Posted July 27, 2011
Israel and Wagner are rarerly uttered in the same sentence.
Tradition was shattered in Bayreuth on July 25th when Roberto Paternostro, a Jewish descendant of a family who lost 80% of its members in the Holocaust, led the Israel Chamber Orchestra in a performance of the Siegfried Idyll. Present in the the front row were Katharina Wagner and Eva Wagner-Pasquier, decendents of Richard Wagner.
The performance ended with stunned silence, followed by a standing ovation.
The program was:
Mahler – Ruckert Lieder, Dietrich Henschel, baritone
Mendelssohn – “Italian” Symphony
Tzvi Avni – “Prayer”
Liszt – “Angelus!”
Wagner – “Sigfried – Idyll”
Here is the full report from NPR’s Robert Siegel and you can also hear the report in a 5-minute podcast – by clicking the Listen to the Story icon at the top.
Alex Ross also describes his visit to Bayreuth and he also attended the concert
http://www.therestisnoise.com/2011/08/another-bayreuth-pilgrimage.html