Sir, – The chorus of condemnation of Gerard Donovan (May 29th) serves to vindicate his stance. That Raymond Deane’s letter was expressed in mild terms is a disingenuous defence: the offer that one euphemistically cannot refuse may be couched in exquisitely polite language. Mr Donovan justifiably found the very openness of Mr Deane’s letter to be threatening.
Nor does a mob have to be waving scythes and pitchforks in the dim light of smoking torches for it to be intimidating.
Well done, Gerard Donovan, for standing up to threats and intimidation, and defending art’s independence from political interference. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – Since a lot of the arguments about cultural boycotts against Israel focus on music and musicians, it might be instructive to look at the work and strategy of Daniel Barenboim and Edward Said, the former an Argentinian-Israeli, the latter a Palestinian, who founded the West-East Divan orchestra in 1999, which brought together Jewish and Arab young people to play classical music.
Barenboim, one of the world’s greatest conductors and pianists, saw the orchestra as “a project against ignorance”, while never pretending for a moment that it was any kind of political solution to a very difficult situation. Said (no mean pianist himself), also believed in the power of music to raise the mind above bigotry and dullness. As for boycotts, both men believed that such tactics usually closed rather than opened doors and possibilities. Barenboim even contested the logic of a self-imposed Israeli boycott of the music of Wagner. While agreeing with most Israelis that Wagner was a monstrous Jew-hater, he insisted that Wagner was also a sublime musician, whose work should be heard.
This is the kind of bravery and imagination which seems lost on those philistines who recommend a cultural boycott of Israel. – Yours, etc,