Re: mikis theodorakis

[Eliott Kahn <Elkahn...>]

> Far too often in recent years have a
>certain breed of leftist classical composers made morally vacuous remarks
>(think Karlheinz Stockhausen and John Adams) for this to be an off-list
>concern.  Cultural icons who use their prestige in the service of politics
>strike me as fair game for response as public as this list.
>

Alex is dead on in his observation. Much of my research on the status of Jews 
and Jewish music before and during Germany's Weimar Republic (1919-1933) leads 
to an important point that highly-regarded artists and intellectuals poisoned 
the well of ideas far more effectively than less influential and less 
intelligent people.  It's because they are so BELIEVABLE. This is what made 
Wagner such a dangerous character. If his music wasn't so glorious, his racial 
and political opinions would have carried far less weight with the general--and 
less "enlightened" public.

As many of us are trained as musicians and speak the same language as composers 
like Theodorakis, we should challenge these ideas HEARTILY with our own before 
what they speak--God forbid--reaches receptive ears.  We should speak loudly, 
forcefully and clearly to make sure we reach the greater majority with the 
truth.

There will always be antisemites and people filled with hate; it's important 
that we try to keep them on the fringes and not let their ideas predominate.

Eliott Kahn




---------------------- jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org ---------------------+