The programme for the concert performed by the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, made up of young musicians from Israel, Palestine and several Middle Eastern countries, was presented yesterday by the Real Maestranza de Caballería de Ronda (Royal School of Cavalry in Ronda – RMR). Ronda was the first city to see this project perform with a magnificent concert in the bullring in August 2002. Almost ten years later, the bullring be the setting for a concert performed by a consolidated cultural project founded on the ideals of peace, dialogue and music.

The concert will take place on the 30th July at 21:30. The orchestra will perform, conducted by Daniel Baenboim, Sinfonía nº 4 en si bemol mayor, Op. 60 and Sinfonía nº 7 en la mayor, Op. 92 by Ludwig van Beethoven. The Al Ándalus Orchestra will perform the prologue Sinfonía nº 35 en re mayor, K. 385 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Tickets can be purchased at the box office at the Ronda Bullring, at El Corte Inglés and Hipercor, www.elcorteingles.es and 902400222 for between 10 and 35 euros.

The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra

The name itself, “West-Eastern Divan”, makes reference to a collection of poems by German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. In the words of the founders: “the reason why we have named the orchestra in this way stems from the fact that Goethe was one of the first Germans truly interested in other countries, given that he started learning Arab when he was over 60 years old”.

The idea of the West-Eastern Divan was conceived in 1999 in the minds of the Argentine-Israeli musician Daniel Barenboim and the Palestinian intellectual Edward Said. Together they decided to set up a workshop for young musicians from Israel and various countries in the Middle East with the aim of combining the study of music with the exchange of knowledge and understanding between cultures and religions that have historically been rivals. Participants in the workshop improve their musical skills while living side-by-side with young people from countries that may be engaged in conflict with their own. The first sessions took place in Weimar and Chicago until, thanks to the institutional and financial support of the Junta of Andalucía it was established definitively in Seville in 2002. The bullring in Ronda was the setting for the first performance by the project in 2002. On the 30th July the RMR once again opens the doors of this unique listed monument making it the backdrop for the first stop for this years international tour of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra.

The West-Eastern Divan is not only a musical project. It is also a forum for dialogue and reflection about the Arab-Israeli conflict. Via the cross-cultural contacts made by the artists involved, the project hopes to play an important role in the overcoming of politicial and cultural differences in the countries represented in the workshop. Within this model, an orchestra serves as a positive example of democracy and civilized coexistence.

The project is directed by both Daniel Barenboim and Mariam Said, Edward Said’s widow. It is financed by the Junta de Andalucía and private sponsors such as the Federación de Cajas de Ahorros de Andalucía and Adif (Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias), amongst others. The project has been commended across the world for combining a love of music with the necessity to improve understanding between Mediterranean cultures. Ever since its founding this project has consistently proven that music is a useful instrument for breaking down barriers that were until now considered insurmountable. The idea suggests that one can build bridges to encourage people to come together and confirms that it is possible for people of different backgrounds to coexist in peace, in the way that these young musicians share scores, accommodation, dining halls and, above all, their passion for music.

While music will obviously not solve the Arab-Israeli conflict, it does play a role in bringing people together to get to know each other. The only political aspect to the workshop is the understanding that there is no military solution to the conflict.

Every year the Junta de Andalucía grants scholarships to particularly talented musicians to study in Europe or the USA. These scholarships have allowed gifted students with limited financial resources to gain access to an excellent musical education. Some of the recipients of these scholarships now hold positions within the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, the Damascus Symphony Orchestra and the Cairo Opera House, amongst other institutions.

The West-Eastern Divan Workshop takes place during several weeks every summer in Andalusia. With an intensive work schedule (each session lasts an entire day and combines various activities), the young artists develop their musican abilities in a tranquil environment. They also debate diverse subjects and different points of view about the Arab-Israeli conflict. Once this period of work is over the concert tour of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra begins.

Ever since its founding in 1999, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra has performed in several European countries (Spain, German, United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Turkey, Belgium and Italy) and the Americas (United States, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil). In August 2003 the orchestra played for the very first time in an Arab country with a concert in Rabat, Morocco, and in 2005 performed in the Middle East for the very first time with a performance in Ramala, Palestine, that was broadcast live by ARTE, the French-German television channel.