Daniel Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra: Music that crosses divides

Daniel Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra (WEDO) stand for a unique project in which music has become the unifying element between seemingly irreconcilable enemies: The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra is composed of Israeli and Arab musicians, and “playfully” overcomes the political divide between Israel and Palestine.

The orchestra has been in existence since 1999 and has since become one of the world’s top orchestras. The founding fathers of WEDO were the conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim, who himself comes from a Jewish family, and the Palestinian literary academic and pianist Edward Said, who passed away in 2003. Their goal from the very beginning was to use music to facilitate a dialog between cultures, and especially between Israeli and Arab musicians. While Barenboim and Said had described their joint project as “virtually impossible” at the outset, it is now apparent that the musicians understand each other exceptionally well!

Every summer, the Israeli and Arab musicians and the conductor come together for rehearsals, workshops and a major concert tour. The orchestra has performed all over the world, but not in the home countries of many of its musicians. They have never been allowed to play in Israel, and only a few times in Arab countries. The orchestra is often called a “peace orchestra”, but Barenboim and the musicians want it to be understood as a humanistic rather than a political project.

In an exclusive interview with Deutsche Welle, Daniel Barenboim talks about what is special about the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra. How do Israeli and Arab musicians get along with each other? How does the orchestra work as a team? The interview also addresses Barenboim’s special relationship to Beethoven, concerts during the pandemic, and the question of what role music can play in today’s world. For Barenboim, the answer is clear: music is an art form that overcomes divides, and in which people from hostile nations can create something together.

The video features longer excerpts from these concerts by Daniel Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra:
- Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 (Royal Albert Hall, London, 2012)
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major, K. 543 (United Nations Human Rights Room, Geneva, 2015)
- Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op 125 (Royal Albert Hall, London, 2012)

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Thumbnail: © picture-alliance/dpa | Mohamed Omar

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