Ha'aretz [Tel Aviv] / andante - 17 September 2002

A group of political activists attacked pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim in a Jerusalem restaurant, calling him a "traitor" for performing in the West Bank city of Ramallah last week, the Tel Aviv newspaper Ha'aretz reports. Barenboim's wife fended off the assault by throwing vegetables at the attackers, who were identified as activists from the rightist Kach party. The newspaper did not indicate that anyone was hurt.

In addition, Ha'aretz says, right-wing politicians have begun calling for Barenboim to be arrested and tried for entering the occupied territories without permission. Barenboim, who had been thwarted in an attempt earlier this year to perform in Ramallah, held a master class in the city for about 100 Palestinian students on 10 September.

Amid the controversy, organizers of the Fifth International Chamber Music Festival in Jerusalem are emphasizing that Barenboim's visit to Ramallah took them by surprise, the newspaper says. Although Barenboim, an Israeli citizen, was in Jerusalem to perform at the chamber festival, his visit to Ramallah was a private matter and festival organizers had no part in helping him.

"I made a private trip to Ramallah to give a concert and meet students," Barenboim told the newspaper, responding angrily to the attacks. "What does it matter who helped me? I had planned to go there a few months ago and it didn't work out. I have ties with people in the music world in Ramallah."

Ha'aretz says that Barenboim had been making provocative comments during his stay at the festival. While rehearsing the Jerusalem quartet he said at one point: "You are pulling apart [the notes] too much here." Winking, Barenboim added: "Partition, partition. That is the slogan here." The remark was a reference to his opposition to proposals that would create a permanent barrier between Jewish- and Arab-controlled territories.

— Michael Markowitz

Barenboim was critisized for performing Wagner in Israel a while ago. Now they're trying to forbid any Wagner performances there. A ban on art, how interesting. Entartete Musik, anyone?

I heard an interview with a reporter on NPR in Israel about this. That salad incident was reported with a chuckle, so I guess no one was "hurt".

I understand he went by way of German embassy vehicles and his papers were never requested.

Bravo. It is acts such as these by muscians, artists, athletes that make all the war mongering seem so pointless.

Let us hope that courage such as this can affect peace, especially tonite as I hear the last of Arafat's headquarters is about to be demolished.

As a mother of three sons, with vivid Vietnam memories, all this latest news makes my heart oh so heavy.....

I think Barenboim is taking a courageous, humanistic stand.

Also, the Israeli Philharmonic has historically never played Wagner, because of his pro-Nazi sympathies during WW II. I believe they first played some Wagner in the mid 1990s, and it was very hotly debated and not enthusiastically received.

So while Barenboim's stand on Wagner is apparently consistent with his overall views, this most recent event (or any recent events) didn't prompt the Israelis to "ban" Wagner. That has been going on for years.

Nina

Nina,

Forgive me if I'm misinterpreting the above, but I could have sworn Wagner died in the 1880's (long before WWII)? And whilst he was anti-semitic, I wouldn't describe him as pro-Nazi because the party didn't emerge until about 1920.

[This is not a "defence" of Wagner; purely factual.]

Dave

Barenboim's principled stand--whether one agree's with him or not--reminds me of another musician: Arturo Toscanini. Following a concert in his native land, the Italian conductor was assaulted by a group of fascist thugs because he refused to begin the concert with the Fascist anthem, Giovinezza. During World War II, when he was in the United States, he continued to conduct Wagner's music, believing that the Nazi's had no right to monopolize it. Barenboim must well understand Toscanini's dictum that "the spine curves when the soul is curved."

I believe Nina may be thinking of Richard Strauss.

No, it was Wagner, but Dave is entirely right... chalk up my incoherent post to the late hour. Wagner was definitely a decomposing composer by WW II time, but he was rabidly anti-semitic and had become a cultural role model of sorts for Hitler and the Nazi Party.

Thanks for the catch! Next time I'll use the "preview post" button.

Nina