UK pianist is sacked for anti-semitic rant - Slippedisc (2024)

i wonder says:

What did he say that was antisemitic? Dedicating a piece to Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza is clearly not.

PS says:

Right, and they’ve done how many fundraisers “for Ukraine” so far? I wonder where all that money actually went.

Wendy Northey says:

For those not present at the recital, it is impossible to understand from the published, cryptic email what has taken place to provoke such an extreme sanction. Hopefully Mr Gillham will enlighten us in due course via ‘Slipped Disc’. Meanwhile, we can only hope for a speedy, mature & compassionate resolution of this distressing incident – A performing artist of Mr Gillham’s relative youth, calibre & reputation is a rare & precious commodity: one to be treasured over time by the artistic community as a whole.

John Humphreys says:

Why is it an anti-Semitic rant? Presumably Palestinian journalists were killed (with no suggestion that they were part of Hamas)? On a different level I’m not sure making any personal statement from the stage is advisable unless (as I have done) as a tribute to a dear friend/colleague who has died.

Musician says:

Mr Gillham said that he’d like to dedicate the piece to all the Palestinian journalists killed as they have been specifically targeted by the Israeli forces.
What he did that wasn’t ok was to use the platform of Melbourne Symphony to promote his personal political agenda.
He also often spouts false information on his SM demonizing Israeli and Jews and calling for an end to Israel…

guest says:

One looks in vain for any evidence or description of an “anti-semitic rant.” Or is expressing solidarity with Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza in and of itself “anti-semitic”? If you think so, you don’t understand the term, which would be odd, given your background.

Shapiro says:

His militantly anti-israeli stance has always slipped into anti-Semitism, long before Oct 7 – which he has openly applauded.

Glad to see he now faces consequences for his indiscriminate ranting; but no doubt, he will chalk it up to a Zionist conspiracy.

yaron says:

This was not a genuine inoquous jesture. It was not realy made in memory of “journalists”. The subtext is intended to demonize Israel and the Jews. That is why Norman’s description is accurate.

Guest says:

Obviously a highly inclusive, diverse, and tolerant crowd making the decisions… Just observe whom you cannot criticize to identify your oppressor….

SVM says:

For better or worse, it is assumed that custom and practice permits a soloist to speak from the stage if he/she wishes, including to the extent of disclosing “personal political views” — the context appears to have been a solo recital promoted by the orchestra, with the “personal political views” aired as a response to the dedication of the composition (which was by a third party). If the orchestra does *not* permit this, then the proscription should be articulated very prominently and clearly to members and guest performers alike, and enforced *consistently* in respect of any “intrusion of personal political views”, irrespective of what the views are.

Couperin says:

Good thing they cancelled his other concerts so we have more time to talk about Israel’s latest bombing of a school.

A. Aljamal says:

His playing captivating, a wonderful 5* review from Al-Jazeera.

James says:

Bravo to the MSO for a quick and correct response.

Peter Jan says:

Many journalists have been killed wilfully including children, toddlers, pregnant women, and the elderly including men all of whom were innocent and the only crime was being born Indigenous in their own land (Palestine). Israel had shown its true ugly face to the rest of the world and their barbaric viciousness that would make the likes of nazi proud. How crazy is it that in a free world, we aren’t able to criticise a rogue regime committing genocide? Barbaric to the core I must say.

Xavier says:

Those paying his wages didn’t like the service he provided and stopped paying for more. Sounds entirely reasonable to me.
Musicians only consider themselves free agents when they haven’t understood where their fees are coming from.

Bobby says:

He can now prepare for his true avocation as a journalist for Hamas.

Yuri K says:

“…associated with multiple online propagandists on the pro-Hamas side of the conflict.”

All of a sudden “pro-Palestinian” became “pro-Hamas”? And who is online propagandist here?

sabrinensis says:

Why can’t everyone just shut the f*ck up and play? We come to hear music. We study to perform music. That’s it. It’s the height of arrogance and the transcendence of one’s ego to bring that to the stage. How dare he disrespect his audience. No more of this crap. They were right to can him. Let this be a lesson.

HReardon says:

Just the music please. Keep all the socio-political opinions and biases out and far away from the concert environment.

Michael says:

Definitely to wrong place and time…regardless of the truth…

Mal says:

To be Pro Palestinian is not to be Anti Israeli or Pro Hamas. In the same way that Israelis deserve respect, so too do Palestinians. It was a piece of music for peace. If anyone finds that offensive, they need to look deeply into their own heart and morals. If a musician did this in 1940 for slain Jewish journalists, we would see that as bravery. Time will show the truth. Be high value and compassionate for all. Artists hold mirrors up to society. They always have.

