Author and lawyer Michel Friedman expressed profound distress following the cancellation of the memorial concert, “Muted Voices.” The event was scheduled to open the Bayreuth Festival on July 26th, featuring a speech by Friedman.
Speaking to the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”, which first reported the cancellation on Monday, Friedman argued that the decision rendered the necessity of addressing the antisemite Wagner absurd. The festival management explained the move by citing “security concerns,” given the premiere of “Rienzi” was set to take place just hours later. Friedman rejected this reasoning, stating that cancelling events due to safety is “death by suicide” in a democracy. He countered that when faced with extremist threats, the simple response should be to enhance security; he challenged them to “secure that event instead of relying on Sunday speeches.”
The 70-year-old also voiced skepticism regarding the intentions of the leadership, particularly Festival Director Katharina Wagner. Friedman noted that ticket pre-sales for the morning, which included his speech and a concert led by Christian Thielemann, had not even begun, making him doubt that the festival truly intended to link its 150th anniversary with a remembrance of murdered Jewish musicians while critically examining the figure of Richard Wagner and his legacy.
Friedman reminded readers that the composer of the “Ring of the Nibelung” published the antisemitic text “Judaism in Music” in 1850. He pointed out that close connections developed between Wagner’s descendants and representatives of the Nazi regime, who frequently attended the Bayreuth Festival. “The ground in Bayreuth is contaminated,” Friedman stated. Despite this, after careful consideration, he still wanted to speak there. He explained his aim: “I wanted to engage in a confrontation to allow for reflection. This is particularly true in the wake of October 7th, at a time when a large part of the citizenry is dismissing clichés like ‘Never again, defend against beginnings’ faster than one can turn around.”
