Click here to visit our new site --> CafeDVD 2.0 Hans Knappertsbusch: Wiener Philharmoniker Wiener Festwochen 1962 Concert (1962) Rating: Starring: Knappertsbuch, Wiener Philharmoniker, Birgit Nilsson Director: Hans (Conductor) Knappertsbusch Category: Music Studio: TDK Subtitles: English,Spanish,French,Italian Length: 81 mins     Knappertsbusch was undoubtedly one of the last generation of great German conductors, a 'Director of Music' in the best sense of the word. Knappertsbusch hated superficiality and showmanship on the rostrum; he generally conducted from the score and used gestures sparingly. He used to say, "I can after all read music," and he was perfectly able to defend highly unconventional interpretations convincingly. The orchestra loved him, his quirky manner, his dislike of too many rehearsals. His unsentimental straightforwardness and even his sarcastic humour however did not always win him friends. This is an unmistakable Knappertsbusch document, which, in the truest sense of the word, will convey a picture of the great conductor to later generations. The excerpts from Wagner's Tristan, with whose interpretation Knappertsbusch had so often set the standard in Vienna, Munich and Bayreuth, show clearly just what distinguishes this conductor above all others: concentration on the essential, suspense from within and a depth of feeling which does not need to resort to sentimentality and superficiality.