Breaking: Concertgebouw restores one Jerusalem Quartet concert

After a wave of international outrage, the management of Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw has reinstated Saturday’s concert by the Jerusalem Quartet, which it previously banned on safety grounds.

The concert has been brought forward to 7 p.m. and will be held in the small hall, to avoid overlap with the main hall audience. This makes it easier to arrange security, the Concertgebouw says. The concert can be watched on livestream.

Previously, the Walloon Church in Amsterdam offered itself as an alternative venue.

Before the engagement was arranged, the Quartet issued this statement:
‘We are shocked and deeply saddened that our performances at the Concertgebouw cannot take place this weekend. Due to violence in the streets, and threats to the Concertgebouw, ours was the only concerts cancelled, which evokes memories of darker times for jewish artists in Europe. We are now in close contact with the Concertgebouw to assure security measures for the future so that this situation never happens again to any artist, and to find the soonest possible available alternate dates.

‘The immense outpouring of support we have received in the past days is overwhelming. Our quartet has had a decades-long relationship with the Concertgebouw, and we have a loyal and committed audience in the Netherlands. We will not allow this bond to be broken and want to assure our audiences that we will continue to perform and share our music with them.’

Although partial amends have now been made, the Concertgebouw cannot erase its error and incompetency.

UPDATE: The C’bous has just issued this statement:
The Jerusalem Quartet will perform this Saturday, May 18 7pm at The Concertgebouw. The safety of staff, visitors and musicians at this concert will be safeguarded thanks to tightened security measures, adjusted visitor flow and an adjusted start time. To make the concert accessible to everyone, it will also be available via a stream on the website of The Concertgebouw.

The earlier decision to reschedule the planned concerts has met with understanding as well as disapproval. General Manager Simon Reinink: “Every concert must be able to go ahead. The Concertgebouw fully supports its mission to connect and enrich everyone with sublime music, regardless of background, religion, culture or any distinction. We must continue to stand up for the free society we want to be. Every day.”

You’d think they might offer an apology. Or is that too unDutch to be considered?

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