Lahav Shani on cancelled Ghent concert: ‘I have not abandoned my human values’
Israeli conductor Lahav Shani has publicly responded to the cancellation of his scheduled concert with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra at Flanders Festival Ghent, saying the event organisers had "yielded to political pressures" and thanking prime minister Bart De Wever for his support.
The festival organisers decided to cancel Thursday’s concert because Shani is affiliated with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. They said they were unable to offer “sufficient clarity” on his “attitude to the genocidal regime in Tel Aviv”. The board of directors confirmed the cancellation on Monday, leading to the resignation of two members in protest.
“Over the last days, I found myself along with two of the orchestras dearest to my heart, the Munich Philharmonic and the Israel Philharmonic, unwillingly swept into an unexpected public storm that quickly escalated into a diplomatic incident,” Shani wrote in a statement published on the orchestra’s website on Tuesday.
The Ghent festival’s management "acted under the pretense that ‘music should be a source of connection and reconciliation’", Shani said.
“But in doing so, they emptied this statement of all meaning, yielding to political pressures, demanding that I make a political declaration despite my long standing and publicly expressed commitment to peace and reconciliation.”
'Deeply distressing'
Shani writes that on 7 October 2023, “Israel experienced a horrific and unprecedented event”, when Hamas carried out a series of coordinated attacks, killing 1,175 people and taking 251 people hostage.
“Israeli society continues to mourn the consequences of Hamas’s inhumane attack and longing for the return of 48 civilians who are still held hostage in unbearable conditions,” he said.
“Yet, I, like many Israelis, have not abandoned my human values. The images and testimonies coming out of Gaza are deeply distressing, and it is impossible to remain indifferent to the suffering of civilians in Gaza amidst the catastrophe this war has brought upon them. Everything must be done to end the war as soon as possible and begin the long process of healing and rebuilding for both societies.”
Damaged reputation
The removal of the concert from the programme has sparked political controversy. Flemish Culture minister Caroline Gennez of Vooruit supported the decision, while the N-VA described it as discrimination.
Two N-VA members of the festival’s board of directors, Christoph D’Haese and Annemie Charlier, resigned on Tuesday following the confirmation of the concert’s cancellation.
Prime minister Bart De Wever, also of N-VA, is among the critics of the decision. He attended a concert led by Shani in Germany this week in order to restore Belgium’s reputation, which he believes has been damaged by the controversy.
“It was also profoundly meaningful that the Prime Minister of Belgium expressed his solidarity by attending our concert last Saturday in Essen,” Shani said.
He and the Munich Philharmonic received a standing ovation in Berlin on Monday after a last-minute invitation to perform following the cancellation in Ghent.
#FlandersNewsService | Lahav Shani and the Munich Philharmonic at the Konzerthaus Berlin © PHOTO BERND VON JUTRCZENKA / DPA
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