Re: Barenboim and Wagner

[JeffSchan <JeffSchan...>]

For the most part, I agree with Yoel's points.  Wagner is not such a black 
and white issue for me.  I can't stand his music, personally, but my father 
(a Buchenwald survivor) was a great fan of his.  He saw the Ring at Bayreuth 
and the whole nine yards.  My father's contention was that Wagner's 
anti-semitic reputation was really due to his wife, Cosima's work in revising 
his reputation after his death.  My father said that Wagner's favorite 
conductor was a Jew.  I have been told that this argument doesn't really hold 
up to modern information, but that's what he believed.

So while I agree that Baremboim was wrong in breaking his agreement not to 
perform Wagner -- those who choose not to hear it shouldn't have to -- the 
idea of cultural censorship more offensive to me that Wagner is.

Jeffrey Schanzer