Who would have thought that a nation founded to be a beacon of liberty and freedom would enter a period where the secret police would have a significant influence on cultural life? Starting in the nineteen fifties the CIA clandestinely began a cultural war with the Soviet Union in order to undermine its influence among leading intellectuals in the West. This podcast tells the story of what happened with an emphasis on how the CIA set out to extend its influence to the world of classical music, contributing to the fall of classical music as a dynamic developing art form.
Note: The music preceding and ending the podcast is new music composed by Roger Rudenstein and performed by the NOR Orchestra none of which has any relation to the CIA.
The CIA and Classical Music