Carnegie Hall over the years have featured a number of international acts to go along with top North American talent, international acts like well known Chinese pianist Lang Lang and South Korean musical prodigy Ji-yong have impressed Carnegie goers for years. This coming January the Manhattan hot spot can add another top brass worldly ensemble through its doors.
The West-Eastern Divan will play at Carnegie starting January 30 until February 3, 2013 in a four day event. They are a Spanish based youth orchestra whose aim is to promote unity in the war torn region of the Middle East. The orchestra is comprised of members of with Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian, Iranian, Jordanian, Lebanese, Syrian and Spanish backgrounds.
The brain child of Daniel Barenboim and Palestinian-American Edward Said the two combined to form the orchestra in 1999. The ensemble has travelled the world performing for the likes of Pope Benedict XVI the head of the Roman Catholic Church even staging shows in some Israeli and Palestinian territories
Although trying to spread a message of unity the leaders of the group do not claim to be political. Barenboim was quoted as followed. "The Divan was conceived as a project against ignorance. I'm not trying to convert the Arab members of the Divan to the Israeli point of view and I'm not trying to convince the Israelis to the Arab point of view. But I want to...create a platform where the two sides can disagree and not resort to knives"
The West-Eastern Divan will be performing the works of famed German composer Ludwig van Beethoven. The orchestra will play Beethoven's "Symphony No.1," "Symphony No.8," and "Symphony No.5," when they visit Carnegie at the end of January.
