Maestro strikes a note of peace - World Notes

Catholic New Times, Oct 6, 2002

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) -- Jubilant Palestinian teenagers recently greeted world-famous pianist Daniel Barenboim before he played Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" at a master class for young musicians in the West Bank.

The performance, attended by about 100 students in Ramallah, came nearly six months after the Israeli army refused to grant Barenboim permission for a visit. This time, Barenboim simply ignored the Israeli travel ban and entered the West Bank under German diplomatic escost.

Boys and girls dressed in their school uniforms of blue-and-white striped shirts applauded Barenboim, an Argentine-born Jew and Israeli citizen, as he entered a hall at the Friends School.

Barenboim, a world-renowned conductor, said he wanted to play his part in reducing tensions in the region.

"What I can do is play music, play music for you, and maybe this way, in a very small way ... for these few moments, we are able to build down the hatred that is so much in the region," Barenboim said in English. In Arabic, he added: "I am very happy to be here with you."

Barenboim, 59, is the musical director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the artistic director of the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin.

He said that many people have asked him why he was so eager to perform in Ramallah. "I tell them it's very simple. I'm not a politician, I don't have a plan to end the conflict. But I think the lesson we have to learn from the 20th century is that every human being has to think of his responsibility as a human being and not always depend on the politicians and the government."

Last week, Barenboim and U.S.-based Palestinian writer and critic Edward Said were named the winners of Spain's Prince of Asturias Concord Prize for their efforts in bringing peace to the Middle East. Since the early 1990s, the two men have run a summer workshop for young musicians from Israel and Arab countries in Germany, the United States, Spain and other countries.