In once sense, we might be half inclined to be pleased that there are still works in the Western musical canon that can excite people in the West sufficiently to consider banning them. We might half expect that China might be inclined to try and suppress, say, overtly Christian works such as Mozart's Requiem (but do we not see the irony here? How many of us in the 'liberal' West still hear such works as the Chinese authorities seem to, that is as liturgical, as opposed to concert, works?), but I am less convinced about the argumentative basis for the on-going fuss in Israel about performing Wagner.

What sense there might be in such a ban at first glance seems, to me at least, to disappear into hopeless inconsistency with even a brief examination. If the difficulty is that Hitler liked such music, or that it formed part of the 'soundtrack' of the Third Reich, then why not ban Bruckner, or even Beethoven. If it is because the composer himself was a purveyor of disgraceful Anti-semetic views, as distastful and immoral as such views undoubtedly are, then why not ban Chopin?

This is not to pour scorn on what is clearly a deeply-held view among people no doubt acting with the noblest of intentions, and indeed I have read some strong arguments for the alternative view but I wonder if banning music of any kind ever achieves an ultimately positive outcome.

 

One thing is for certain, by doing it, one is placing oneself in some very dismal company.