"Belgium's prime minister, Bart De Wever, has said he attended a concert by a German orchestra that was uninvited from a Belgian festival to show support for its Israeli conductor. The cancellation of a planned performance at the Flanders festival Ghent by the Munich Philharmonic over concerns about its Israeli future chief conductor, Lahav Shani, has triggered a storm of criticism and accusations of antisemitism."
"There will never, ever be any room for racism and antisemitism in this country, he wrote on X, alongside a photo of himself shaking hands with Shani in a concert hall. I insisted on conveying this message to him personally and expressing my appreciation for his contribution to the power of music. The Ghent festival organisers said this week they had decided to scrap the performance because Shani had not unequivocally distanced himself from Israel's government, whose war in Gaza has triggered international uproar."
"The move has drawn criticism, including from Germany and Israel. On Friday, the Berlin Philharmonic said it had extended a short-notice invitation to the Israeli conductor to perform at a festival in the German capital next week, in what the German government described as a wonderful sign of support. Shani, 36, who officially takes over as conductor of the Munich orchestra for the 2026/27 season, is currently music director of the Israel Philharmonic."
Belgium's prime minister Bart De Wever travelled to Essen to attend a concert by the Munich Philharmonic to show support for its Israeli future chief conductor, Lahav Shani, after the orchestra was uninvited from the Ghent Flanders festival. The Ghent organisers cancelled the planned performance citing Shani's failure to unequivocally distance himself from Israel's government amid the Gaza war. The cancellation provoked accusations of antisemitism and criticism from Germany and Israel. The Berlin Philharmonic extended a short-notice invitation for Shani to perform in Berlin, which the German government called a sign of support. Shani, 36, currently leads the Israel Philharmonic and will formally take Munich's chief conductorship in 2026/27.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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