Carlos Kleiber

For many people, Carlos Kleiber (1930-2004) is the most important conductor of the late 20th century. He certainly was the most problematic one.
Grown up with the burden of his dominant father Erich Kleiber, he struggled with his demand for perfection during his whole life. Being actually one of the most sought-after conductors, Carlos Kleiber did not accept any permanent appointment for years. The number of his appearances was small, his official discography minimal, albeit his charisma was legendary and the number of his fans very large. The guarantor of magic musical moments remained a mystery, though. His biographer Alexander Werner has tried to approach the man and artist Kleiber by finding out about the stages and stations of his life and questioning many contemporaries about the 'secret of Kleiber'.

Alexander Werner, born in Karlsruhe in 1961, studied literature and history. From 1991-1995 he worked as a trainee and editor with the Badische Neueste Nachrichten, from 1995 with Standpunkte, since 2000 as editor-in-chief with the Baden magazine Standpunkte with Chrismon plus. He has written numerous articles on classical music, interviews and CD reviews in various organs.

'World conductor, exceptional maestro, carrier of the celestial flame'

The result of many years of research, taking numerous original interviews and unpublished documents into account