The Death of Klinghoffer and the healing power of music | Letters

Responding to an article about a new staging of the controversial opera, Tony Palmer recalls an opening night that brought together Finland’s chief rabbi and a Palestinian official. Plus, letters by Ron Kirchem and Heather Parry Your article on the current production of John Adams’s opera The Death of Klinghoffer in Florence says the opera “has sparked accusations of antisemitism whenever and wherever it has been performed”, and refers to protests against previous productions ( ‘They said: You’re out of your mind’: Luca Guadagnino on directing controversial opera The Death of Klinghoffer, 19 April ). I directed the 2001 production at Finnish National Opera, which was a huge success, playing to capacity houses over several weeks. No protests were anticipated and none happened. Indeed, on the opening night, 3 February 2001, the chief rabbi of Finland sat next to the representative of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (which had an office in Helsinki), together with the recent president of Finland and later winner of the Nobel peace prize, Martti Ahtisaari. Continue reading...

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