Austrian Far Right
By William Osborne
[Sent to various lists
February 2, 2000.]
I would like to comment on
recent political developments in Austria that relate to the protest against the
Vienna Philharmonic. (For those who do
not know, the orchestra excludes women and non-whites.)
It appears that within the
next few days the far right "Freedom Party" of Joerg Haider will form
a coalition enabling it to rule Austria (see the Reuters article below.) Haider has praised the employment policies
of Adolf Hitler which included slave labor. He has made speeches to SS Veterans
groups which is illegal in Austria. And
he has proposed the removal of all foreign children from the country's schools.
The VPO's resistance to change has been strengthened by the "Freedom
Party," since the centrist politicians know they will lose even more votes
to Haider if they pressure the Philharmonic to admit women and end its
all-white policy.
For the last four years the
International Alliance for Women In Music has vigorously protested against the
racist and sexist policies of the Vienna Philharmonic--which is Austria's most
prestigious musical institution. The
Philharmonic agreed to change due to the IAWM protest, but then reneged after
witnessing the vacillation of our cultural leaders concerning the orchestra's
ideologies.
The board of Carnegie Hall
continued to invite the orchestra each year for multiple concerts and even
opened this year's season with a Vienna Philharmonic gala. The_New York Times'_, chief music cirtic,
Bernard Holland, and his second, James Ostreich, consistently served as
apologists for the orchestra, evening discounting the IAWM's protests with
derogatory terms. And institutions
such as the Chase Mannhattan Bank lined up as financial patrons of the
orchestra in spite of its thinly veiled all-white-male ideology.
Though it is difficult
for Americans to imagine, there is no
stronger social force in Austria than classical music. No other aspect of society so deeply informs
their identity and heritage. Haider's
rise to power thus illustrates why we need cultural leaders and patrons with
integrity. Because of its immense
prestige, change in the Philharmonic due to international pressure would have
sent strong ripples throughout Austrian society. It would have demonstrated to Austrians the danger of isolation
due to racist and sexist values and been a significant support for the current
embattled government.
Now the moment of reckoning
has come to fruition in Austria's political landscape and we know who to thank
for it. The Times published an
editorial last week claiming that the Austrian government will have no one to
thank but itself if the far right/neo-Nazis take control of the
government. Maybe the Times ought to
take a good look at its two most important music critics' peculiar sympathies
before it decides just who to thank.
And maybe it should ask the Chase Mannhattan Bank why it supports an
orchestra that advocates an all-white, male policy. And maybe it should ask the Board of Carnegie Hall why it
continues to invite the Vienna Philharmonic and thus create yearly public
celebrations of sexism and racism in our country's most prestigious concert
hall.
If these institutions do not
want neo-Nazis ruling Austria, then they should also reject the cultural values
that are bringing them to power.
Please read the Reuters
article below. And please continue your
protest. Maybe a few people in high
positions will learn that integrity has an important place in cultural
expression.
William Osborne
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