An Israeli conductor called for an end to Israel’s war in Gaza during concert at Royal Albert Hall in London Thursday, warning the audience that “every moment that passes puts the safety of millions at risk.”
“In my heart, there is great pain now, every day, for months. I come from Israel and live there. I love it, it’s my home, but what’s happening now is atrocious, and horrific in a scale that’s unimaginable,” Volkov said at the end of the concert with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.
Many members of the audience cheered Volkov’s address, but there were also some jeers, to which he replied, “You can go if you don’t want politics. Politics is part of life every day.”
In his remarks, which drew loud cheers and applause from the audience, Volkov decried the killing of “innocent Palestinians” as well as the Israeli hostages “kept in inhumane conditions for two years.”
He alluded to the gap between the vast majority of Israelis who want the war to end with a deal to release the hostages and the government, which is pressing forward despite public sentiment.
“Israelis — Jews and Palestinians — we are not able to stop this alone. I ask you, I beg you all to do whatever is in your power to stop this madness. Every little action counts while governments hesitate and wait,” Volkov concluded. “We cannot let this go on any longer. Every moment that passes puts the safety of millions at risk.”
Volkov’s address comes as the societal reckoning over the Gaza war flares in the classical music world. The day before his Royal Albert Hall concert, a Belgian music festival canceled the performance of the Munich Philharmonic because it was being led by Lahav Shani, the music director of the Israeli Philharmonic.
“Lahav Shani has spoken out in favour of peace and reconciliation several times in the past, but in the light of his role as the chief conductor of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, we are unable to provide sufficient clarity about his attitude to the genocidal regime in Tel Aviv,” the Flanders Festival Ghent said in a statement Wednesday.
The organizers said the decision was made in order to “maintain the serenity” of the festival and “safeguard the concert experience for our visitors and musicians. ”
The cancellation drew condemnation from several European leaders, including Wolfram Weimer, the German culture minister, who said the decision was a “disgrace for Europe” and “blatant antisemitism” in a post on X.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever, who recently drew Israeli condemnation for planning to recognize a Palestinian state, also rebuked the decision. He traveled to Germany to see Shani conduct on Saturday.
“There will never, ever be any room for racism and antisemitism in this country,” de Wever tweeted along with a photo showing him shaking hands with Shani. “I insisted on conveying this message to him personally and expressing my appreciation for his contribution to the power of music.”
An online petition calling on the Ghent festival to reverse its decision, led by prominent classical musicians including Jewish conductor Joshua Weilerstein, has drawn over 16,000 signatures.
“This decision will do nothing to save a single Palestinian life, bring a hostage home, or to make any improvement to the unbearable civilian suffering currently taking place in this conflict,” the petition read. “It will, however, resonate loudly with those who equate an artist’s nationality with an excuse to exclude them from the cultural sphere.”
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