Israeli Public Radio Sparks Uproar After Playing Wagner Despite Boycott

Israel’s public radio broadcast Richard Wagner’s opera "Twilight of the gods" (Gotterdammerung) on its classical radio station Kol Hamusica Friday despite the country’s boycott against Wagner’s works that began before the establishment of the state.

On "As You Want," edited by Uri Marcus aired a live recording of the third act of the opera, conducted by Daniel Barenboim, at the Bayreuth Festival in 1991.

"In 1849, Richard Wagner began to formulate his revolutionary ideas about opera as a result of anarchist political activity, and gave rise to a new artistic form merging poetry and drama…we will listen to the final act of ‘Twilight of Gods,’" the Avishai Pelchi said on air.

However, a few minutes later the work was cut short by a 40 second pause, followed by the names of musicians and singers, including Barenboim, of the piece. Pelchi then continued to play the work until the end.

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– Wagner