Statement by the board of the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation on the withdrawal of the invitation from the Flanders Festival Ghent to Lahav Shani, Lisa Batiashvili and the Munich Philharmonic
“It was with great dismay and incomprehension that we learned of the decision by the Flanders Festival Ghent to cancel the concert by the Munich Philharmonic conducted by Lahav Shani.
Lahav Shani has been closely associated with our orchestra since his debut in September 2020. During this time, we have come to know him as a thoughtful artist and a person who – especially with regard to the Middle East conflict – has repeatedly spoken out in favour of peace, dialogue and reconciliation.
Excluding an artist from a festival because of his nationality is wrong and contradicts our understanding of music and culture. We are convinced that, especially in these times, music should build bridges rather than deepen divisions.
We express our full solidarity with Lahav Shani, the violinist Lisa Batiashvili, who is also affected, and our colleagues at the Munich Philharmonic.
We are very grateful to the team at Musikfest Berlin and the Konzerthaus Berlin for organizing a performance by the Munich Philharmonic, Lahav Shani and Lisa Batiashvili during the Musikfest Berlin at short notice, on the initiative of the Berliner Festspiele and the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation.”
pictured: Lahav Shani conducts the Berlin Phil
UPDATE: Staatsoper unter den Linden joins the condemnation, calling the Belgians antisemitic:
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