Leo Blech: A Conductor's Survival in Nazi Germany

Navigating the Nazi Regime

Leo Blech's position as General Music Director at the Berlin Staatsoper presented an unusual case during the Nazi period. Despite being Jewish, Blech maintained his role at the opera house from 1933 to 1937, protected by Hermann Göring through special permission granted to Berlin general director Heinz Tietjen. This arrangement reflected both Blech's substantial reputation in German musical circles and the complex political calculations of the Nazi leadership.

The protection granted to Blech was exceptional during a time when Jewish musicians were being systematically removed from German cultural institutions. Göring's intervention allowed Blech to continue conducting at one of Germany's most prestigious musical venues for four years after the Nazi rise to power. This unusual arrangement highlighted the regime's occasional willingness to make pragmatic exceptions to its racial policies when dealing with internationally renowned cultural figures.

The protection ultimately proved temporary. In spring 1937, Blech was first "placed on leave" and then dismissed, officially "due to age." He relocated to Riga, Latvia, where he conducted at the Latvian National Opera and Ballet Theatre. This move provided temporary refuge, as Latvia remained independent until the Soviet occupation in 1940, followed by the Nazi invasion in 1941.

Exile to Riga and Göring's Second Intervention

In Riga, Blech continued his musical career at the Latvian National Opera, maintaining his artistic standards despite the increasingly precarious political situation. When German forces occupied Latvia in 1941, Blech's position became extremely dangerous. The Nazi occupation of Riga was particularly brutal, with the Jewish population facing immediate persecution and eventual genocide.

However, Blech's international reputation and his connections to German cultural life once again proved crucial to his survival. In September 1941, as the situation for Jews in Riga grew dire, Hermann Göring took the extraordinary step of directly intervening in Blech's case. He issued an order to Major Karl Heise, head of the Schutzpolizei in German-occupied Riga, to provide Blech with an exit visa to neutral Sweden.

This intervention was remarkable for several reasons. First, it came at a time when the Nazi regime was implementing the systematic murder of Jews in the Baltic states. Second, it made Blech the only Jewish person in Riga to escape through high-level Nazi intervention. The decision to save Blech while thousands of other Jews in Riga faced deportation and death highlighted both the exceptional nature of his case and the complex, sometimes contradictory nature of Nazi policies toward prominent Jewish cultural figures.

Göring's motivation for protecting Blech appears to have stemmed from a combination of factors: recognition of Blech's international standing, awareness of his significance to German cultural life, and possibly a pragmatic desire to maintain certain connections to the pre-Nazi cultural establishment. This intervention allowed Blech to reach Sweden, where he had already established connections through regular conducting appearances at the Royal Opera in Stockholm since 1925.

Life in Exile and Return

After reaching Sweden in 1941, Blech's career entered a new phase. He became an active member of the Free German Cultural Association and continued conducting at the Stockholm Royal Opera. During this period, he maintained his artistic standards while adapting to life in exile. His presence in Stockholm helped maintain cultural continuity for other German musicians and artists who had fled the Nazi regime.

In 1949, following the end of World War II, Blech made the decision to return to Berlin. This choice came at the invitation of his long-time supporter, Heinz Tietjen, who had become director of the Städtische Oper. Blech's return to Berlin occurred just weeks before the founding of the German Democratic Republic, adding another layer of historical significance to his homecoming.

Musical Legacy and Later Career

Upon his return to Berlin, Blech took up the position of conductor at the Städtische Oper, where he immediately began working to rebuild the orchestra's standards. His first performance was a production of Bizet's "Carmen" on October 18, 1949, at the Theatre des Westens—a work he had conducted more than 700 times throughout his career.

Between 1949 and 1953, Blech conducted nine opera premieres, focusing primarily on Late Romantic works including Verdi's "Aida" and "La Forza del Destino," Humperdinck's "Hänsel und Gretel," and Strauss's "Ariadne auf Naxos." He also conducted performances of his own comic operas, "Versiegelt" and "Das war ich," during a celebration of his 80th birthday in 1951.

Musical Style and Influence

Throughout his career, Blech was known for his precise, efficient conducting style and his particular skill with the works of Wagner, Verdi, and Bizet. His interpretations were characterized by careful attention to dynamic contrasts and innovative approaches to tempo. Contemporary accounts and recordings reveal his ability to combine technical precision with emotional depth, particularly in his handling of orchestral color and phrasing.

His recordings, made for major labels including Deutsche Grammophon, HMV, Ultraphon/Telefunken, Decca, and Elite, document his distinctive approach to the standard repertoire. Notable among these are his interpretations of Verdi's overtures and his readings of Wagner's orchestral works, which demonstrate his ability to combine Germanic precision with lyrical expressiveness.

