Hermann Levi From Brahms to Wagner

Jewish conductor Hermann Levi (1839-1900) strove for excellence and recognition as a composer and conductor of classical music in nineteenth-century Germany. He unerringly devoted himself to the orchestral performance or works by the two major figures of the time: Johannes Brahms and Richard Wagner. In spite of the prevailing anti-Semitic atmosphere, Levi saw his conducting of Wagner's works as a major calling-one that pinnacled in the premier performance of Parsifal m Bayreuth.

Frithjof Haas was Kapellmeister and head of studies at Baden's National Theater in Karlsruhe from 1948 to 1987. Translator Cynthia Klohr, PhD, has translated books and essays in philosophy, psychology, the theory and history of science, cultural studies, human rights, and music.