“No, there is a limit to the tyrant’s power! When the oppressed man finds no justice, When the burden grows unbearable, he appeals with fearless heart to heaven, and thence brings down his everlasting rights, which there abide, inalienably his, and indestructible as stars themselves.
You could add to your article the attack on ballet. The Bolshoi summer season at the Royal Opera House in London was summarily cancelled. Opera singer Anna Netrebko was also cancelled at the Royal Opera. The Bolshoi was eliminated from World Ballet Day this year, they who are normally one of the prime contributors. It is a heinous attack on the arts and culture perpetrated by the West.
Russians can not possibly have arts! Russians can not possibly have high culture! Russians can not possibly have soul! etc etc. the usual collective punishment game from the anglo playbook.
I believe I am correct in saying that the former Head of the Royal Opera House is now the Director General of the BBC. There has long been a close collaboration between the two.
All of this must be heartbreaking for the artists involved. Politicians truly lose their soul when they gain a little power. Then they crave ever more to fill the void. Must it always be so?
I also wanted to add: Valery Gergiev's longest professional engagement outside of Russia was with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, with whom he worked for some thirty years. Like in Munich, he was on 1 March summarily dismissed for insufficiently distancing himself from the Russian government apropos of Ukraine. I was completely disgusted.
I watched the Palmyra concert when it was first broadcast on RT's YouTube channel and found it an absolutely overwhelming experience. What made it so powerful was its understated quality; virtually no words, the RT team simply let the music and the powerful visuals (the images of the Roman ruins) do the talking.
Speaking of Beethoven, I realize Ode to Joy is the perennial favorite of many, but I confess I find the Prisoners Chorus from Fidelio in some ways even more affecting. I've seen Fidelio a number of times in the theater and this scene is so profoundly moving; an almost religious moment of solemn joy. They have, in an allegorical way, escaped from Plato's Cave. Perhaps another high point in Weimar Classicism?
Yes, I wholeheartedly agree Colin, the Prisoners Chorus is a "profoundly moving, almost religious moment of solemn joy. They have, in an allegorical way, escaped from Plato's Cave. Perhaps another high point in Weimar Classicism?" I have only had the pleasure of seeing the Fidelio performance through video, the Christa Ludwig performance, which is still incredibly moving. It is too bad Beethoven never got around to doing more productions for the theater, he was working on Macbeth but never completed it.
I must have known at one point that Beethoven was working on a Macbeth, but completely forgot that. I share your very high regard for Christa Ludwig, a wonderful singer and actress. It's really unfortunate that opera is considered an "elite" art form these days. Perhaps it should be seen that way in the US, where opera productions are bankrolled by billionaires writing fat checks. But it certainly wasn't in 19th Italy, where the works of Verdi enjoyed tremendous popularity among all classes. Nor was it an elite preoccupation in the Soviet Union and the former East Bloc, where theaters and opera houses were a standard feature of the cultural landscape, likes schools, libraries, and hospitals. Nor is it entirely so today in Germany. Some years back I realized that there were upwards of fifty regional opera houses in that country. If you were to extrapolate that to the US on the basis population, you would have perhaps 200 opera companies there, throughout the country, in all the major cities. Of course, opera is heavily subsidized there by the state and the question is now whether they will be able to continue funding these kinds of cultural activities if the economy implodes, as is now looking increasingly likely.
Although I adore the classic works of Italian and German opera, I don't go much to the theater these days; all too often productions are poisoned for me by pretentious, dilettantish theater directors trying to be hip and edgy, or (ugh) woke. So annoying! I wrote a short commentary about this last June on my Substack, apropos of some misguided efforts to "sanitize" Wagner; not my favorite opera composer, to be honest, but the general trend is simply dreadful. If you would be interested:
I would add this to the preceding: The late French philosopher, Michel Foucault (1926-1984), is credited with saying the following: "[...], no matter how serious a given situation, there are always different options for action and change, although very limited in some cases. Foucault's position is that to ignore unjust practices within the social body is to tolerate and perpetuate their existence, thus condemning a whole section of the population to despair. Although there are multiple social and historical constraints, there is always a way to change these constraints – namely, a margin of freedom. Foucault, therefore, assumes that people will always seek to modify the actions of others. In short, to wield power - but that assumes, at the same time, that people will resist such attempts. To quote Foucault, if only for the last time, and in doing so, paraphrasing him (of course!), in connection with the homo Deus of a Schwab or a Harari (on hacking the human brain): "How does it mean that in Western Christian culture, the government of men demands of those who are led not only acts of obedience and submission but also acts of truth? This requires not only that the subject tell the truth but that he tell the truth about himself, his faults, his desires, and the state of his soul (see Harari's "Homo Deus")... And so on? (Michel Foucault, 1926-1984)
You could add to your article the attack on ballet. The Bolshoi summer season at the Royal Opera House in London was summarily cancelled. Opera singer Anna Netrebko was also cancelled at the Royal Opera. The Bolshoi was eliminated from World Ballet Day this year, they who are normally one of the prime contributors. It is a heinous attack on the arts and culture perpetrated by the West.
Russians can not possibly have arts! Russians can not possibly have high culture! Russians can not possibly have soul! etc etc. the usual collective punishment game from the anglo playbook.
This is what they are missing. One of the most breathtaking photos I've seen. Courtesy Bolshoi Ballet: The Legend of Love.
https://static.themoscowtimes.com/image/1360/7c/3EAA62A4-FF6D-4280-8A0B-5F78D823CE9E.jpeg
Powerful writing
Excellent essay.
My heart hurts. I long for hope.
