Hitler's Record Collection From His Berlin Bunker

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 8-6-2007 | Petra Krischok

[blam]

Hitler's record collection from his Berlin bunker

By Petra Krischok
Last Updated: 1:16pm BST 06/08/2007

A collection of gramaphone records from Adolf Hitler's headquarters in Berlin has appeared, giving an insight into the Führer's musical tastes.

Hitler was a music enthusiast

The record collection was in possession of Russian military intelligence officer Lew Besymenski, who examined the Führerbunker in Berlin following Germany's defeat in 1945.

Mr Besymenski kept his haul secret but after he died in June this year his daughter revealed the find to German magazine Der Spiegel.

Surprisingly, the music Hitler and his entourage listened to featured Russian composers, including Tchaikovsky, as well as a Jewish musician who fled Germany in 1933.

Here is the list in full:

* Richard Wagner - ouverture of the Flying Dutchman performed by the orchestra of the Bayreuth Festival House
* Modest Mussorgski - aria “Death of Boris Godunoff”, sung by the Russian bass Fjodor Schaljapin
* Pyotr Tchaikovsky - one entire album with the star violinist Bronislaw Hubermann as soloist
* Alexander Borodin
* Sergei Rachmaninov
* Austrian musician/singer Artur Schnabel (who left Germany in 1933 as he was Jewish)

[mware]

Rachmaninov

Now that is a surprise.

[Blogger]

I knew he loved Wagner.

[rfp1234]

[rfp1234]

[Mr. Mojo]

Mussorgski, Tchaikovsky, Borodin, and Rachmaninov? It appears ole Adolf was a secret Russophile.

Artur Schnabel

And a Jew too! (Schnabel was one of the greatest classical pianists of the 20th century).

[andy58-in-nh]

Und he could dance ze pants off of Churchill!!

[Screamname]

Hellary is into Wagner as well. I heard her favorite is “The Ride of the Valkyries” which she blasts from 5 foot high speakers while running around the room bouncing off walls screaming “power” “power”!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSKL5E3zSjs

[Socratic]

Rachmaninov

I don't find it such a surprise since he liked Wagner so much. The lush melodies and extremely full orchestration of Rocky is why I like him so much. Prokofiev is also a big winner. (I wish more people realized there is much more than just "Peter and the Wolf" in his output.)

[Bladerunnuh]

According to the article, Hitler had a copy of the Flash Gordon Soundtrack by Queen-- who knew?

[Clemenza]

I always picture Adolf as being a fan of “Over the Rainbow” by Howard Arlen...

[Screamname]

LMAO!! “Flash..aaahh ahhhh!”

[Clemenza]

Ping!

[good old days]

Ping

[Screamname]

I don`t know, with that limp wrist pose Hitler always did, maybe he was into WHAM!

"We`d like to thank our biggest fan, Adolf Hitler."

[decimon]

No Motown?

[skimbell]

[Cicero]

Artur Schabel is arguably the greatest interpreter of Beethoven as a pianist. I have his complete sonatas on 33rpm records, as well as assorted versions of the sonatas and concertos by other pianists which I had bought earlier.

I think Anthony Burgess was thinking of the contrast between Hitler’s musical tastes and his lack of morality when he wrote “A Clockwork Orange.”

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

What? No gangsta rap?

[Westlander]