Page 161 - Weiss, Jernej, ur./ed. 2025. Glasbena interpretacija: med umetniškim in znanstvenim┊Music Interpretation: Between the Artistic and the Scientific. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 8

the conductor gertrud herliczka
interpretation of a conductor. In Herliczka’s time, most of the reviews were
quite straightforward.

A woman on the conducting podium is at the very least an unusual
spectacle – the graceful stillness of the female figure is without doubt
disturbed, when it comes to ‘conducting in skirt’. A conductor must
substitute such ‘unmanly’ formalities with convincing concentration
of orchestra leadership. The Viennese Gertrud Herliczka transformed
prejudice against such Kapellmeister into growing interest. Herlicz-
ka is possibly an exceptional phenomenon, because she conducts from
memory and without a stick. Biologically striking regarding feminin-
ity as well as musical psychology was the fact that her best rendition
was that of the high-spirited tone poem ‘Don Juan’ by Strauß, overflow-
ing with attractive sensual sound. In that piece, Herliczka’s conducting
skills were energetic and her gestures technically as well as stylistically
clear and sure. Much knowledge and impulsive musicality took place. 2

The visual aspect alone is not sufficient to describe a conductor. In re-
views of Herliczka’s concert many more layers are implied, and her gender
appears to be the dominant theme: a woman must compensate for step-
ping out of the ordinary behaviour pattern by a convincing ‘concentration
of leadership’. To the author, it is also biologically and psychologically sur-
prising (to be more precise, outside the biological and psychological suppo-
sitions of the time and the social world in question) that a woman might
conduct Richard Strauss’ Don Juan better than other music in the concert,
conventionally deemed more ‘female’. Apart from that composition, the
programme consisted of Cherubini’s overture Il portatore d’acqua, a vio-
lin concerto by Glasunov (with the soloist Lajos Szikra) and Skrjabin’s Sym-
phony Nr. 2.

2 Author’s translation. Original quote: “Eine Frau am Dirigentenpult ist zum mindes-
ten ein ungewohnter Anblick; die anmutige Ruhe der weiblichen Linie wird bei ei-
nem ‚Dirigieren im Rock‘ zweifelsohne gestört. Solche ‚unmännliche‘ Aeußerlichkeit
muß also eine Dirigentin ersetzen durch überzeugende Konzentration der Orches-
terführung. Die Wienerin Gertrud Herliczka hat das Vorurteil gegen ebensolche Ka-
pellmeister in steigerndes Interesse umgewandelt. Mag sein, daß Herliczka eine Aus-
nahmeerscheinung ist, zumal sie ohne Taktstock und auswendig dirigierte. Biologisch
auffallend, sowohl hinsichtlich Weiblichkeit als auch musikpsychologisch war es, daß
ihr die inhaltlich heiße und von sinnlichen Klangreizen überströmende ‚Don-Juan‘-
Tondichtung von Strauß am besten lag und auch geriet. Hier war Herliczkas Dirigier-
kunst energiegeladen, ihre Zeichengebung technisch und stilistisch klar und sicher.
Viel Können und impulsives Musizieren trat in Erscheinung.” Ferdinand Keyfel, Te-
gernseer Zeitung, November 25, 1938, page unknown [p. u.].

161