And these same cultural institutions bend over backwards to make excuses on behalf of self-professed Nazis, as long as they are Ukrainian.
One should also remember Valentina Lisitsa. https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Lisitsa%2C+pianist%2C+banned&t=osx&ia=web
It is one of my deepest hopes that your articles and Matt's too will be translated into Russian and German for distribution.
I believe I am correct in saying that the former Head of the Royal Opera House is now the Director General of the BBC. There has long been a close collaboration between the two.
All of this must be heartbreaking for the artists involved. Politicians truly lose their soul when they gain a little power. Then they crave ever more to fill the void. Must it always be so?
Thank you for your insights! There is at least one prominent German speaking out. Statesman and leftist former politician Oskar Lafontaine just published a book entitled "Ami, It's Time to Go! Plaedoyer fuel die Selbstbehauptung Europe's" ("Plea for Europe's Self-determination"), in which among other things he calls for evicting all US military bases from Germany. See also https://sputniknews.com/20221128/german-statesman-slams-eu-leaders-spinelessness-demands-natos-dismemberment-closure-of-us-bases-1104796406.html
I also wanted to add: Valery Gergiev's longest professional engagement outside of Russia was with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, with whom he worked for some thirty years. Like in Munich, he was on 1 March summarily dismissed for insufficiently distancing himself from the Russian government apropos of Ukraine. I was completely disgusted.
https://presearch.com/search?q=gergiev+rotterdam
I watched the Palmyra concert when it was first broadcast on RT's YouTube channel and found it an absolutely overwhelming experience. What made it so powerful was its understated quality; virtually no words, the RT team simply let the music and the powerful visuals (the images of the Roman ruins) do the talking.
Speaking of Beethoven, I realize Ode to Joy is the perennial favorite of many, but I confess I find the Prisoners Chorus from Fidelio in some ways even more affecting. I've seen Fidelio a number of times in the theater and this scene is so profoundly moving; an almost religious moment of solemn joy. They have, in an allegorical way, escaped from Plato's Cave. Perhaps another high point in Weimar Classicism?
Fragment from a production at Covent Garden: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V7e1jKx7Qg
Yes, I wholeheartedly agree Colin, the Prisoners Chorus is a "profoundly moving, almost religious moment of solemn joy. They have, in an allegorical way, escaped from Plato's Cave. Perhaps another high point in Weimar Classicism?" I have only had the pleasure of seeing the Fidelio performance through video, the Christa Ludwig performance, which is still incredibly moving. It is too bad Beethoven never got around to doing more productions for the theater, he was working on Macbeth but never completed it.
I must have known at one point that Beethoven was working on a Macbeth, but completely forgot that. I share your very high regard for Christa Ludwig, a wonderful singer and actress. It's really unfortunate that opera is considered an "elite" art form these days. Perhaps it should be seen that way in the US, where opera productions are bankrolled by billionaires writing fat checks. But it certainly wasn't in 19th Italy, where the works of Verdi enjoyed tremendous popularity among all classes. Nor was it an elite preoccupation in the Soviet Union and the former East Bloc, where theaters and opera houses were a standard feature of the cultural landscape, likes schools, libraries, and hospitals. Nor is it entirely so today in Germany. Some years back I realized that there were upwards of fifty regional opera houses in that country. If you were to extrapolate that to the US on the basis population, you would have perhaps 200 opera companies there, throughout the country, in all the major cities. Of course, opera is heavily subsidized there by the state and the question is now whether they will be able to continue funding these kinds of cultural activities if the economy implodes, as is now looking increasingly likely.
Although I adore the classic works of Italian and German opera, I don't go much to the theater these days; all too often productions are poisoned for me by pretentious, dilettantish theater directors trying to be hip and edgy, or (ugh) woke. So annoying! I wrote a short commentary about this last June on my Substack, apropos of some misguided efforts to "sanitize" Wagner; not my favorite opera composer, to be honest, but the general trend is simply dreadful. If you would be interested:
https://cbrace.substack.com/p/rectifying-wagner
Thank you Cynthia. Also watching your lecture : 'The battle for the mind. How to exit an artificial reality' https://youtu.be/ZTTeX6useKI
Gergiev has been Sacked to Appease the Great American "Exceptional" Cultural Empire ,because Germany is a US Colony, with No Voice of it`s own.
GCHQ KILLED PRINCESS DIANA
I would add this to the preceding: The late French philosopher, Michel Foucault (1926-1984), is credited with saying the following: "[...], no matter how serious a given situation, there are always different options for action and change, although very limited in some cases. Foucault's position is that to ignore unjust practices within the social body is to tolerate and perpetuate their existence, thus condemning a whole section of the population to despair. Although there are multiple social and historical constraints, there is always a way to change these constraints – namely, a margin of freedom. Foucault, therefore, assumes that people will always seek to modify the actions of others. In short, to wield power - but that assumes, at the same time, that people will resist such attempts. To quote Foucault, if only for the last time, and in doing so, paraphrasing him (of course!), in connection with the homo Deus of a Schwab or a Harari (on hacking the human brain): "How does it mean that in Western Christian culture, the government of men demands of those who are led not only acts of obedience and submission but also acts of truth? This requires not only that the subject tell the truth but that he tell the truth about himself, his faults, his desires, and the state of his soul (see Harari's "Homo Deus")... And so on? (Michel Foucault, 1926-1984)
See you on Zoom tomorrow at 2 PM.
I've managed to find Prayer for Palmyra here: https://odysee.com/@SputnikInternational:c/pray-for-palmyra-russian-maestro-2:4
Thank you so much, Cynthia!
Well spoken, and let's not forget the villification the Serbs went through in the 1990-2000's.