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Originally Posted by fugazifan
glice- i have talked about it. and him, a lot. i am taking a course on the ring cycle this semester so we'll see how it goes. i was more making conversation and seeing what you feel. i think that there might be a different perspective on the wagner situation if you are not studying him at the hebrew university.
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Cool. I appreciate that and, in most situations, I'm happy to gabble on about anything at the drop of a hat. The reason I take a back seat in the Wagner/ anti-semitism thing is that I find it very difficult to negotiate anything like a consistent line. I will say though that part of the reason I find it more difficult to talk about Wagner in a contemporary context is precisely because of the multiple narratives springing out of 'modern' Judaism. I don't necessarily agree with Israel-qua-Zion, and I disagree with aspects of Zionism, but I refuse to decry Zionism outright. The Judaism that you or I understand might be Haredi, Orthodox, Reform, Liberal etc and the Zionism you understand (or reject) is likely different to the one I undersand; the nature of Israel you or I understand is likely distinct.
I don't think Wagner is inherently tied into modern Judaism, or even modern Israeli culture, or even modern Israeli or middle-Eastern classical music culture - I do think the political narrative to which Wagner is tied into (1st Reich) is tied into the political formation of Israel, which makes talking about Wagner inherently convoluted.
I also want to make clear that I'm not saying this necessarily because you're in Israel (last I heard) but because Wagner is a hugely critical figure in the 20th century, whether people know that or not. The only concession I'd really make to yourself is that I'd expect you've got a better understanding of what I'm blithering on about.