Synopsis
In the first half of the 20th century Arturo Toscanini and Wilhelm Furtwängler were revered like todays popstars. When in 1931 both of them conducted at the Bayreuth Festival it was a magical moment, the stuff of legends. But soon the polite rivalry turned into bitter enmity. Both men were forced to take a stance on fascism in their respective countries – and chose radically different paths.The documentary not only opens up the different musical worlds of the two great conductors by re-tracing their careers in Milan, Bayreuth and New York – it also poses a question which today is more relevant than ever: What does art have to do with morality?
