【古殿唱片音樂故事】聊聊卡洛斯·克萊巴與那張讓精神都起舞的貝多芬第七號
古殿殿主
今天殿主想跟你們聊聊一個很有趣的榜單，還有一個我很想介紹給你的「怪人」。
就在不久前（2025年），英國權威的《BBC音樂雜誌》公佈了一份熱騰騰的名單——「史上最偉大的指揮家 Top 21」。
你也許會猜，第一名是那位像帝王般的卡拉揚(Herbert von Karajan,1908-1989)？還是那位充滿激情的伯恩斯坦(Leonard Bernstein,1918-1990)？結果出爐，卻讓無數樂迷（包括我）點頭如搗蒜。
第一名是：卡洛斯·克萊巴（Carlos Kleiber,1930-2004）。
為什麼是他？
如果看產量，他可能是史上最「懶」的指揮家。
他生前正式授權出版的唱片，兩隻手的手指頭都數不滿。許多人都期待他指揮所有他們想聽的音樂，比如貝多芬的九首交響曲，但他卻只指揮他自己喜歡或是滿意的，最後只留下了第四、第五、第六與第七號。
如果看個性，他可能是史上最「玻璃心」的大師。
他時常在一時滿意之下，過沒有多久就覺得完全不行。甚至發生過這樣的事：有次唱片公司都已經製作好、出貨了，他自己跑去買來聽，發現其中有一兩個細節他不滿意，竟然馬上要求唱片公司把貨全部「回收銷毀」重錄。
但正是因為這些特質，他留下的音樂成為了後世很難被時間淘汰的永恆經典。
冰箱空了才出門工作
在「古殿」，我常說我們不只要聽音樂，更要聽音樂背後的「生命狀態」。克萊巴的狀態，簡直是現代職場人的「夢想反指標」，卻又真實得可愛。
他一輩子沒有跟任何樂團簽過長期合約，拒絕被綁死。他有一句名言：「我只有在冰箱空了的時候，才會出來指揮賺錢。」這不是開玩笑，他是認真的。
但他這種「懶」，其實是一種對完美的極度潔癖，一點都不是真的懶惰。他是一個非常神經質的音樂大師，如果不花上大把時間把音樂研究透徹，他絕不登台。他對錄音的要求更是到了「龜毛」的境界——只要有一點點不滿意，就不讓唱片發行。
但也正因如此，只要是他點頭發行的錄音，就是人類錄音史上的奇蹟，是永垂不朽的經典。
鋼琴大師李希特（Sviatoslav Richter,1915-1997）曾說，克萊巴是音樂界的「巨人」，但這位巨人其實住著一個驚慌失措的小孩。李希特回憶，他曾跟克萊巴合作過灌錄德佛札克鋼琴協奏曲，事後他稱讚克萊巴這次的演出很棒時，克萊巴竟然高興得像個孩子一樣跳起來問：
「真的嗎？真的很好嗎？」
你看，連被封為「神」的人，內心都充滿了不安全感。這是不是讓你覺得，他離我們其實很近？他不是高高在上的雕像，他是跟我們一樣，會自我懷疑、想逃避工作、卻又對美有著極度執著的「人」。
被「化學」耽誤的音樂天才？
克萊巴的故事還有一個很勵志的點。他的父親是傳奇指揮家埃里希·克萊巴（Erich Kleiber,1890-1956），因為不想兒子走這條辛苦路，極力反對他學音樂。
所以，克萊巴年輕時被送去蘇黎世學什麼？
學「化學」。
想像一下，一個本該拿著指揮棒的手，卻在實驗室裡搖晃著試管。直到20多歲，他才終於忍不住，偷偷在阿根廷——那個充滿探戈與歐陸舊夢的地方——開始學音樂。
這裡還有個有趣的小插曲。克萊巴本名其實是充滿德味的 Carl（卡爾），出生於柏林。但後來舉家遷往南美洲阿根廷，他在那片熱情奔放的土地上歸化為阿根廷人，又把名字改成了西班牙語風格的 Carlos（卡洛斯）。
或許正是因為他在阿根廷長大，呼吸著南美洲那種熱情又帶著哀愁的空氣，又或許是因為他學過化學，他指揮出來的音樂，總是有一種奇妙的「化學反應」。他不只是在演奏音符，他是在調配一種讓空氣都會燃燒的舞蹈氣體。
一帖精神的興奮劑：貝多芬第七號交響曲
今天我想帶你聽的，就是他在1975-1976年間，與維也納愛樂錄製的**《貝多芬第七號交響曲》**。這張唱片，就是他拿下世界第一的鐵證。
這張唱片當年一問世，在日本「名曲決定盤」的榜單上，馬上就幹掉了一直雄踞榜首、被視為神聖不可侵犯的「福特萬格勒」版本。一夜之間，克萊巴把福特萬格勒擠到了第二名，並且從此之後，這張唱片就一直霸榜，完全沒有被撼動過。這在古典樂界，簡直就像是推翻了一個朝代。
華格納曾說這首曲子是「舞蹈的神化」。在克萊巴之前，很多人把貝多芬演得很沈重、很嚴肅，像是在教堂裡佈道。但克萊巴不吃這一套。他讓我們看見，貝多芬是可以跳舞的。
克萊巴最為人稱道的，就是他那優美有如舞蹈般的指揮姿勢。他不像是某些指揮家自己跳得很過癮，卻跟樂團脫節；克萊巴的舞蹈肢體是「**完全長在音樂裡」**的。他的動作如翩翩起舞般自然，每一個手勢都是音樂的延伸。
當你按下播放鍵，閉上眼睛，你會發現這不是沈重的哲學，而是一場狂歡。
給你的「感知復健」任務
今晚，當你卸下一整天的武裝，回到家，可以試試看這張《貝多芬第七號》。不談樂理，只請你用身體去感受兩件事：
任務一：看見聲音的「舞蹈與波浪」
特別留意第四樂章，那種速度快到讓你心臟都要跳出來。一般的指揮家為了求快，細節都會糊成一團。但在克萊巴的棒下，你會驚訝地發現，你竟然可以**「看見」**那些平常被淹沒的木管樂器（長笛、雙簧管），像是一條條銀色的魚，清晰地從管弦樂的波濤中跳躍出來。那種透明感與層次感，會讓你原本被資訊塞滿、鈍化的大腦，瞬間變得清晰無比。
任務二：找回「人味」的呼吸
晚年曾有一位從未見過面，但非常崇拜他、想找他指導的指揮學生，寫信給他希望可以請他當面指導，但他最後回了一封信，內容提到：
「只要你有好的技巧，你就能『忘了』技巧……就像禮儀一樣，如果你知道舉止怎麼檢點，你就可以『不』檢點。」
在這張唱片裡，你聽不到死板的節拍器，你聽到的是呼吸、是自由、是那種「我就想這樣跳舞」的任性。
聽克萊巴的貝多芬第七號，是一種徹底的能量釋放。當音樂結束，你會發現，你的肩膀鬆了，呼吸深了。那種被生活與工作壓抑，透過音樂重新被解放回來的「人味」，又重新回到了你的身體裡了！
