Multifaith Classical Youth Orchestra Calls For Peace In The Middle East During Massive Outdoor Concert In Madrid, Spain
"Acclaimed conductor Daniel Barenboim and his multifaith youth orchestra called for peace in the Middle East during a massive concert in Madrid Thursday night.
Barenboim's West-Eastern Divan Orchestra played Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 and dedicated the evening to the victims of the current conflict between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah.
Thousands of classical music-lovers gathered in Madrid's Plaza Mayor for the event, dubbed Music Against Violence.
Guests included Madrid Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon and Mariam Said, the widow of late Palestinian activist, writer and scholar Edward Said.
The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra will continue on its annual tour through Sept. 1, with stops including Istanbul, Brussels, Paris, Berlin and Milan.
In the 1990s, Said and Barenboim, born in Buenos Aires to parents of Russian Jewish descent, co-founded a foundation to promote music education for and co-operation between young Jewish and Arab musicians.
In 2002, Barenboim and Said jointly received Spain's Prince of Asturias Concord Award for creating the youth orchestra and musical workshops.
Though Said died in 2003, Barenboim has continued to hold annual workshops for and tour with their orchestra, which is made up of young musicians from countries such as Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt." ...
CBC Arts "Barenboim's youth orchestra urges peace with Madrid concert" August 11, 2006
http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2006/08/11/barenboim-orchestra-madrid.html
Plaza Mayor in Madrid, Spain, site of multifaith classical youth orchestra appeal for peace in the Middle East and in World Civilization. Madrid, Spain was the site of the March 11, 2004 terrorist attacks killing 192 people and wounding 2,050.
Photo credit: (c) Madridman Media. www.madridman.com With thanks.
Barenboim's West-Eastern Divan Orchestra played Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 and dedicated the evening to the victims of the current conflict between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah.
Thousands of classical music-lovers gathered in Madrid's Plaza Mayor for the event, dubbed Music Against Violence.
Guests included Madrid Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon and Mariam Said, the widow of late Palestinian activist, writer and scholar Edward Said.
The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra will continue on its annual tour through Sept. 1, with stops including Istanbul, Brussels, Paris, Berlin and Milan.
In the 1990s, Said and Barenboim, born in Buenos Aires to parents of Russian Jewish descent, co-founded a foundation to promote music education for and co-operation between young Jewish and Arab musicians.
In 2002, Barenboim and Said jointly received Spain's Prince of Asturias Concord Award for creating the youth orchestra and musical workshops.
Though Said died in 2003, Barenboim has continued to hold annual workshops for and tour with their orchestra, which is made up of young musicians from countries such as Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt." ...
CBC Arts "Barenboim's youth orchestra urges peace with Madrid concert" August 11, 2006
http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2006/08/11/barenboim-orchestra-madrid.html
Plaza Mayor in Madrid, Spain, site of multifaith classical youth orchestra appeal for peace in the Middle East and in World Civilization. Madrid, Spain was the site of the March 11, 2004 terrorist attacks killing 192 people and wounding 2,050.
Photo credit: (c) Madridman Media. www.madridman.com With thanks.
posted by Garth Trinkl at 1:08 PM
2 Comments:
Nice article---I've known about Barenboim and Said's efforts for quite some time, before Said died. It is a great example of what can be done when people learn to respect each other's differences, find common ground, and in some cases just agree to disagree.
The conflict in the middle east, unfortunately, is fought and stirred up by extremists on both sides. The average Israeli wants to live in peace; the average Palestinian wants to live in peace. If music can work to bridge these gaps, then that would be a wonderful thing. But the extremists need to stay out of it.
Thank you, David, for your very important comment on this deeply world troubling issue.
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