jmc's classics
Yesterday was the birthday of German-Jewish conductor Otto Klemperer (1885-1973) He was also a composer who had a limited number of works. Similar to Bernstein and Furtwangler. His works include six symphonies. In 1933 when the Nazis came to power he moved to the United States eventually becoming director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He was acclaimed for his conducting of Beethoven, Brahms and Mahler. He also conducted a renowned version of J.S. Bach's St. Matthew's Passion.
Many Jews including Barbara Streisand and Isaac Stern have played and performed Christian music including Christmas carols. His son is actor Werner Klemperer (1920-2000). He was best known for his role as Colonial Klink in the sit com Hogan's Heroes which lasted form 1965-1971. It lasted longer than WWll. Some people cringed at a sitcom about a POW camp in Nazi Germany. Some of the episodes are funny. There was another sitcom from that period that I remember F Troop about the Civil War. I remember them from the re-runs when I was a child. In 1951 an accident at the airport in Montreal forced him to conduct from a chair. He hired his own musicians to prove that he could conduct. he was principal conductor or the London based Philharmonia Orchestra which became the new Philharmonia Orchestra.. Otto Klemperer suffered with bouts of depression throughout his adult life. This is also common among a lot of musical geniuses. I have not heard any of his compositions. he is overshadowed by his son and that TV show which I have not seen in years
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