Insieme: Voci della West-Eastern Divan Orchestra

by Elena Cheah

Nel 1999- Daniel Barenboim ed Edward Said danno vita al grande progetto della West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, che fonde nel proprio organico musicisti arabi e israeliani. Non è un progetto "di pace". Non c'è nulla di pateticamente ecumenico in questa esperienza che continua. Unica certezza è la musica, il fare musica insieme. Elena Cheah - violoncellista della Divan Orchestra - ci racconta, attraverso una serie di ritratti, attraverso le testimonianze di alcuni protagonisti di questa avventura, i conflitti, gli affiatamenti, le speranze di ciascuno di loro. Ed ecco emergere gli entusiasmi, la condivisione del tempo, gli spostamenti, il lavoro assiduo delle prove, l'imperio seduttivo del maestro Barenboim. e ancora la vitalità e la problematicità che stanno intorno a quella forma tutt'affatto particolare di costruzione di armonia che è il lavoro collettivo dell'orchestra. La West-Eastern Divan Orchestra di Elena Cheah è un microcosmo dove si intrecciano storie di vita tragiche e momenti esilaranti, paradossali peripezie burocratiche ed esistenze avvitate sull'amore per la musica.

301 pages, Paperback

First published August 24, 2009

Reviews

[Quo · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Orchestra Beyond Borders--Voices of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra by Elena Cheah & with a foreword by Daniel Barenboim presents only part of the story of the extraordinary effort at bridging the chasm that exists between many Israelis and their Palestinian counterparts but it represents a formidable encounter with the musicians who are at the core of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, formed by conductor Daniel Barenboim and the late Prof. Edward Said and which gathers for a month each summer. The idea was not just to have young musicians make music but to allow opposing voices to be heard at the same time. As Barenboim put it:

We were not interested in providing a line of thought to be followed by all but based this principle on musical counterpoint where an accompanimental voice can enhance melody rather than detract from it. To this day, we do not try to diminish or soften the differences in the orchestra but do the opposite. By confronting our differences, we attempt to understand the logic behind the opposite position.

There is so much cause for alarm at the lack of harmony & the violence in the Middle East, including Israel & the Palestinian territories but the effort by Barenboim and Said, with some assistance in the early days from cellist Yo-Yo Ma, is a cause for jubilation, a rare case of bonds being created through music among those who often represent seemingly intractable ethnic, religious and linguistic differences. As one of the young Israeli musicians puts it,

My education should have led me to conclusions that I did not come to. Before leaving Israel & spending time away from my country, I was unable to see how much I was indoctrinated. My education should have told me to suspect that what I heard was only one side of the truth. The indoctrination was so strong, though I could not see this from within. It was like something out of Orwell, something you just grow up with, truth that you cannot challenge.

An Israeli violinist admits while gazing at the Palestinian counterpart making musical notations just beside him,

One month ago I was with the Israeli Army standing at a border in Lebanon & who knows, if this girl had been there & made a wrong move, I might have shot at her. And now I'm sitting next to her and we are playing Beethoven with Barenboim. I just don't understand...

Daniel Barenboim & Michael Said conceived of this effort at blending Israeli & Palestinian musicians with others from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Jordan & a few from Spain, not really knowing what forces might arise to block their path. At one point, Israeli musicians with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra have to be smuggled into Ramallah across the border from Israel with the aid of German diplomatic vehicles and there to meet up with their fellow Palestinian and Arab musicians who had come across a different border from Jordan, with each of them being given temporary Spanish passports for the occasion of the concert in Ramallah because neither the Israel government nor the Palestinian authorities were in favor of the commingling of ethnicities for the concert.

In the early days, the Israeli musicians tended to keep to themselves or joined with the Spanish musicians, while the Palestinians stayed apart or mixed only with Arab musicians from other countries but over time & especially after the concert at Ramallah in 2005, there was a sense of shared mission, of being on the same team as it were. Several ended up playing for orchestras around the world and becoming roommates with those they would never have associated with back in Israel or Palestine before becoming a part of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, initially just sharing a month of music in summer over the course of several years.

One of the musicians quotes Barenboim in declaring that every concert starts from zero and that a concert is like life itself, constantly changing--it's there and then it's gone. Ultimately, he states that this very diverse group of musicians are like lovers making up after an emotional fight, rediscovering each other. Over the years he says, we have grown like a family. In the many orchestras he has been a part of, he has never encountered anything like it. "It is like an addiction, it has become a part of my life that I cannot live without." This may be just one small victory for peaceful coexistence but I think it represents an important one. I also think that the stories included in this book might appeal to a wide audience, well beyond those who find classical music appealing.

If interested in this wonderful example of creating cross-cultural bonds through shared musical experience, I recommend finding a copy of the DVD The Ramallah Concert: Knowledge is the Beginning, a film by Paul Smaczny, portraying the experiences of disparate Israeli, Palestinian & other Middle Eastern musicians of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra making music and developing harmony with each other under the baton of Daniel Barenboim, a 93 minute documentary with a recorded live concert.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been such a great surprise. It’s been a true delight to read. I didn’t know of the existence of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra until last summer that I heard from them in a trip to Spain. I didn’t have a chance to attend any of their performances though. Still, this wonderful project that brings together all these culturally diverse Middle Eastern musicians to play music every summer awoke my curiosity.

I got this book not knowing much about it, but it was a great book. It is well written, pleasant all along and a true page turner. It’s very interesting and moving to read how these musicians from Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Turkey, Iran and Spain develop deep and meaningful friendships among themselves, regardless of their nation’s political issues. Some have a hard time copping with the ideas and believes of the others, but at least they make an effort to be cool about it. They do learn a lot about each other, and they teach many about true friendship and love among fellow humans. And regardless of their political views, they are able to put them aside while they are playing music.

It’s really interesting to see how each of the musicians portrayed in this book ended up playing the instruments they play, and how their musical careers got started. And it’s a joy to see how far they have come and grown as musicians and as individuals. If you are interested in the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, you’ll enjoy this book. I fully recommend it. It inspired me to look more into the Middle East conflict, to understand where they come from, and where they are headed.