World-renowned pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim is under fire again - this time, for refusing to be interviewed by an Israeli reporter wearing her military uniform. According to the Education Minister Limor Livnat, Barenboim's refusal is a reflection of his anti-semitism. She called him a Jew-hater as well.
It seems Ms. Livnat is oblivious to the fact that not only Barenboim is Jewish, but also an Israeli national.
It is well known that Barenboim is against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank. His close friendship with late Palestinian-American music critic and activist Edward Said resulted in their book Parallels and Paradoxes and also in the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra. Barenboim has been committed to the cause for peace in the Middle East through cultural and social integration, and his behavior last week is therefore no surprise. Unfortunately, neither is the response from Ms. Livnat and other Israelis who seem to think that anything contrary of their interpretation of true allegiance to Israel is in fact anti-semitic.
After all, one should not forget that not only Holocaust survivors but the Israeli government as well opposed Barenboim's decision to perform Wagner at the Israeli Festival in Jerusalem in 2001. There were even those who called him a fascist.
To be sure, Barenboim probably knew what he was getting into when he refused to speak with Army Radio reporter Dafna Arad. But Ms. Livnat and others who agree with her should realize that the Israeli landscape is changing, and dramatically. Back in 2001, no one was giving the Gaza strip back to the Palestinians. This might be the dawn of a new era, one in which Wagner, Israelis and Palestinians can coexist – peacefully.
September 6, 2005
BARENBOIM UNDER FIRE
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15 comments:
g
nice picture - shame about tyhe opinions
m
Hehe... Thanks for the contribution, friend... I know who this is, am so happy to finally have you here! So I take it you don't agree with ALL the opinions, right?
white wine or champers in the picture?
champers of course - so ALL the opinions??
this ladi is really a bush loving neo con ...a spy
i would chop barenboim's fingers off
All of you visitors, please forgive my friend - in the wee hours of the morning, he gets a little delusional - and somewhat violent, I suppose!!
Take it as a compliment?
Anywayz, Wagner was an A-class asshole and anti-semite but a great composer so the turmoil was expectable. Did you like the Untergang movie?
A compliment to Barenboim? Well, a lot of composers were madmen, and I am sure many were assholes as well. To single Wagner out because of Hitler is simplistic (his is still the work of a great composer) and ineffective (music is pervasive anyway).
I do applaud Barenboim for not compromising. It seems to me that, histrionics aside, he does believe in the power of music and art to build bridges, and at least he is consistent. In short, in reply to your comment, I am not so much complimenting Barenboim but I am definitely criticizing the Education Minister's reaction and position on the issue.
I did like the movie; it was difficult to watch though. I knew all about it and I thought I was prepared to see Hitler as a real (albeit crazy) man. But it was hard all the same. The movie is very well done, Bruno Ganz is excellent as usual. Did you watch it, and if you did, what did you think?
intellectual claptrap
still friends
MICHAEL
the brightest girl in cyberspace
michael
Michael I like it when you're nice... good boy... And I am happy to see you decided to come out of the shadows and introduce yourself!
(I meant: take Michael's attention as a compliment. Hi Michael!)
The movie. Well done indeed up to the detailing on the uniforms, which gave a very realistic feel to it. Hitler was presented as a nice, but somewhat strange and extinguished man. They should make a movie of him planning the attack on the USSR
Yeah that would be good too. It is interesting how in the Downfall movie he is portrayed as having at times completely lost touch with reality and at others as acutely aware of it.
I think part of what is so unique about this movie is that it does not address Hitler's hatred of the Jews... The absence of that hatred makes him less of a monster; but then the unstable in him still surfaces here and there. For instance, when his officers try to get him to evacuate the civilians and he argues against it, claiming it does not make a difference because if Germany is to lose the war, the German people will be better off dead...
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