OPINION - Classical Music Should Make UNESCO's Cultural Heritage List, Not Banned As Racist

ST. PETERSBURG (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd October, 2020) Classical music is so beloved and essential to the Western civilization and to the world's culture that it should make the UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity instead of being sacrificed in the name of battling systemic racism, Fabio Mastrangelo, a world-famous conductor, who also is artistic director of the St. Petersburg State Music Hall Theater, told Sputnik.

"Aside from the fact that classical music, as we have known it for the past four or more centuries, should, in my opinion, also be granted such status from the UNESCO, to discuss allegations of racism within the compositions of Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Verdi, Paisiello, Rachmaninov... is completely out of place," Mastrangelo said.

The ever-growing polarization and ideological totalitarianism of the modern society that possibly triggered recent public unrest and lead people out on to the streets in the United States and in Europe under the slogan "Black Lives Matter" protests inspired assaults on different spheres of life including on the music world.

For example, New York Times music critic Anthony Tommasini's demand for racial quotas in orchestral hiring that would increase the number of black performers limiting opportunities for Asians, who are, according to the critic, disproportionately overrepresented among musicians today.

Another two classical music podcasters, stars of Vox's Switched on Pop podcast produced with the New York Philharmonic, sparked a debate in the United States, sending shockwaves worldwide, asking whether Beethoven's music and the Fifth Symphony in particular is a "symbol of elitism and exclusion."

The presenters, Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding, made a claim in their article titled "How Beethoven Put the Classism in Classical Music," that "wealthy white men embraced Beethoven and turned his symphony into a symbol of their superiority and importance. For others - women, LGBTQ+ people, people of color - Beethoven's symphony is predominantly a reminder of classical music's history of exclusion and elitism."

Before attempting to comment on the position which, purportedly, regards the phenomenon which is commonly referred to as the Western Classical Music as an alleged display of racism, Mastrangelo, who is commonly referred to as Russia's most famous Italian-born conductor, suggested to take a look at different forms of art, which are, in their essence, in their history, and in their traditions, completely connected to a specific geographical place.

"I am thinking, for example, about the mesmerizing Kabuki Theatre. Born in Kyoto at the very beginning of the XVII century, it developed from a female dance troupe to an exclusively all-male theatrical form. Not the best display of pluralism, to start with. Nevertheless, because of its recognized importance in the history of Japan, in 2008, it was inscribed in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity," he stated.

He posited that if after the comparison between the Kabuki form of art and classical music, one might easily see that interpreters with the most diverse heritage have proven extremely successful in their classical music careers.

"On the contrary, attempting to catch the essence of the Kabuki Theatre remains to this day a practically impossible task for any individual who is not a Japanese national. Shouldn't this be regarded as racism then?" the musician questioned.

According to Mastrangelo, classical music is there for everyone to be appreciated and performed.

"I don't think there has ever been any obstacle for anyone to learn how to play an instrument and express oneself through it within the realm of classical music. Classical music was born in a specific geographic area of the world - Europe. And yet, composers who are considered classical composers are all over the world," he stressed.

Mastrangelo's colleague from Germany, conductor Oliver Weder, echoed his comment, stressing that for young talents who wanted to dedicate their life to music, the "doors of music academies are wide open for musicians of all nations and color."

Weder said that he can fully understand that black conductors or orchestra musicians felt a bit alien in their position, however, he affirmed that there was no discrimination in that. The musician noted that the opposite seemed to be true as concert management was always seeking for novelties.

"That's a reason why the white German well-educated conductor or the best trained pale Russian pianist feel discriminated by their branche as well. We should not always make up discussions about minorities - who's next? I think our branche is much more open minded than other industries, because talent will be always respected and welcome," Weder told Sputnik.

Weder's comment was made as a reaction to an article in the German ZDF media outlet, in which author stigmatized classical music as the stronghold of racism in Germany, where, according to the article, only educated middle-aged Germans both perform and listen to classical music therefore turning it into a stuffy elitist and racist form of art.

If there is anything that we should have learned from months of " Black Lives Matter" street protests, it is that nothing is no longer safe and can be left untouched by a crowd of politically motivated justice warriors seeking to silence anyone who dissents against leftist narratives about "racism," Albert Breininger, a member of the Alternative for Germany party, told Spurnik.

"No one, living or dead, is safe from their attentions, that is why so few in Europe want to comment on the situation," Breininger explained.

The truth is that, were it not for the coronavirus pandemic forcing big concert halls around the world, home recitals, dance and performance happenings to close or be canceled, the year 2020 was to be a a big Beethoven celebration in honor of the composer's 250th Birthday.

In Germany alone the government was planning to spend $29,6 million for some 300 projects and festivities, saluting this great classical composer and his legacy.