A Belgian music festival has cancelled a performance by the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra over a perceived lack of “clarity” on its Israeli conductor’s views on the Middle East conflict, sparking accusations of antisemitism from the German government.
Flanders Festival Ghent, which attracts up to 50,000 people a year, said it had made the decision to cancel the concert, to be performed with the orchestra’s future chief conductor, Lahav Shani, because the event “aspires to be a place where artists, audiences and staff can experience music in a context of respect and safety”.
