Herbert Von Karajan: A Life in Music by Richard Osborne

Herbert Von Karajan: A Life in Music Reviews

• 
  John

  I was quite excited to get into this biography, as big as it is (nearly 750 pages of text). Herbert von Karajan is probably my most listened-to conductor, and I was eager to learn more about his life and in particular get some new perspectives on his controversial past as a conductor working in Nazi Germany.
  This biography delivers positively on many levels. Osborne gives us a pretty satisfying portrait of the man from his childhood until his final years, having done a great job with the research and interviews a biography this size demands. His own interactions with Karajan are interesting to read as well. One highlight is the complex relationships that Karajan had with those around him, whether it be a recording mogul such as Walter Legge or an entire orchestra, especially the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics.
  But what I couldn't get past while reading this was that it seemed like one giant synopsis of Karajan's recordings and performances. Nearly every chapter is peppered with Osborne's opinion on this concert's result and that recording's style and power. I can definitely see the relevance of including critical receptions of Karajan's records from various journalists, but it seems like Osborne used this book as his own little newspaper column about classical records (or worse, Amazon customer reviews for classical CDs). And these "columns" are characterized by abstractions along the lines of "it was like the darkest shades of humanity coming out of the architecture" or some such.
  Maybe that is what the book was intended to be anyway; after all, it is subtitled "A Life in Music," which perhaps alludes to a focus on recording and performance synopses. Indeed, a large amount of time is spent on Karajan's recording career, a very significant part of his life. But if you go into this book expecting straight-up biography you might find it a bit of a slog due to this.
  Nevertheless, despite these gripes, I can recommend this book as essential to musicians, especially conductors, who wish to learn about the life of one of the greatest ever to hold a baton. Just get it and take your time with it, and you'll enjoy it.
• 
  Philippe

  This is probably the ultimate biography of a complex and controversial personality in recent musical history. The book is conventionally structured: it is based on a detailed chronology supported by a rich factual database on Karajan's accomplishments as an orchestra builder and manager, recording artist and film maker. Stretching to more than 700 pages, the rich detail of Osborne's account certainly is one of the main attractions of this book. We learn a tremendous amount about Karajan's working methods, contract negotiations, concert tours, recording schedules, casting policy, press reviews, etc. As the story progresses Osborne branches out in all kinds of directions, gradually weaving more and more threads into the basic narrative. Given the quality of Osborne's prose this never becomes tedious. And it really does learn us something substantial about the breathtaking speed, economy, tenacity and versatility of the Karajanesque genius. There is no doubt that the book as a whole transcends the merely anecdotal. What emerges is a rich, multifaceted, holographic image of a great artist. What is even more impressive about Osborne's book is that it gives us an idea of what constitutes the essence of great conductorship. Instead of being confronted with woolly and simplistic generalizations about a certain 'Factor X' that allows an individual to coax exactly the right sound from a full symphony orchestra, we see the conceptual foundations of this most elusive of disciplines emerge in all its technical, psychological and somatic richness. Therefore, this book is definitely a must-read for any classical music lover, irrespective of personal predilections with respect to the man himself.
  Comment
• 
  Manuel

  I have to say, I was a bit daunted initially by the sheer size and scope of this work, but, having just finished it, I have to say it's one of the finest musical biographies I have ever read. Filled with endless fascinating details about this seemingly enigmatic and highly-guarded individual, Osborne manages to give a very insightful and balanced rendering of Herbert von Karajan, the man, certainly a musical genius of the first order. Superbly written, one never tires of the exhaustive details of von Karajan's life. This is a well-paced, and hugely satisfying musical biography; it makes you want to pull out all your von Karajan recordings, and listen to them with fresh ears. A truly monumental work. My only quibble; it would have been nice to include a selected discography, although, understandably, given von Karajan's musical output, it might be too much to ask for.
• 
  Kurt

  A genius is a genius is a…
• 
  Isidore

  Osborne's vast tome lays out the facts of Karajan's career in exhaustive detail, but does not convey a clear picture of either the artist or the man. The latter was undeniably elusive, but one wishes Osborne had worked harder to define his view of Karajan's salient characteristics as a performer, how he changed over time, why he was important, why his detractors were wrong, and how he fits into the history of orchestral leadership. At best we catch tantalizing glimpses of these vital topics amidst a sea of gossip and minutiae. Far too much of the book is nothing more than a tedious diary of performances and business transactions, and far too often we are asked to accept snippets from Gramophone record reviews as a substitute for thoughtful analysis. Recommended only to diehard fans.
• 
  Mike

  Wow, this took a long time to read. I've been getting into classical music lately so I picked up a biography of one of the most talented and notorious conductors of the 20th century. Although the book does a great job of looking at all angles of Karajan's personality and his various indiscretions, it is a little too packed with references to artists and works that I've never heard of. Not great for the beginning classical music fan, but it had its moments.