In response to the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra’s disinvitation by the Flanders Festival Ghent, the orchestra and its designated chief conductor Lahav Shani will now perform at the Konzerthaus Berlin on 15 September at 19:00 as part of the ongoing Musikfest Berlin.
The guest performance has been arranged as a joint initiative of the Berliner Festspiele and the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation in cooperation with the Konzerthaus Berlin.
The concert programme includes Ludwig van Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, with Lisa Batiashvili as soloist, alongside the Prelude and Isolde’s Liebestod from Richard Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde.
The Artistic Director of the Berliner Festspiele, Matthias Pees, and the Artistic Director of Musikfest Berlin, Winrich Hopp, together with Andrea Zietzschmann, General Manager of the Berliner Philharmoniker, warmly welcome conductor Lahav Shani and the Munich Philharmonic. In doing so, they also wish to send a message about fundamental values of our democratic society and take a united stand against antisemitism.
Statement by the board of the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation on the withdrawal of the invitation from the Flanders Festival Ghent to Lahav Shani, Lisa Batiashvili and the Munich Philharmonic
“It was with great dismay and incomprehension that we learned of the decision by the Flanders Festival Ghent to cancel the concert by the Munich Philharmonic conducted by Lahav Shani.
Lahav Shani has been closely associated with our orchestra since his debut in September 2020. During this time, we have come to know him as a thoughtful artist and a person who – especially with regard to the Middle East conflict – has repeatedly spoken out in favour of peace, dialogue and reconciliation.
Excluding an artist from a festival because of his nationality is wrong and contradicts our understanding of music and culture. We are convinced that, especially in these times, music should build bridges rather than deepen divisions.
We express our full solidarity with Lahav Shani, the violinist Lisa Batiashvili, who is also affected, and our colleagues at the Munich Philharmonic.
We are very grateful to the team at Musikfest Berlin and the Konzerthaus Berlin for organizing a performance by the Munich Philharmonic, Lahav Shani and Lisa Batiashvili during the Musikfest Berlin at short notice, on the initiative of the Berliner Festspiele and the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation.”