“The power of economic and institutional pressures over lives and ideas . . . is richly documented by Fritz Trümpi . . . . It took Trümpi and other scholars years of public lobbying to gain access to the orchestra’s archives. The results are mesmerizing.”

Gundula Kreuzer | Times Literary Supplement

"Not just an enlightening look at the subtleties of past history, but a cautionary tale for our present—and our future."

Washington Times

"Given the heavy and heady nature of the subject matter, The Political Orchestra is far from an easy read, but those willing to invest the requisite time and consideration will find that Trümpi has masterfully shed light on this previously overlooked time in the world of European classical music."

Spectrum Culture

"The Political Orchestra is a product of extensive new research into the hitherto suppressed history of orchestral life in Germany and Austria during the Nazi era, and most importantly, the years leading up to it."

Classical Voice America

"There are lessons here for our own grave times."

Literary Review

"This is the best book on orchestral life under Nazism."

Times Higher Education

“A brilliant survey of the politics that underpin, and differentiate, the Berlin Philharmonic and the Vienna Philharmonic. . . . This extremely valuable and original contribution to the political and musical history of central Europe is must reading. . . . Highly recommended.”
 

CHOICE

"The author has a fascinating and complex tale to tell, and does so brilliantly, combining a sure overview of historical data with a remarkable command of the often separate, often intersecting narrative strands."

Australian Book Review

“This is a groundbreaking study. Trümpi takes on two of the most iconic musical institutions in Germany and Austria, showing how closely they were integrated into the cultural politics of the Third Reich after the 1938 annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany. His comparative approach and dual focus present a double case study that brilliantly demonstrates how the relationship between music and politics in a totalitarian regime was shaped by specific local circumstances that both favored and resisted total manipulation.”

Berthold Hoeckner, University of Chicago

“The Political Orchestra takes an important look at the different ways the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics were politicized before and during the Third Reich. Trümpi, who puts their musical styles and mythologies firmly into historical perspective, has unearthed and published for the first time much archival material, which this welcome English translation now makes available for a wider audience.”

Georgina Prodhan, former Vienna correspondent, Reuters

"The tale that it tells is both compelling and disturbing, especially to anyone who clings to the belief that high art is ennobling to the spirit."
 

Commentary Magazine