Reading Response 11

I very much enjoyed Knowledge is the Beginning. The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra certainly has accomplished something special. The Orchestra's musical accomplishments are easily visible and very noteworthy; however, one must look deeper for the true success. Owing to Said and Barenboim's great intellectual partnership, the project transcends "mere" music (for an extreme lack of better words). The project affords a diverse group of young individuals the opportunity for real, honest dialogue and exchanging of narratives. The nature of collaborative music reinforces this aspect by allowing its participants to "bring down the walls" between each other. In the end, the project succeeds in true "normalization"; fostering bonds between parties while maintaining honest dialogue.

While the Orchestra is a worthwhile endeavor, I believe it has a few shortcomings that prevent the project from becoming a broader model. I do support normalization; as noted, the project succeeds with its participants. However, the there is a degree of contradiction involved. The orchestra players are "normalized" through segregation; their interaction occurs through removing the participants from the conflict zone and placing them in their own isolated sphere. I understand that this removal is necessary due to the international composition of the participants. Is normalization really normalization, though, when it occurs in an artificial environment? It would be interesting to know how much interaction occurs between orchestra members outside of the "season".