Taking Sides

Wilhelm Furtwängler, arguably the most distinguished conductor of his generation, is forced to face the American Denazification Committee. Although he is acquitted of all charges, his name remains tainted by association. After Hitler took power in 1933, many Jewish artists were forced to leave Germany. Others went voluntarily into exile in protest. Furtwängler chose to stay. While helping to secure safe haven for many Jewish musicians, at the same time he served as one of the Nazi`s foremost cultural assets. The question of the artist`'s political responsibility within a totalitarian regime remains open to this day – whether to stay and serve one`'s own people or to leave the homeland.