Parallels and Paradoxes: Explorations in Music and Society
By Daniel Barenboim and Edward W. SaidVintage Books, 186 pp., $13 (paper)
Can music solve the world’s problems? According to this collection of conversations between Daniel Barenboim and the late Edward Said, not only can music bring about peace, it can teach us how to be human beings. The conceit of this project is not to contribute to academic discourse or peace talks. Rather, it’s two old friends, one a world-renowned conductor and pianist and the other an influential literary critic and pundit on Middle East affairs, flexing intellectual muscle. These are two highly educated, accomplished men with tertiary knowledge of classical music, especially Beethoven, Mozart, and Wagner. Both have drawn fire for their opinions, Said for a pro-Palestinian stance and Barenboim for performing Wagner (reviled for his viciously anti-Semitic writings) in Israel. What’s striking about this series of transcriptions, loosely mediated and edited by Ara Guzelimian, is how these men can relate every single aspect of human existence to the performance and appreciation of music. The pair finds thematic correlation in music and literature (particularly in the allegory of The Odyssey), politics, courage, and education. The only problematic aspect of these discussions is that the vocabulary is strictly classical, which is sure to alienate those unacquainted with the works of Schoenberg or Wagner. This is an interesting irony considering Said’s citation of theorist Theodor Adorno’s belief of the alienating effects of Schoenberg’s music. But the effects of music – both performing it and appreciating it – transcend even language itself, a fact these two men underscore with almost evangelical fervor. While Parallels and Paradoxes isn’t exactly a beach read, it’s a fascinating exploration of music’s importance in culture – something everyone, not just academics and musicians, should be talking about.
This article appears in May 28 • 2004.