Wagner...

Wagner....

Israelis have mixes feelings about Wagner. His music was banned, we only glossed over him in music classes briefly mostly with the saying "we wrote long operas, hated jews and inspired the nazis, next"
I didn't know very much about him and never even understood why him. He was by far not the only anti-semitic composer, and not the only one Germans flaunted as their national heritage, yet we have no problem listening to Bach...

It begs the familiar question of whether you should, and how can you separate the man from his work.
When a few years ago Daniel Barenboim put Wagner on the program in Israel people were outraged for months. It was a long debate whether the piece should be played, and the idea behind the ban resurfaced. Eventually Barenboim decided to perform the work, while many audience members yelled at him and left the hall.
I remember the news segment on that, an older man yelled at him "my whole family burned in the ovens, how can you play this music?" In my mind, I didn't see a connection. It wasn't Wagner or this musical piece that claimed the victims, is Wagner a projection? something tangible to be mad at and blame?

Now that I got to read more about Wagner this week, for the first time I understand that point of view clearer. Wagner did not separate the man and the music. His music was a manifestation of his extreme views. His many writings on nationalism were very influential to the Nazi views, perhaps he is a little responsible.

In 2011 the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra has officially broken the ban by performing Wagner in Germany. There is symbolism in that, perhaps we can all learn to reappropriate the past.

I don't know if I can listen to his music with absolute clarity and objectivity while being aware of the baggage that comes with it, but as a musician I can try and appreciate his contributions.


The 19th century is also the period where we can see composers of Jewish origin coming to prominent fame. Politics and music and becoming more intertwined in this period and things are getting interconnected and in general more complex.