Category Archives: Journal
Weizmann Institute Honorary Doctorate
Er ist ein Freund. Manchmal sehen wir uns monatelang nicht. Dann treffen wir uns und haben das Gefühl, dass unsere letzte Begegnung gerade erst gestern stattgefunden hat. Es ist eine Freundschaft, in der man sich nicht oft sehen muss, um zu wissen, dass man einen Freund vor sich hat. Am Montag feiert Simon Rattle sein Jubiläum. Als er seinen letzten runden Geburtstag feierte, habe ich ihn angerufen und gratuliert. Ich …
I have known Claudio Abbado since the beginning of the 1950s, at the time he studied the piano with Gulda at the Salzburg Mozarteum. In 1956, we both participated in a conducting course in Siena and since then, we have shared a long musical and human friendship. I treasure many special memories, most recently of course of his return to the Scala in Milan in 2012 when we performed together …
In 1976, for the hundredth birthday of the Bayreuth Wagner Festival, Patrice Chéreau directed Wagner’s Ring des Nibelungen, conducted by Pierre Boulez. Today, this “Centennial Ring” is a legend. In the first year of the performance, however, the production was a complete scandal, a fact easily forgotten. What Patrice Chéreau showed on the Festspielhaus stage was completely new for the public – and completely unprecedented. He moved the work to …
1976 inszenierte Patrice Chéreau in Bayreuth zum 100. Geburtstag der Festspiele Wagners „Ring des Nibelungen“, dirigiert von Pierre Boulez. Heute ist dieser „Jahrhundert-Ring“ ein Mythos. Im ersten Aufführungsjahr aber war die Produktion ein absoluter Skandal, das vergisst sich immer so leicht. Denn was Patrice Chéreau auf der Bühne des Festspielhauses zeigte, war für das Publikum völlig neu – und unerhört. Er versetzte das Werk in die Zeit seiner Uraufführung, also …
Haaretz, June 16, 2013 For a very long time, I have been deeply concerned by the attitude of Israeli politicians and citizens towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I have been equally concerned, both directly and indirectly, about the moral quality of life, or civic morale, in Israel. For many centuries, the Jewish people all over the world have represented a great tradition of moral values. It was that tradition which gave …
I am very happy to see that everybody is excited about the new concert hall in Ramallah. The hall will be used for concerts of Palestinian and international visiting artists and for medical conferences. I am delighted that we now have a first class concert hall in Ramallah, both visually and acoustically. And it is my hope and intention to use it regularly so as to give the musical public …
There is perhaps no other composer in history who sought to combine such obviously incompatible elements in his works. The qualities that make his supporters so enthusiastic are often the same ones that repel his opponents, such as his tendency toward extremes in every compositional aspect. Although he stretched the limits of harmony and operatic form to the breaking point, the realization of his musical concepts always remained exceedingly economical. …
Es gibt in der Geschichte vielleicht keinen zweiten Komponisten, der so offensichtlich unvereinbare Elemente in seinen Werken zu vereinigen suchte. Die Eigenschaften, die Wagners Anhänger begeistern, sind oft dieselben, die seine Gegner abstoßen, wie zum Beispiel sein Hang zu Extremen in jeder kompositorischen Hinsicht. So sehr er die Harmonie und die Form der Oper bis zur Belastungsgrenze ausdehnte, blieb er trotzdem stets äußerst ökonomisch in der Umsetzung seiner musikalischen Vorstellungen. …
One might ask why Beethoven and Schönberg should be performed on the same program. Both produced great masterpieces; Beethoven’s works have enriched the lives of millions of people for the last 200 years and Schönberg is well on his way to becoming one of the most accepted 20th century composers. Yet their significance goes beyond even the quality of the masterpieces they bequeathed us: both Beethoven and Schönberg are veritable …