conductor, his decision to live and work in Nazi Germany drew accusations of collaboration, which led to his near-framing as a war criminal. This first comprehensive biography dispels the myth to reveal Furtwängler's selfless role in rescuing the German musical tradition from state service and the lives of hundreds of Jews and others from persecution.

Drawing on much previously unpublished material, this is a penetrating portrait of an uncompromising man, whose recordings remain as popular and influential as ever.