Great Performers: Carlos Kleiber
There are quite a few father-and-son conducting families, but only one where both are considered on a level, and both indisputably recognised as among the greatest exponents of their art. Erich Kleiber (1890–1956) was one of the major conductors of the years between the two world wars and in the few years left to him after World World II left a small but magnificent group of recordings, Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier among them. His son, born in Berlin in 1930 and initially known as Karl, changed his name to Carlos when the family emigrated to Argentina in 1935. He, too, would become one of the greatest interpreters of Der Rosenkavalier (though he always declined the opportunity to undertake a studio recording, supposedly claiming that his father had left the definitive recording – luckily there are a handful of live performances to enjoy).
Read more…After studying chemistry in Zurich, Kleiber turned to music and became a répétiteur in Munich, learning his craft the traditional way before moving to Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Zurich, then to Stuttgart where he held the post of Kapellmeister between 1966 and 1973. It was to be his last official post.
Carlos Kleiber's heart lay in the theatre. Even when conducting symphonic repertoire, which he didn't do that often, there is a theatricality and intensity that surely draws on his experience in the pit. His conducting style, likewise, drew on a "theatrical" modus operandi – extensive rehearsals, often forensic in their attention to detail, that would, come the actual performance, be lifted into a realm of pure spontaneity. His "notes" to the musicians after performances were legendary and would reveal the acuteness of his attention to detail. And they would inspire his musical collaborators to give performances well beyond the level they themselves thought they were capable of.
His repertoire was not particularly broad, and rarely wandered from the "core", but in his hands even music that was as well known as Beethoven's Fifth Symphony would glow like molten lava and seethe with life. Not surprisingly, the DG recording with the Vienna Philharmonic became a modern classic almost overnight, held by many to be the greatest account of the symphony ever recorded. In the orchestral repertoire, he only conducted a quartet of the Beethoven symphonies (his Fourth is particularly fine) and his Brahms Fourth and Schubert "Unfinished" are both wonderfully handled.
In the field of opera, he had a small group of works that he would explore regularly – Verdi's 'La traviata' and 'Otello', Puccini's 'La bohème', Johann Strauss II's 'Die Fledermaus', Richard Strauss's 'Der Rosenkavalier' and Weber's 'Der Freischütz'. Recordings, either studio or live (often both), of all of these survive and reveal Kleiber's dramatic genius and his innate sense of partnership with singers. 'La traviata' with Ileana Cotrubas is one of the most "complete" recordings made – not in terms of the text (ironically there are cuts), but in the sense of the emotional range of the characters. Here's a Violetta who will have you close to tears on countless occasions. And Kleiber's genius makes every orchestral interlude or dance an extension of the drama. Not for a single note does he leave unexplored the richness and breadth of his palette.
The DG recording of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde remains controversial, and in the view of its conductor, was not worthy of release. Having recorded every note, Kleiber was not satisfied, and was strongly against its ever seeing the light of day. DG went ahead and issued it. Its casting of the lyric Margaret Price as Isolde (not a combination that would have been possible in the theatre in all likelihood) is one of the set's beauties. And Kleiber's handling of the orchestra throughout is magnificent, making one only dream of what a Kleiber-led 'Ring' cycle or 'Meistersinger' might have been like.
One of the greats, without doubt, Kleiber had virtually no detractors, merely myriad admirers, and received the universal praise of his peers. And he was also a musician who proved that by not giving a single interview, a mystique could add to the magic of his art. And how!