RE: Barenboim and Wagner

[yoel <yoel...>]

Jeffrey Schanzer wrote:

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.
Actually, there is circumstantial evidence that Wagner's own father was
Jewish.  Before Wagner was born, Wagner's parents became estranged, and his
mother took in a Jewish boarder, to whom she became very close.
Contemporary rumor was that he, and not Wagner's mother's husband, was
Wagner's biological father.

Joel Epstein

Moshav Magshimim, Israel

tel: 972-3-9333316

     972-52-333316

fax: 972-9338751

yoel (at) netvision(dot)net(dot)il

  -----Original Message-----
  From: owner-jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org
[mailto:owner-jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org]On Behalf Of JeffSchan (at) 
aol(dot)com
  Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2001 12:31 PM
  To: World music from a Jewish slant
  Subject: Re: Barenboim and Wagner


  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