France 1940-1944

Did you know that during the Occupation of Paris (1940-1944) during WWII, financial support for the four orchestras of Paris—Pasdeloup, Colonne (renamed Pierné during the war because Colonne was a Jew), Lamoureux, and Société des concerts du Conservatoire—actually increased during the four years of the Occupation as much as 459 percent? The latter, under conductor Charles Münch, gave concerts in the provinces in 1942 despite the difficulties of traveling during the war.

Source: French Music Since Berlioz, Richard Langham Smith and Caroline Potter (Burlington:2006), p.283