Karajan Resigns at Berlin Philharmonic

Herbert von Karajan, an internationally acclaimed conductor who sold 150 million albums worldwide, resigned today after 34 years as director of the Berlin Philharmonic.

Karajan, whose chronic back problems have made it difficult for him to walk to a podium, cited frail health as his reason for resigning, said Anke Martiny, West Berlin’s culture senator.

She said she received a letter today from Karajan informing her that he is stepping down immediately.

Karajan was appointed “conductor for life” of the Berlin orchestra in 1955, and his resignation leaves open one of the most coveted conductor’s posts. Many leading conductors have been mentioned as possible successors since Karajan’s health began to deteriorate, but his resignation letter made no recommendation.

Karajan, 81, was born in Salzburg and keeps a residence in the Austrian resort. A child prodigy who made his piano debut at age 5, he now earns an estimated $6.2 million annually from his recordings.

He joined the Nazi Party while a rising young musical star during Hitler’s reign, and his involvement was still drawing criticism more than 40 years after the end of World War II.

Because of his Nazi links, the Allies banned Karajan from performing for two years after the war and required him to undergo a “denazification” program. In an interview, Karajan once said he had joined the Nazis so his career would not be jeopardized but insisted that he had no sympathies for the group.

Martiny, whose department in the West Berlin legislature is in charge of the orchestra, said: “I respect this decision by Herbert von Karajan, which comes for health reasons. Berlin thanks Herbert von Karajan for his longtime, excellent and successful work.”

“I hope that Karajan’s friends in Berlin will have one more opportunity to see him conducting the Berlin Philharmonic” in a farewell performance, she added.

His last performance in the United States was on Feb. 28, 1988, at Carnegie Hall with the Vienna Philharmonic.