On Herbert von Karajan’s European Anthem
Résumé
In 1971, the Resolution 492 of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe proposed “the acceptance by member countries as a European anthem of the Prelude to the Ode to Joy in the fourth movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony”, considering that it was fitting “to select a musical work representative of European genius”. Soon after that, on 24 July, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Lujo Tončić-Sorinj, asked Herbert von Karajan "to conduct the official version of the anthem", adding that "to make this happen, I will place complete trust in your wishes and suggestions". Karajan accepted, and added that a special arrangement should be made by himself to that end. Taking advantage of unpublished documents from the archive of the Council of Europe, this essay reconstructs the history of this political symbol, and discusses the disturbing fact that the European Anthem is until today an artwork copyrighted by a former Nazi party member, namely Herbert von Karajan.
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