Wagner – Great Art or Anti-Semitism?
Addressing the question of whether or not one can separate the artist from the artwork? Especially in instances of great moral/emotional depravity (anti-semitic). The New York times has an opinion piece by Anthony Tommasini which addresses just this topic as it relates to the composer Richard Wagner.
I agree with Tommasini when he says:
As people go, Wagner was pretty vile. Yet awful people have produced sublime art, and many honorable people, even those with real talent, have produced a lot of faceless and boring art. This paradox would seem obvious by now. But there it is.
It is my belief that Wagner is peculiar as an artist whose emotional/social views are evil, because his anti-semitism is so great and his art is also so great that it has been, over the past thirty or so years, and is now being confronted.
Also from the article:
When James Levine accepted the invitation to conduct the centenary performance of “Parsifal” at Bayreuth in 1982, some wondered how an American Jew could appear at the temple of Wagner. Mr. Levine answered that he was compelled to confront the question of Wagner on the composer’s turf. How could such a creep write such a spiritual and piercingly honest work?
And Daniel Barenboim conducting Wagner works in Israel.
The BBC Great Composers film about Wagner features Barenboim addressing just this issue, as it obviously stands roiling us all. And not shying from an admiration of the artwork itself also shows Stephen Hawking giving his praises for the works of Wagner.
Tags: anti-semite, anti-semitic, artwork, critic, new york times, nyt, opera, ring, tommasini, valkyrie, wagner, walkyrie
I dont like Hitler. Hitler liked potatoes. I still like potatoes.
1.Jews are not perfect
http://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2009/09/07/taiwanization-or-borking/