實體音樂：
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[Gu Dian Record Stories] Let’s Talk About Carlos Kleiber and the Beethoven Seventh That Makes the Spirit Dance
Today, I want to chat with you all about a very interesting ranking list, and introduce you to a "eccentric" character I’ve been wanting to share.
Just recently (in 2025), the authoritative British publication BBC Music Magazine released a piping hot list—the "Top 21 Greatest Conductors of All Time."
You might guess the first place went to the emperor-like Herbert von Karajan (1908-1989)? Or perhaps the passion-filled Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)? But when the results came out, countless music fans (myself included) found ourselves nodding in vigorous agreement.
First place went to: Carlos Kleiber (1930-2004).
Why him?
If we look at output, he might be the "laziest" conductor in history. You can count the number of records he formally authorized during his lifetime on the fingers of two hands. Many people waited in anticipation for him to conduct all the music they wanted to hear—such as the nine Beethoven symphonies—but he only conducted what he liked or was satisfied with. In the end, he left us only with the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh.
If we look at personality, he might be the master with the most "fragile glass heart" in history. He would often be satisfied in the moment, only to feel it was completely unacceptable a short while later. There was even an incident where the record company had already manufactured the discs and shipped them out; Kleiber went to buy one, listened to it, found one or two details he didn't like, and immediately demanded the record company "recall and destroy" the entire batch to re-record it.
But it is precisely because of these traits that the music he left behind became timeless classics that history finds hard to eliminate.
Working Only When the Fridge is Empty
At "Gu Dian" (The Classical Palace), I often say that we shouldn't just listen to the music, but listen to the "state of life" behind the music. Kleiber’s state of life is practically the "ultimate anti-role model" for the modern career person, yet it is authentically adorable.
He never signed a long-term contract with any orchestra in his life, refusing to be tied down. He had a famous quote: "I only come out to conduct when the fridge is empty." He wasn't joking; he was serious.
