Mozart: Offensive to Islam?

Posted by Sarah Canice Funke Nov 2, 2006

It appears that Mozart (or at least interpretations of his work) is once again provocative enough to warrant heightened security at performances of his operas. In September, the Deutsche Oper in Berlin, Germany had canceled four performances of Idomeneo, deeming the subject matter to be too dangerous to continue. But others, such as the German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble and Chancellor Angela Merkel protested such a reaction, the latter calling the cancelation "self-censorship." Reassured by the police regarding safety, the opera company has renewed plans to perform the opera.

What was so potentially controversial about this particular opera? The original plot is about Cretans and Trojans, not Islamic characters. The controversy comes from a scene added by director Hans Neuenfels that depicts the severed heads of Muhammad, Bhudda, Jesus and Greek sea god Poseidon as a commentary on organized religion.

On the one hand, one might call this addition an expression of artistic freedom. But to what extent does a director, composer, or any artist need to be sensitive to cultural differences (of several religions and not just Islam)?