As a composer, Blech created seven operas between 1892 and 1908, working frequently with Prague librettist Richard Batka. His works included "Aglaja" (1893), "Cherubina" (1894), and "Versiegelt" (1908). His final stage work, the operetta "Die Strohwitwe," appeared in 1920. Beyond opera, his compositional output included orchestral works, choral pieces, and songs, with his six series of children's songs gaining particular popularity.

Recognition and Honours

Blech received numerous honours reflecting his significance to European musical life:

  • The Prussian Order of the Red Eagle, IVth Class (1908) from Emperor Wilhelm II
  • Membership in the Royal Swedish Academy of Music (1930)
  • Commander of the Royal Vasa Museum (1931)
  • The Grand Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (1953)
  • The same order with a star (1956)
  • Honorary membership of the Berlin Municipal Opera (1957)

His influence extended beyond Germany, particularly in Latvia and Sweden, where he contributed significantly to musical life during his years of exile. In 2022, his honorary membership at the Aachen City Theatre, originally granted from 1931 to 1937, was restored, reflecting ongoing recognition of his musical contributions.

Blech died in Berlin in 1958, having survived some of the most turbulent periods in European history while maintaining his artistic standards and contributing significantly to musical life across multiple nations. His career spanned the German Empire, the Weimar Republic, the Nazi period, and the post-war division of Germany, making him a unique figure in the cultural history of 20th-century Europe.

Sources

Prieberg, Fred K. 2009. Handbuch Deutsche Musiker 1933–1945. 2nd ed. Kiel.

Lambrecht, Jutta. 2021. Leo Blech. Dirigent und Komponist (1871–1958). Portal Rheinische Geschichte. Accessed January, 2025.

Leo Blech's 150th birthday, Deutsche Oper Berlin, 2021. Accessed January 2025

Bloomfield, A. Leo Blech in More Than the Notes. Accessed  January 2025.

Books:

Rychnovsky, Ernst. 1905. Leo Blech: Eine biographisch-ästhetische Studie. Dürerblatt, Prag.

Jacob, Walter, ed. 1931. Leo Blech: Ein Brevier anläßlich des 60. Geburtstages. Prismen-Verlag, Hamburg.

Angrick, Andrej, and Peter Klein. 2006. Die "Endlösung" in Riga: Ausbeutung und Vernichtung 1941–1944. Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt.

Lambrecht, Jutta, and Centrum Judaicum, eds. 2015. Leo Blech: Komponist – Kapellmeister – Generalmusikdirektor. Hentrich & Hentrich, Berlin.

Oliver Wurl. 2022. Leo Blech und die Schallplatte. In Contributions to the history of the record industry, vol. 12. Gesellschaft für historische Tonträger, Vienna.

Articles in Journals or Edited Books:

Rychnovsky, Ernst. 1907. "Leo Blech." In Monographien moderner Musiker, vol. 2, 52–64. Kahnt, Leipzig.

Blech, Leo. 1955. "Ich war Kapellmeister des Königs." Radio-Revue, 13–22. Ullstein, Berlin.

Blech, Leo. 1963. "Die Bilanz." In Das musikalische Selbstportrait von Komponisten, Dirigenten, Instrumentalisten, Sängerinnen und Sänger unserer Zeit, edited by Josef Müller-Marein and Hannes Reinhardt, 113–123. Nannen, Hamburg.

Poch, Wolfgang. 1985. Leo Blech: Ein Beitrag zur Berliner Theatergeschichte unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der musikdramaturgischen Einrichtungen und der Spielplanpolitik Leo Blechs. Dissertation. Freie Universität Berlin.

Aistleitner, Peter, Wolfgang Poch, and Günter Walter. 1995. Leo Blech. (Discography.) Stimmen die um die Welt gingen. Ein Magazin, 47: 1–88.

Haedler, Manfred. 1998. "Leo Blech – des Kaisers 'letzter General'." In Berlin in Geschichte und Gegenwart: Jahrbuch des Landesarchivs Berlin 1998, 105–119. Gebrüder Mann, Berlin.

"Kommen Sie in Ihre Heimat zurück!": Briefe von, an und über Generalmusikdirektor Leo Blech. 2002. Sinn und Form, 5: 629–646.

Lambrecht, Jutta. 2021. "Dem Mimen flicht die Nachwelt keine Kränze. Leo Blech zum 150. Geburtstag." musica reanimata, Mitteilungen, 106: 1–13.

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