Did Friends listen to the marvellous Daniel Barenboim giving his Reith Lectures? They were all about the power of music and in particular the success of the West-Eastern Divan (or Diwan) youth orchestra, which he and the Palestinian intellectual Edward Said founded a few years ago.
This orchestra, you may recall, is one of the wonders of the modern world, comprising both Israeli and Palestinian musicians. Barenboim and Said met by chance in an hotel lobby when, ironically, Said himself was presenting a Reith lecture series. Between them they dreamed up the orchestra, named after a poem by Goethe on the theme of ‘the other’. Goethe had been given a copy of the Qu’ran by a Spanish soldier, whereupon at the age of 60, he learned Arabic. His poem, ‘The West-Eastern Divan’ was inspired by the 14th century Persian lyrical poet Hafiz.
The orchestra has much for conflict-resolving Quakers to muse on. Barenboim says it is impossible to play music intelligently if you only concentrate on your own performance.
He has his critics, and was challenged by his Jewish audience in Jerusalem, but nevertheless Barenboim always sticks to his guns – or should we say, his baton.