Piano quartet hurls back German record prize after racist award

Piano quartet hurls back German record prize after racist award

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norman lebrecht

April 16, 2018

The Notos Quartet, winners of a 2017 ECHO award, have sent it back after the 2018 prize was given to a pair of rappers making an Auschwitz joke.

The Notos said today:

‘Until recently, the ECHO was in our eyes the biggest music prize in Germany. But the fact is, this prize now tolerates racism and gves it a public platform. We are deeply shocked by … the mockery of victims of the holocaust

‘Therefore we wish to distance ourselves from the award and give our ECHO back.

Notos Quartet’

Kurt Voormann, who received a lifetime achievement award, has also sent it back.

The organisers of the award appear to be running well behind the general outrage.

UPDATE: Igor Levit returns his award.

UPDATE: Fabio Luisi: ‘They mock the suffering of millions’.

Comments

  • Anonymous says:

    Bravo!

  • Caravaggio says:

    Good for them. Good for us. Bravo indeed.

  • Cynical Bystander says:

    Good for them and the few others who see this as a further example of the now increasingly open anti semitism that is endemic in so called progressive leftist circles. Tom Ender, Chairman of Airbus has said this…..

    “Is antisemitism becoming acceptable in Germany?” Enders said….. it was his belief that an anti-Muslim text would have generated far more outrage.”

    And many of us might think he is absolutely right and not just about Germany.

    • Olassus says:

      Anti-Jewish sentiment is acceptable in France, in the U.K. Labour Party and at Germany’s Echo Awards, we are learning. When I grew up, in the 60s and 70s, there was none of it in the first two of those countries.

      • Sue says:

        I wonder why this is? (Holds finger against temple in quizzical pose.)

      • Will Duffay says:

        Anti-semitism is not acceptable in the UK Labour Party. Surely that’s clear by now. Yes, there have been anti-semitic comments, and yes Labour hasn’t dealt with them well, but to suggest that anti-semitic sentiment is acceptable to Labour is completely untrue. While we’re about it, let’s talk about the close links between the UK Conservative party, currently in government, to groups in Poland, Hungary and Germany which are explicitly racist and anti-semitic. Much more worrying.

    • David Graham says:

      Thanks for your comments… I think however that it is not progressive left which is following successful racist rap-music but right wing youth, that makes the ECHO prize for these two rappers even more dangerous.

  • PaulD says:

    ‘Kurt’ Voorman, is Klaus Voorman, bass player and graphic designer. He designed the cover of The Beatles, “Revolver” album.

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