Morality, International Politics, And Contemporary Classical: A Censorship Controversy At Germany’s Top New Music Festival

This spring, composer Wieland Hoban pitched the third in a series of pieces addressing the 2008-09 Israel-Gaza war to the Donaueschinger Musiktage. Last month, artistic director Björn Gottstein responded that he would allow no piece critical of Israel to be performed at the festival. Hoban went public, and the new music community in Germany (and beyond) has been arguing ever since.