This is very special rarity: the only known recorded interview with Carlos Kleiber. He gave it during the concert interval, and I documented it for the first time in Alexander Werner's biography. Although it only lasts a few minutes, it presents Carlos Kleiber speaking about himself and his father as he never did anywhere else. At the beginning of his career he was clearly still willing to speak into a microphone, and did so briefly but freely, in a soft voice and with a slight accent :)
English subtitles please! He is one of the artistic heroes of my youth. Aside even from his retiring to a Slovenian village. I hope one day to live on a mountain overlooking that village.
Thank you for posting. I now see why he didn’t give any more interviews. This was his first ever interview, and about three quarters of the interview are about his dad. He was very polite and nice to talk about him here but he must have hated it. Fearing that the other interviews would be similar, he probably decided to stop doing them.
Int: Carlos Kleiber conducted once before in Hamburg, directing “La Bohème” at the State Opera. As I mentioned before, today’s concert is being given by Carlos Kleiber. And Mr. Kleiber the question comes up, were you able to learn under the eyes of your father? CK: Well, that was impossible since he traveled a lot and I had to remain in school in one place. Unfortunately, I had to change schools about seven times, but he was always traveling and it was more of a change of continents,you see.
Int: How old were you when you gave up your chemistry studies? CK: I was 20 and I had to begin my musical studies from scratch. And for that reason I traveled to Argentina where my father was at that time. I studied counterpoint and piano with two private teachers. I wanted to get into a theater as early as possible and practice. I did not want instructions in conducting, but instead, as my father advised me, to get into a theater instantly, preferably a low class theater and learn conducting,
Int: When did you conduct for the first time? CK: That was in Montevideo . There was a small radio orchestra and I conducted a few orchestral works. Later when I was a bit more experienced in theater, I conducted operetta in Potsdam. My father believed that operetta was especially suited to teach one conducting. Int: Would you agree? CK: I would say that it’s about the hardest there is.
Int: Did your father encourage you to become a conductor? CK: No, on the contrary, he opposed it somewhat. He said I should choose a reasonable profession, and I did that. And I wanted to become a chemist and went to Switzerland and did one and a half semesters at the Polytechnic Institute in Zurich. First I had to pass the entry exam, which was very difficult, because my German at the time was already somewhat broken. When I finally made it into the ETH - Ecole Polytechnique Féderale.
English Translation of German Radio Interview of Carlos Kleiber Hamburg, Germany; 7 December 1960 [Int = Interviewer/host; CK = Carlos Kleiber] Int: …The Hamburg Radio Orchestra is being conducted by the son of a great father, if I may be permitted to say that, Mr. Kleiber. Where were you born? CK: In Berlin. Int: And you are thirty years old, yes? CK: Yes. Int: Where do you work now? CK: In Düsseldorf at the Opera, the Rhein Opera (“Rheinische Oper”).
Was für eine Beschandenheit und gepflegtes Reden... Wenn man es mit manchen Interviews mit den heutigen "newcomer"Dirigenten vergleicht, bereut man die alten Zeiten. Carlos forever!
I've read that Carlos Kleiber's first language was actually English (his mother was from Waterloo, Iowa). I am not a German speaker though I know a bit about the language; it sounds to me that his fluent German has the faintest of non-Germanic accents. I'd be grateful if any native German speaker could let me know.
Видеоклипы
This is very special rarity: the only known recorded interview with Carlos Kleiber. He gave it during the concert interval, and I documented it for the first time in Alexander Werner's biography. Although it only lasts a few minutes, it presents Carlos Kleiber speaking about himself and his father as he never did anywhere else. At the beginning of his career he was clearly still willing to speak into a microphone, and did so briefly but freely, in a soft voice and with a slight accent :)
English subtitles please! He is one of the artistic heroes of my youth. Aside even from his retiring to a Slovenian village. I hope one day to live on a mountain overlooking that village.
Such a nice interview! He comes over as such a wonderful person, his voice really thoughtful, gentle, and also so focussed and committed.
Thank you for posting. I now see why he didn’t give any more interviews. This was his first ever interview, and about three quarters of the interview are about his dad. He was very polite and nice to talk about him here but he must have hated it. Fearing that the other interviews would be similar, he probably decided to stop doing them.
Int: Carlos Kleiber conducted once before in Hamburg, directing “La Bohème” at the State Opera. As I mentioned before, today’s concert is being given by Carlos Kleiber. And Mr. Kleiber the question comes up, were you able to learn under the eyes of your father?
CK: Well, that was impossible since he traveled a lot and I had to remain in school in one place. Unfortunately, I had to change schools about seven times, but he was always traveling and it was more of a change of continents,you see.
thank you very much for this treat!
That is certainly his voice! Bravo!
Int: How old were you when you gave up your chemistry studies?
CK: I was 20 and I had to begin my musical studies from scratch. And for that reason I traveled to Argentina where my father was at that time. I studied counterpoint and piano with two private teachers. I wanted to get into a theater as early as possible and practice. I did not want instructions in conducting, but instead, as my father advised me, to get into a theater instantly, preferably a low class theater and learn conducting,
Int: When did you conduct for the first time?
CK: That was in Montevideo . There was a small radio orchestra and I conducted a few orchestral works. Later when I was a bit more experienced in theater, I conducted operetta in Potsdam. My father believed that operetta was especially suited to teach one conducting.
Int: Would you agree?
CK: I would say that it’s about the hardest there is.
VIELEN DANK, TOMMY!
Int: Did your father encourage you to become a conductor?
CK: No, on the contrary, he opposed it somewhat. He said I should choose a reasonable profession, and I did that. And I wanted to become a chemist and went to Switzerland and did one and a half semesters at the Polytechnic Institute in Zurich. First I had to pass the entry exam, which was very difficult, because my German at the time was already somewhat broken. When I finally made it into the ETH - Ecole Polytechnique Féderale.
English Translation of German Radio Interview of Carlos Kleiber
Hamburg, Germany; 7 December 1960
[Int = Interviewer/host; CK = Carlos Kleiber]
Int: …The Hamburg Radio Orchestra is being conducted by the son of a great father, if I may be permitted to say that, Mr. Kleiber. Where were you born?
CK: In Berlin.
Int: And you are thirty years old, yes?
CK: Yes.
Int: Where do you work now?
CK: In Düsseldorf at the Opera, the Rhein Opera (“Rheinische Oper”).
Thank you so much,dear Mr.Vichev
I would love to hear CK speaking in English, which was his mother tongue.
Was für eine Beschandenheit und gepflegtes Reden... Wenn man es mit manchen Interviews mit den heutigen "newcomer"Dirigenten vergleicht, bereut man die alten Zeiten.
Carlos forever!
INDEED.
I've read that Carlos Kleiber's first language was actually English (his mother was from Waterloo, Iowa). I am not a German speaker though I know a bit about the language; it sounds to me that his fluent German has the faintest of non-Germanic accents. I'd be grateful if any native German speaker could let me know.
per favore una traduzione!
Sottotitoli in italiano. Vi prego!
English was his first language?