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The National Socialist dictatorship and the war did irreparable damage to the German cultural landscape – and with it the Berliner Philharmoniker. The regime’s maniacal racial policy led to the loss of valuable musicians, and the orchestra was isolated from the international exchange of soloists and conductors. At the same time, the National Socialists turned Germany’s representative ensemble into an instrument of official cultural politics. Nevertheless Furtwängler and the orchestra managed to carry the ensemble’s artistic substance through the war.
On 26 May 1945 the Philharmonic gave their first post-war concert under Leo Borchard. The performance took place at the Titania Palast, a converted cinema. In August, Borchard was mistakenly shot by an occupying soldier, and an unknown young conductor, the Rumanian Sergiu Celibidache, was appointed – more or less fresh from the music academy. The orchestra’s choice proved prescient. Celibidache’s passionate temperament and wideranging programming were inspirational. Wilhelm Furtwängler was not allowed to direct the Philharmonic again until after his denazification in 1947. He resumed leadership of the orchestra in 1952.
