The Israeli Music Critics Association announced here today that its members would not for the present review the Israel National Opera’s production of “Carmina Burana,” a cantata by a German composer, Carl Orff, who has been denounced as a Nazi collaborator by the Organization of Partisans and Anti-Nazi Fighters. The critics said they would withhold reviews until “a definitive statement” regarding Orff’s status is made by a Government agency.
The Israel National Opera staged the premiere of the Orff work Saturday night, but the critics stayed away, while former partisans picketed the theater where the cantata was produced. The partisans, charging that Orff was a Nazi collaborator, had called on the public to boycott the production. The management of the Opera had called the charges against Mr. Orff “fantastic,” pointing out that “Carmina Burana” has already been sung on the Israeli radio, which is operated by the Government, without objections.
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