The Los Angeles Times’ Culture Monster blog reported on a local debate: to Wagner, or not to Wagner. LA city politicians publicly debated the merits of classical music composer Richard Wagner against the composer’s notorious anti-semitism. The L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted on a motion concerning the fate of the 2010 Ring Festival L.A., a citywide arts celebration focused on Richard Wagner’s epic cycle “The Ring of the Nibelung.”  Ultimately, the board voted down a motion by Supervisor Mike Antonovich asking LA Opera to shift the focus of the festival away from Wagner, but approved a substitute motion from Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who wrote “it’s clear that the festival is not envisioned as simply a celebration of Wagner’s life; but rather, as an examination of his influence on Western culture and society — for better and for worse.”  The debate, however, continues.  Yaroslavsky said: “There is no reason for politicians to meddle in artistic undertakings.”  Antonovich argued the festival’s inclusion of a handful of symposiums dedicated to discussing Wagner’s anti-Semitism “is not balanced” and that the festival should include other composers.

Feature Image of Richard Wager courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org