Idomeneo's fall

[original post: Sept.28.2006]

From The New York Times:

BERLIN, Sept. 26 — A leading German opera house has canceled performances of a Mozart opera because of security fears stirred by a scene that depicts the severed head of the Prophet Muhammad, prompting a storm of protest here about what many see as the surrender of artistic freedom.

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I was originally going to write an entry about being an undergrad and my reflections, positive and negative, of the experience. I thought it would be refreshing from my current point of view, as a nomadic graduate who is essentially title-less. But then I read an article from The New York Times, and I decided that there were more interesting things to write about... at least for now.

The lead tells most of the story, but I'll elaborate. A German opera house has pulled Mozart's Idomeneo from the fall lineup amid speculation of a possible terrorist attack regarding the content of the opera. A scene from Idomeneo features a character placing the severed heads of several religious leaders on chairs, including the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The opera house has received an anonymous terrorist threat and has decided to pull the performance especially in light of the recent Islamic outrage over the Danish caricature of Muhammad wearing a turban with a bomb. The decision to pull Idomeneo has sparked a wave of criticism from all echelons of German society.

Here is my opinion: Reinstate Idomeneo.

From Merriam-Webster, here is the definition of terrorism:
The unlawful use or threat of violence especially against the state or the public as a politically motivated means of attack or coercion.

I have a couple of problems with this. Firstly, terrorism is nothing new. Contemporary terrorism dates back to the days of the French Revolution and the Spanish Inquisition. International actors have used terrorism throughout history as a means to coerce others into action or non-action. Canceling Idomeneo is not going to make terrorism go away.

What's worse is that German society is essentially giving in. They're sacrificing their culture, their way of life, as a form of complacency. Canceling the opera only says, 'Yes, we will meet all of your demands and accept artistic censorship in a democratic state.' It is the definition of submitting to terrorism, the surrender of free society. The surrender of civilization.

Idomeneo doesn't even single out Islam as a target. The severed heads of Jesus, Buddha, and Poseidon are also featured in the controversial scene. Why aren't Buddhists in an uproar?

The fall of Idomeneo is not a logistical problem. It is a cultural problem. What's at stake here is the valuable freedom of expression and art. Art has always been controversial, from the days of Da Vinci to the Da-Da movement to postmodernism. The point is that art is art. It is meant to comment on society, not dictate society. Controversial artistic subjects are meant to provoke thought, not insult and injury.

Without freedom of expression, the foundation upon which democracy sits, crumbles, and critical thinking morphs into unquestioned dogma.



"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." -Benjamin Franklin, 1759