Lazuli96 says:

How is what he said remotely antisemitic let alone a rant? The IDF has killed more journalists than any war in the last 100 years combined.

hobnob says:

This invasion of classical music with war politics has got to stop. Before you know it, they’ll be playing the Ukrainian national anthem to open concerts in Europe and America.

M McLaughlin says:

Most Zionists are Protestant.

Margaret McKenzie says:

More power to Jayson. My parents were subscribers over many decades and I know they didn’t do that to hear mediocrity instead of the truth. Nor would they subscribe to an mso which supports the murder of journalists. Sadly I won’t be able to consider subscription ever again unless the mso changes its tune. It’s also abusing its own musicians in cancelling performers on a political basis. Outrageous.

Michelle says:

Well done MSO!! Sydney Theatre Company should learn from this! You go to see a performance for the music and atmosphere and not for someone’s personal political opinion.

Fiona Sullivan says:

I have seen a post by someone who was in the audience at this particular recital, and he tells a very different story. Jayson did NOT make an anti-semitic rant. This kind of reporting is inflammatory and misleading. Jayson showed a great deal of compassion by choosing to dedicate a short piece of meditative music to the journalists who have been killed in Gaza over the past 10 months. This censorship and attempt to control freedom of speech, especially in the arts, is unacceptable. I for one will be boycotting the MCO forever more. Shame on the MCO.

Ludwig says:

From the River to the Bay, MSO will have its way!

STEPHEN GILLESPIE says:

A surprisingly and depressingly large number of obvious anti-Semites commenting on this thread

Martina says:

Something that people seem to overlook these days is that if you give unsolicited political opinions to a captive audience, they have every right to tell you to shut up. That’s what’s happened here.
The incredulity shown by commentators here speaks volumes.

Herbie G says:

Most of this thread has been devoted to a partisan diatribe on the issue of the Gaza war. There are two issues that have been largely (but not entirely) ignored.

First, musicians are there to play music, not to address the audience on subjects of their own choice and especially on political issues. Obviously, introducing an encore, thanking the audience for their appreciation, introducing a piece and suchlike are exceptions.

Another exception is where the concert is explicitly in support of a specific cause, in which case addressing the audience on that cause is obviously in order, be it for the Green Party, Friends of the Earth, the Reform Party, the BNP or Socialist Workers’ Party. If they want Corbyn or Farage to be a guest speaker, then so be it. They are all legal entities and are surely entitled to raise funds. Those who don’t approve have the right not to attend.

Second, if the concert is not for a specific cause, then allowing a performer to address the audience on any unexpected non-musical and divisive issue is at least unwise and may be rightly forbidden by the performers’ contracts. Such interventions antagonise one section of the audience while placating others. That would have happened if all the posters on this thread had been present . From a business angle, allowing these interventions would be ill-advised. It’s exactly what Stenning achieved in Birmingham, with some welcoming her ‘innovations’ but with sponsors and season-ticket holders pulling out.

Music is supposed to be enlightening to the soul. The much-maligned Furtwangler remained behind in Germany to preserve the heritage of German music as an oasis of sanity in dreadful times, despite being hounded by the Gestapo, finally fleeing to Switzerland to avoid almost certain murder by their henchmen. In our times, Barenboim founded the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, also as an oasis of peace between Palestinians and Israelis. Time and again on this forum, when discussing Wagner’s music and his odious personality or Netrebko, for example, there has been a powerful argument to separate politics from music. Antisemitic or not, Gillam crossed this red line and I fully support the Melbourne Symphony’s response. Had his performance been in commemoration of all victims of the conflict, it might have been a little easier to justify. Discussion of the Gaza conflict belongs elsewhere.

Harry Collier says:

“Everyone has the right to his own opinion, providing it agrees with mine”.

Emma says:

I was there – this article is factually incorrect there was no antisemitic rant by the musician

4th Geneva Convention says:

Some one who calls out the Government of Israel is not by definition antisemitic. ..
Have both the Goverment of Israel and Hamas committed war crimes – yes… is the bombing of populated cities and the deaths of thousands of civilians reasonable in the name of self-defence … no

If you are going to report on this try to at least state the facts, read the 4th Geneva Convention and be guided by the rulings of the International Court.

Kelli says:

“standing for humanity and peace”? By saying it’s not polite to criticise crimes against humanity done at the behest of an openly far right government? How is that standing for peace?
Also, legitimate criticism of Israeli government is not racism. Anti-Semitism is a problem but his comments are not that.

Michael says:

Too harsh…give him a couple of weeks of and some re education…Israel is a albatross around the neck of the thinking world…side note..I am American…Viet Nam veteran…attend the CSO…and Roman Catholic…

geoffrey dorfman says:

The dedication seems to me hardly controversial. Is anyone FOR killing Palestinian journalists? Certainly not. I might add that the IDF does not permit international journalists in Gaza at all.