May, 2013: Symphony No. 5 / Georg-Ludwig Jochum / Reichs Bruckner Orchestra

Georg-Ludwig Jochum (right) with his brother Eugen This month, we continue a short exploration into the work of conductor, Georg-Ludwig Jochum (1909-1970). Georg-Ludwig was Eugen Jochum's younger brother who pre-deceased Eugen by several years and early enough to have most of his excellent Bruckner performances recorded in monaural thus relegating them to the historical dust bin. Fortunately, there are a few stereo recordings (a Bruckner 7th and the F major discarded trio to the Bruckner Symphony No. 9) but those Hessian Radio recordings have never been released. During World War II, Georg-Ludwig was in charge of one of Adolf Hitler's pet projects. As part of his grand scheme to make Linz and Saint Florian a Brucknerian cultural center, Hitler formed the Reichs Bruckner Orchestra and G-L Jochum became the General Music Direcktor. The orchestra was a first class ensemble and for a while Herbert von Karajan attempted to become the direktor. A scheme was planned that would have transferred G-L Jochum to the Wehrmacht and the war front, but Furtwangler uncovered the plan and intervened to prevent it. G-L Jochum's performance of the Symphony No. 5 was recorded by the Reichs Bruckner Orchestra on May 25, 1944, just one month before his recording of the Symphony No. 6.