However, this "laziness" was actually an extreme form of hygiene regarding perfection—it wasn't laziness at all. He was a highly neurotic musical master; if he hadn't spent massive amounts of time researching the music thoroughly, he would absolutely refuse to take the stage. His requirements for recording reached a level of "obsession"—if there was even the slightest dissatisfaction, he wouldn't let the record be released.
But because of this, as long as it is a recording he nodded his head to release, it is a miracle in the history of recording—an immortal classic.
The piano master Sviatoslav Richter (1915-1997) once said that Kleiber was a "Titan" of the music world, but inside this giant lived a panicked child. Richter recalled that he once collaborated with Kleiber to record Dvořák’s Piano Concerto. Afterwards, when he praised Kleiber saying the performance was excellent, Kleiber actually jumped up like a child with joy, asking: "Really? Was it really good?"
You see? Even a man regarded as a "God" was filled with insecurity inside. Doesn't this make you feel he is actually very close to us? He isn't a statue high up on a pedestal; he is a "human" just like us—someone who doubts himself, wants to escape work, yet holds an extreme attachment to beauty.
A Musical Genius Delayed by "Chemistry"?
There is also a very inspiring point in Kleiber's story. His father was the legendary conductor Erich Kleiber (1890-1956). Because he didn't want his son to walk this arduous path, he strongly opposed him studying music.
So, what was Kleiber sent to Zurich to study as a young man? Chemistry.
Imagine that—a hand that was meant to hold a baton was instead shaking test tubes in a laboratory. It wasn't until he was in his 20s that he finally couldn't resist anymore and secretly started studying music in Argentina—that place filled with Tango and old European dreams.
Here is another interesting interlude. Kleiber’s birth name was actually the very German Carl, as he was born in Berlin. But later, when the family moved to South America, he became a naturalized Argentine in that passionate land and changed his name to the Spanish style: Carlos.
Perhaps it was because he grew up in Argentina, breathing that air mixed with passion and sorrow, or perhaps it was because he studied chemistry, but the music he conducted always had a strange "chemical reaction." He wasn't just playing notes; he was mixing a kind of gaseous dance that could combust the very air.
A Stimulant for the Spirit: Beethoven's Symphony No. 7
Today, I want to take you to listen to his recording of Beethoven's Symphony No. 7, recorded with the Vienna Philharmonic between 1975 and 1976. This record is the ironclad proof of why he took the world's number one spot.
When this record was released, on Japan's list of "Definitive Recordings," it immediately knocked the Furtwänglerversion—which had occupied the top spot for ages and was seen as sacred and inviolable—off its throne. Overnight, Kleiber pushed Furtwängler to second place, and since then, this record has dominated the charts, completely unshaken. In the classical music world, this was like overthrowing a dynasty.
Wagner once called this piece "The Apotheosis of Dance." Before Kleiber, many people performed Beethoven as very heavy and serious, as if preaching in a church. But Kleiber didn't buy that. He showed us that Beethoven can dance.
What Kleiber is most praised for is his beautiful, dance-like conducting posture. Unlike some conductors who dance happily for themselves but are out of sync with the orchestra, Kleiber’s dancing limbs **"grew entirely inside the music."**His movements were as natural as fluttering dance steps; every gesture was an extension of the music.
When you press play and close your eyes, you will discover this isn't heavy philosophy, but a carnival.
Your "Perceptual Rehabilitation" Task
Tonight, when you lay down your armor after a long day and go home, try listening to this "Beethoven Seventh." Let's not talk about music theory; I only ask you to use your body to feel two things:
Task 1: See the "Dance and Waves" of the Sound Pay special attention to the fourth movement. The speed is so fast it will make your heart feel like it's jumping out. Ordinary conductors blur the details in the pursuit of speed. But under Kleiber’s baton, you will be surprised to find that you can actually "see" the woodwind instruments (flutes, oboes) that are usually drowned out. They leap out from the orchestral waves like streaks of silver fish. That transparency and layering will instantly clarify your brain, which has been dulled and stuffed with information.
Task 2: Recover the Breath of the "Human Touch" In his later years, a conducting student who had never met him but admired him greatly wrote a letter hoping for personal guidance. Kleiber finally replied with a letter that mentioned: "As long as you have good technique, you can 'forget' technique... just like manners; if you know how to behave properly, you are allowed to be 'improper'."
In this record, you don't hear a rigid metronome. You hear breathing, freedom, and that kind of willfulness that says, "I just want to dance like this."
Listening to Kleiber’s Beethoven Seventh is a complete release of energy. When the music ends, you will find your shoulders have relaxed, and your breathing is deeper. That "human touch," which had been suppressed by life and work, has been liberated by the music and returned to your body!