Dec 11, 2009

By 10

Sibelius & the Nazis:
Anatomy of a Smear

I am a great admirer of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, who along with Richard Strauss and Ralph Vaughan Williams, was one of the last generation (so far) of great European Romantic composers. Thus my attention was drawn to a  November 29, 2009 article about Sibelius in the Chronicle of Higher Education, “A Composer’s Ties to Nazi Germany Come Under New...

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Sep 3, 2009

By 3

Adorno as Critic:
Celebrating the Socially Destructive Force of Music

The Frankfurt School was a group of predominantly Jewish intellectuals associated with the Institute for Social Research. It originated during the Weimar period in Germany, and became a bastion of the cultural left. With the rise of National Socialism, the Frankfurt School was closed by the German government, and many of its members emigrated to America.Theodor Adorno was the...

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Aug 13, 2009

By 1

A Clockwork Orange

As is the norm for Kubrick movies, the critics did not seem entirely comfortable with this avant garde movie. They claimed that it was just a crude and very dangerous display of sado-masochism dressed up as high art.And, of course, on a marketing level the critics were absolutely right. This is not a movie you want your kids to see or your adult friends and acquaintances to...

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Jul 21, 2009

By 5

Jewish Publicity Hound, Valley Girl Blogger Unite Against Wagner’s Ring

Editor’s Note: Since his death in Venice on February 13, 1883, Richard Wagner has said not one unkind word about the Jews. Jews, however, have not returned the favor. In all fairness, however, Jews have also numbered among Wagner’s most important promoters and performers. Although I am a Wagnerphile, I am not one who will pay hundreds of dollars to have my intelligence...

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May 31, 2009

By 0

Today is the 200th Anniversary of Joseph Haydn’s Death

“A Conservative Obligation: Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)”from The Brussels Journal, May 26, 2009The Year of Our Lord 2009 is the bicentenary of the death of Franz Joseph Haydn (d. May 31, 1809), known in the last two decades of his long life by the affectionate moniker of “Papa Haydn.” In the aftermath of the most recent American presidential election, just before...

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May 30, 2009

By 2

Sir Reginald Goodall: An Appreciation

I am linking the following article on Sir Reginald Goodall (1901 – 1990) because not only was he a great conductor, he was also racially and politically aware and paired these convictions with an unusual degree of courage.In the 1930s, Goodall was a member of Sir Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists. He was an outspoken opponent of the Second World War, and he was...

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