Introduction

Welcome to my journal!
My name may not sound familiar to some of you, but I am quite famous in the world of classical music. I am Herbert von Karajan, a conductor of the twentieth century who was recorded the most. Not only that, my recordings are still on sale worldwide.

I was born on April 5th, 1908 in Salzburg, Austria.
I started playing the piano when I was only three. How much I loved it! Although I was a little child, and it is a long, long time ago, I still remember how people gave compliments on my talent.

When I was a teenager, I had a chance to attend a concert in Vienna led by Toscanini. I was so inspired by him, that I decided to pursue conducting rather than piano as my career. Thus, Toscanini was one of my role models.

Since my age of twenty, I worked in the Ulm City Theater for seven years. These seven years were well spent learning how to lead an orchestra.

While I was committed with my career at the Ulm City Theater, there was another thing that attracted me; well many young Germans and Austrians at the time. The Nazi party. I joined it in 1933.

More than anything, Hitler's anti-semitism gave me incredible opportunities because Jewish musicians were forced out from their jobs.

In 1935, I moved to Germany and became a music director in the city of Aachen.

The year of 1938 is one of important years of my life. I started conducting the Berlin State Opera. I made my debut with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. It is the year I made debut in recording as well.

In 1941, I was appointed as a music director of the Berlin State Opera. During this time, I enjoyed great prominence not only because I got good opportunities, but because I was favored by Adolph Hitler. I never resisted against the ideologies of the Nazi and actually supported its policies until 1942, when I married Anita Gueterman, who happened to be a Jewish descent.

After the World War II was over, I spent the next two years in Vienna, making recordings with Walter Legge and Vienna Philharmonic.

At the time, I had rival conductors in Europe such as Furtwangler, Erich Kleiber, and Hans Knappertsbusch. Do you honestly know them? even have heard of their names?
Reason I became so much more famous than these conductors is because I actively made recordings. Power of media is undeniable. My repertoire was diverse as well.

Since 1950's I truly enjoyed my career and life with music until 1989 the year I died. Additionally, I became very very famous as a conductor, not only in Europe but around the globe. It's my great honor that my birthdays are still being celebrated in the world of classical music.