Saturday, 3rd January 2009

I watched the annual New Year's Concert from the stunning Musikverin in Vienna on SBS on Thursday evening when Daniel Barenboim conducted the Philharmonic in a concert of the usual much-loved marches, waltzes and polkas. He also used the occasion to openly criticise Israel's air offensive against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Just before the final piece was played, he offered his New Year's greetings and expressed the hope that 2009 would be a "year of peace in the world and of human justice in the Middle East".

His sincere words combined with the beauty of the music left me teary-eyed and I recalled another occasion where I had felt a similar emotion. This was in Sydney in January 1991 when I was attending the Symphony in the Domain and the compere for the evening was Andrew Denton. At the time, Australia was involved in the Persian Gulf War and at some point during the concert Andrew asked us to remember in our thoughts the people of Iraq who were suffering the onslaught of war while we were enjoying such a wonderful evening under a safe Sydney sky. His words were not popular with many people and there were murmurings of dissent from the large crowd but I was incredibly moved by his words and his compassion.

Ah, I had such high hopes for you, Andrew.

All dashed.