Bitter symphony: What happened when the Orchestra cancelled a pianist

The Morning Edition

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra was plunged into turmoil last month after it cancelled the performance of a highly acclaimed pianist, who had made comments on stage about the war in Gaza.

Artists within the orchestra protested. The director resigned. And Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett has been enlisted to conduct a review of what happened.

Today, the journalist who broke the story - senior culture writer Kerrie O'Brien - takes us behind the news and delves into the age old question of whether art and politics should ever be separate.

Correction: In this episode, we referred to composer Richard Wagner as a "Nazi sympathiser". Though Wagner was infamously known as Hitler's favourite composer and expressed anti-Semitic views, he died in 1883, long before the formation of the Nazis. We apologise for the error.

Further reading, listening and credits:

• 'Legal stoush between MSO and sacked pianist escalates', The Age, Kerrie O'Brien.
• Jayson Gillham speaks after MSO boss steps down, ABC Radio Melbourne, Rafael Epstein.

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