Israeli Orchestra to Play Music of Wagner

07.26.11 | Sarah Harnisch

This is an historic day for the Israel Chamber Orchestra. The group will take on a 70 year old taboo by becoming the first Israeli group to play a composition by Richard Wagner, the anti-semitic 17th century German composer whose works had a profound impact on Adolf Hitler. The Israel Chamber Orchestra has a performance Tuesday at a Wagner festival in Germany. The group did not practice in Israel out of respect for the public, who still associate Wagner's music with the Holocaust.