Just in: A Ukraine appeal by Anne-Sophie Mutter
NewsThe German violinist writes:
The pictures from Ukraine are breaking my heart. Children clinging to their father at the train station. Women who have to leave their husbands, fathers and brothers behind.
Families that are being torn apart – it is especially the children who are being subjected to unimaginable suffering! This cruel war will traumatize hundreds of thousands of them.
We must do something to alleviate the suffering.
My great musician colleagues at the Münchner Philharmoniker, the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks and Bayerische Staatsoper will play a joint benefit concert with me under the baton of the wonderful Lahav Shani today at 8 pm at the Isarphilharmonie.
100% of the proceeds from the concert will go to the Save the Children Deutschland organization for their work in Ukraine. All participants will waive their fees.
The program includes Beethoven’s Violin Concerto and his 5th Symphony.
Please help with your concert attendance and/or a donation to Save the Children!
Donation account Save the Children, please click here.
She has a big heart. Has done alot to help children in need in Romania over the years.
Real artists should stay away from politics.
If all artists and scientists would stay away from politics and economy mankind would soon end up with nothing except politics and economy.
Gustavo, incoherent judgment.
This is not politics! It is a war against humanity!
Nina: One of the stranger comments on this site in a while. A person does not surrender their moral sense, intellect, or humanity when they become a musician or artist. Likely, they are more sensitized than most in these matters. Many politicians are the opposite, and could only benefit from the ideas
of artists, and humanitarians in general. Would you rather they get their ideas from the Wall Street Journal or right wing nut jobs like Trump and Fox News? Art is not apart from life, it is an integral part of it, and is often vitally relevant to world issues.
Sidelius, did anyone helped Donbass children when they hide in basements since 2013?
You should stay away from the internet.
Artists who stay away from politics,are no real artists.Just spineless ,dumb cowards.Art without humanity haas no value.Artists have a role model function
But who defines ‘who is an artist’ ? If there are arguments about that then there is an argument about ‘who is a spineless coward’. But this time it’s not about words. This time it’s real. Real bombs. Real destruction. Real suffering x 2 million.
Music lover, well, this is not a good role model function.
But who would write, play, and sing all the works written as protests? Should we avoid Beethoven? Sad, very sad.
“Real artists should stay away from politics.”
Why, Nina? Do you think that “real artists” are somehow incapable of having their own views and opinions about politics and expressing them in the way they choose?
Greg, because of true art is immortal.
Your answer, Nina, apart from being non-responsive, is unintelligible.
This comment just might be the most stupid thing I have ever read on this site.
Artists are citizens as well. The ancient Greeks had a word for any citizen who stood “away from politics”: they called them “idiotes”.
Even if you are completely apolitical that is no guarantee that politics will not come after you. Just ask German Jewish musicians around 1933. Or Ukrainian musicians right now.
Hugo, before post your personal opinion, ask yourself – do you have a real information on what happens or not.
I dont see any politics there but I see an idiotic comment.
PGHK, if you have no real information, don’t post your personal opinion, especially here.
I expect it’s toxic masculinity which causes those fathers to remain behind in Ukraine to fight for their country. (Irony alert)
Certain situations are cause for irony.
And in other situations it’s best to keep your mouth shut.
About time we appreciate what men do for us and mankind. Enough already!
73 dislikes VS 4 likes. Well… I’d say Mrs. Mutter will be against if German children were forced to speak English or another foreign language in Germany, if they’re German-born children. Please stay away from politics. Ukraine was a part of USSR. You’d be surprised to know Armenian, Georgian, Kazakh and other nationalities (small and large) learned and spoke Russian language. It was a big family and most tolerate than you’d imagine. A lot of elder people were forced to speak Ukrainian because of they’re living in current Ukraine, but were born in Soviet Union. You can’t feel this – when someone just cuts off your roots.
If you’re an artist, you have a social responsibility and everyone sees what you do. Does anyone want to say David Oistrakh, Leonid Kogan, Reinhold Giere were betrayers because of they were born in Ukraine and spoke Russian? Go ahead.
Gag, you have drunk the Putin koolaid
They should record and sell it as Ukraine Children are going to need help for a long time.
Nina – I have to disagree. Art should ennoble politics. Listen to the rallying cry of Verdi:
“You speak to me of music! What’s got into you?… Do you believe I want to concern myself now with notes, with sounds? Honour to those heroes! The hour of liberation has sounded”.
Clare, any public charity is a business. Did she helped Donbass children publicly? No. There are a lot of talented musicians. Who helped them?
Again, Nina. So are you saying that ALL organized charitable events are mere scams or ripoffs designed to fleece those less all-knowing than your ever-suspicious self. They are businesses? According to what evidence? So Ms. Mutter is in on the con? Think all those orchestras are just really venal crooks? Really? No legitimate public charities? Just amazing!
Okay, based on amount of dislikes for my comments I decide you all don’t wanna know the truth. Based on your opinion – true art is dead, and Donbass young music talents have a lot of respect. Instead of say thanks to descendants of Soviet people who saved you from fascism.
I don’t believe I have ever seen a poster like Nina on SD. One learns new things every day. I have learned that the sociologists’ prediction regarding the mental state of the Russian population may well be true.
As to children being forced to speak English, there’s no need to force anyone to speak English. People _want_ to learn English, it’s a useful language. Nina can write English too. People don’t want to learn Russian, and I think this sums up the entire situation. Russian isn’t a useful language. Putin and Nina don’t like this.
This seems a good occasion for sharing a story I read here on SD. I don’t remember who posted it, sorry. It goes like this:
“A few East German kids in the former German Dem Republic, and a drunk Soviet guy, together in a bar or biergarten, or similar public place. The Soviet guy was lecturing the kids about their luck of being allowed to live in such a wonderful state. He got worked up and broke a few glasses. The kids asked him to pay for the damage. The guy told them how much he loved them and how he would sacrifice himself for them. He didn’t pay for the glasses.”
The Warsaw pact state members have run into NATO’s arms at the first opportunity. When confronted with the difficult decision between the devil you know and the devil you don’t know, many people side with the devil they know. The Warsaw pact states didn’t. Perhaps this ought to tell us something about the devil in question.
I agree with one of Nina’s comments. It looks like the ungrateful Europe doesn’t want to thank to the worthy descendants of Soviet people. It looked like this right from the start, seventy years ago. Nina believes the fault lies with the ungrateful Europe. I believe it has something to do with the worthy Soviets and their worthiest descendants’ propensity for inflicting damage, and refusing to pay for it. The f**** weren’t the only one who damaged Europe in the 20th century. I am not blind to the fact a part of the economic wreckage is the fault of Europe itself, but this is a different topic. After the war, if there is going to be an “after” without P****, Europe will have to pay, once again, for the many glasses broken by the worthy descendants of Soviet people. I’m sure China is going to make a nice profit.
Guest, you are responding to a comment by the woman whose great-grandfather died saving everyone, including Europe, from the Nazis. And I am grateful to Europe, including Germany, for preserving the graves of Soviet soldiers, as, for example, in Weimar. I am a representative of the intelligentsia and I do not support either the authorities in Russia or the authorities in Ukraine, as well as the authorities of all other countries. And I do not support the fact that culture is now being used as a “battlefield” in which one side is to blame.
I would also like to say that the concept of a “Russian” person does not exist in view of the fact that the territory of the former USSR is inhabited by a huge number of nationalities that are mixed with each other.
And to cite as an example stories about drunk people in this place is not appropriate.