JQ statement in response to Wigmore Hall protest, 29th Mar 2010
The JQ have since slightly modified their statement [scored through section below], which can be found here.
Statement by the Jerusalem Quartet in response to the disruption of their 29th March 2010 Wigmore Hall concert:
Our lunchtime concert at the Wigmore Hall yesterday, 29 March 201, was repeatedly interrupted by protesters seeking to demonstrate against the Government of Israel. The acts of the demonstrators inside the Hall were upsetting to the audience in the Hall, the staff of the Hall, and the radio audience wishing to hear the concert on Radio Three. The demonstrators were mistaken and ignorant and inconsiderate.
The demonstrators were mistaken because we are not representatives of the Government of Israel. We are Israeli citizens, but have no connection with or patronage by the Government. We no more represent the Government of Israel than the audience at the Wigmore Hall represented the Government of the United Kingdom.
As Israeli citizens, we were required to, and did, perform our National Service when we were aged 18. As it happens, none of us was in a combat unit. We served our conscription as musicians playing for our fellow citizens. To identify our conscription, particularly since it was so long ago, with support for government policies is as irrational as blaming members of the Territorial Army in this country for the invasion of Iraq.
The demonstrators were ignorant of the fact that two of us are regular members of Daniel Barenboim’s West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, composed of Israeli and Arab musicians. We teach and lead our respective sections of that orchestra. It is destructive of our attempts to foster Israel-Arab relations for us to be the subject of demonstrations of the kind we suffered yesterday.
We are musicians, not politicians. We want our audiences to enjoy our music, whoever they may be, whatever their religion or nationality or ethnicity, without unthinking interruptions of the kind that we, our audiences and the staff suffered yesterday.
"The Israeli Government provided about $8000 towards the costs of the [November 2009 JQ Australia] tour."
Australian newspaper, The Age: http://www.theage.com.au/national/boycott-urged-on-quartet-20091028-hl17.html
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JQ speech mid-concert at Wigmore Hall:
Click on the third clip (Stop playing råber en dame blandt publikum 03:47); Protest at start of clip; JQ speech at 01:15
JQ leader:
The thing is that whatever we represent of course, whatever those people that came to disturb the concert, outside and inside the hall, they have no idea exactly what are they talking about. Somehow, somehow, someone told them about, I don’t know what, that we are sponsored by the Government, or we are, whatever we are, connected to any organisation…
Audience Member:
Is that not true?
JQ leader:
It’s not true!
Audience Member:
Oh!
JQ leader:
It’s really not true, you stupid… whatever, I don’t want to say… [inaudible]
[Audience murmurings]
JQ leader:
Anyhow, if I can really, really said a definite truth because then we can all enjoy this lovely afternoon.
[Audience claps]
Everyone in Israel, including us as a musician, have to serve in the army. It’s you know, our obligation, and it’s not about defending the country from any other whatever, I mean we served in the army as musicians, and this is exactly what we did since we know each other, from Jerusalem, and this is what we did in the army, we just played concerts for soldiers, and of course we carried rifles, because it was, you know we served near Jerusalem, and we never used them of course, I can assure you that we were allowed to just leave them at home, and not carry them with us, because it was quite difficult to carry a cello and a rifle. If you played piccolo, that’s ok, but the cello is not so comfortable.
So that was it about the rifle thing, because I see people go, not very good, so we just also, reduced the rifle idea, that’s very good, the weapon, and em, that’s it so, I mean everything that probably you know, and you came to demonstrate for, it’s really not true…
Presenter cuts in, last 15 secs of JQ speech faded before applause.
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Mid concert speech by JQ in response to concert disruption
August 29 2008, Queen’s Hall Edinburgh, Jerusalem Quartet Concert
JQ leader:
I want to say, if there is someone else that thinks that we should not play the concert or not make music here, should go, really should go out, and it would be better for all of us.
[Audience clap]
Let me tell you a few things about the quartet because as I can see on behalf of the quartet there is a mis, a big misunderstanding about who we are, and who we represent, and what our reason to come here and play in the Edinburgh Festival.
Em, you know the name, Jerusalem Quartet, it’s funny that now it’s a big fuss about the name, but we started 15 years ago [1993?], when there were peace in Israel, among Arabs, among Israel; it was just before the first Intifada [1987], it was the beginning of the first Intifada, but that’s politics, I don’t want to talk about, sorry, but anyhow our name, we just grew up in Jerusalem, we met in High School, we playing 15 years together, as you know if you read the programme, em, we just thought about well, what would be an interesting name, you know as every quartet starting to be a professional quartet, you have to think about a name, so we started and we thought we’d do this, we thought about composers, and then we just realised that we all met in Jerusalem—I was born in Jerusalem—and we just thought that it would be a great idea. As simple as that, Jerusalem Quartet, and through the years, we understood that it’s not so easy to bury, not to bury, sorry to take the blame in a way with the name of Jerusalem Quartet, but let me say a few things:
We all know that in Israel, there are good things of course, and there are bad things, politics and other things that are not connected to music.
But let me tell you that we are here to bring you the good things from Israel;
We are not here to bring the bad things.
You know, politics it’s not our field; we are here under the name of the Jerusalem Quartet to bring music; to show you that there is art in Israel, and we are, of course we have an army to defend ourself, and nothing is perfect in life, but at least we have music.
So, we really want to make music tonight, today, sorry, so again, if there is someone who is against just hearing simple and simplicity about music and about life, can go home and, whatever.
But when we come back, if there will be another noise, we just, you know we don’t want to continue… because we cannot concentrate about the music, and this is what we came for, to make music, so, thank you very much.
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Doesn't correlate with interview in Jewish News of Greater Phoenix: http://www.jewishaz.com/jewishnews/980619/musician.shtml
Last year they were inducted into the Israeli Defense Forces and endured a month of basic training. Bressler (second violin) says his only fear then was that something would happen to his hands.
For the three immigrants, carrying a rifle in one hand and a violin in the other is the ultimate Zionist statement. "It's something our parents could hardly have imagined ten years ago," says Zlotnikov.
Or The Australian, 14th March 2006: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/ (pay-for article)
''People say we are the best ambassadors from Israel, and we are happy about that,'' cellist Kyril Zlotnikov said in Melbourne yesterday.