Art and artists have controversies that date back from the traditional days. There are morals and cultural perceptions that defined music in the past, which forms a basis for comparing the modern artists and musicians to the old generation musicians. Whether or not a musician should be erased from the performance catalog largely depends on the age and the musician living up to the listeners' expectations. Because of the controversies from repugnant artists, there is a cultural change in people's perception of music and composition. The paper focuses on controversies involving Romantic composer Richard Wagner and current examples of modern conductor James Levine and opera legend Placid.
Richard Wagner is a legendary romantic musician and music composer (Guardian, 2000). He was born in 1813 and died in 1883. The German composer is known for his problematic and controversial compositions and stands. Previously, he admired some of the key Jew poets but later on developed hatred towards the Jews. Wagner believed that the Jews could only imitate art and were some of the poorest composers of all time. Wagner never hid his anti-Semitism stand. In his composition on Judaism in Music, he openly identified the Jewish musicians as producing substance less music and misplaced values regarding art. The Anti-semitic nature made him one of the favorites of Adolf Hitler, who believed that Wagner was a strong believer in socialism. Even though the controversy is still one of the points of concern with Jews, Wagner's songs and compositions are still being played worldwide by Jews and non-Jew musicians. As much as Wagner's compositions were controversial, it is still debated whether to ban his songs from play or continue having the songs during orchestra. This is because Wagner is considered one of the legendary producers in the European music industry and one of the founding fathers of romantic music. The controversy is still haunting Wagner's music and leaving listeners in a dilemma. Some believe that he was the cause of the spread of the Nazi revolution with his links to Adolf Hitler. His hate sparked racist sentiments making the Jews and Germans experience hatred and killings during the anti-Jewish revolution.
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Domingo's latest controversy is on sexual harassment reported by several women (Associated Press, 2019). Thus, the modern legend withdrew from major performances scheduled at the Met. Met was under pressure to cancel the performance by Domingo due to the allegations. Orchestras in Philadelphia counseled concerts that featured Domingo, but in Europe, he received lengthy ovations after his performance despite the controversy surrounding his music and character.
James Lavine is also another modern legend whose career ended with the controversy surrounding sexual abuse (McShane, 2021). He was seen as a sexual predator to young women. Even though his career ended in disgrace, his music is still roaring in Orchestras, and his contribution is immense and considered one of the best in the 137-years since the concerts began.
Do we eliminate or ban the work of art by controversial musicians? This is one of the tough decisions surrounding the legends in the industry. Some still alive while others already dead have had an impact in the music industry. It is difficult to erase history that led to the evolution of modern Orchestras. The modern musicians have mentors and in the legend musicians and continue to live the founders' legacy. This means that playing the music is unavoidable despite the controversies surrounding the musicians. Legends like Wagner, Levine, and Domingo have had controversies dating years, but their legacy in composing music remains strong. Therefore, it is not possible to eliminate their music or ban it completely when the music still has fans.
References
Associated Press. (2019, September 25). Domingo withdraws from met opera after sexual harassment allegations . NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/placido-domingo-withdraws-met-opera-after-sexual-harassment-allegations-n1058436
The Guardian. (2000, July 21). Can we forgive Wagner? | the Guardian | guardian.co.uk . News, sport and opinion from the Guardian's US edition | The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/friday_review/story/0,3605,345459,00.html
MCShane, L. (2021, March 17). Metropolitan opera maestro James Levine dead at 77, long career ended with firing for sexual misbehavior . nydailynews.com. https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-obit-james-evine-metropolitan-opera-20210317-b2jk3qkpyjhkhgiadkvtsgjb4y-story.html
