The Israel Philharmonic yielded to threats and pressure from Nazi survivors groups tonight and dropped three works by Richard Wagner from its Wednesday evening concert at the Mann Auditorium. Daniel Benyamini, a viola player, who is a member of the orchestra’s executive committee, said the decision to cancel the Wagner works stemmed from fear that the performance would be disrupted by hostile elements if they were included.
Benyamini said the orchestra had learned that a quantity of tickets sold for the Wednesday performance, to be conducted by Zubin Mehta, were purchased by people who intended to create a commotion in the hall. “It would be impossible to play if there are disturbances,” Benyamini said.
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