By Dennis Sewell Presenter, Talking Politics

Conductor Daniel Barenboim wants the orchestra to transcend divides

The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra is an extraordinary ensemble from the Middle East.

About half of its 100 musicians are Jewish Israelis. Most of the rest are Arabs.

Some are Palestinians from the occupied territories; others come from Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt; and a small number are Arab Israelis.

This week they have embarked on a tour of major cities - including Madrid, Paris, Berlin, Milan and Istanbul - under the direction of the renowned Israeli conductor, Daniel Barenboim, who also hold Spanish citizenship.

The orchestra was co-founded in 1999 by Barenboim and the Palestinian-American writer, Edward Said, who died in 2003.

It has played at major concert venues across the world and performed last year at the Royal Albert Hall during the BBC Proms season.

Tense rehearsals

Before their current tour, the orchestra spent an intensive period of rehearsal at their base in a former Catholic seminary outside Seville.

Apart from the music, the most important thing about the Divan is that it allows each side to hear the narrative of the other Avi Shlaim Israeli academic

Barenboim says that Andalusia is the perfect home for the orchestra because Islamic, Christian and Jewish cultures have all left a permanent mark in the region.

Each year, the conductor invites writers and intellectuals to visit the orchestra and engage the musicians in seminars and debates about the problems of the Middle East.

Among this year's visitors were the Israeli academic, Avi Shlaim and the Palestinian writer, Raja Shehada.

"Apart from the music, the most important thing about the Divan is that it allows each side to hear the narrative of the other" says Shlaim, "something that's often not the case back home, wherever they come from".

Rehearsals were held in Seville

This year, though, the atmosphere was much more tense than usual.

One Israeli musician had not been able to contact his family, who lived in a village in Northern Galilee that was under frequent rocket attack by Hezbollah.

A number of Lebanese players were yet to arrive. And many of the Palestinians were angry at recent Israeli military incursions into Gaza and Lebanon.

Attacks condemned

On Sunday last week, Maestro Barenboim summoned the orchestra together in Seville's bullring and announced that, together with Edward Said's widow Mariam, he had drafted a statement to be published in every concert programme on the forthcoming tour.

"We cannot just go on and play pretending that what is going on in Lebanon and Northern Israel isn't happening," he said.

The orchestra held its first concert in 1999

The draft statement condemned both the bombing of civilians in Lebanon and the rocket attacks on civilians in Israel.

At first it seemed that the orchestra would allow the statement to go out in its name on the nod.

Everyone agreed that to say nothing would be like fiddling while Lebanon and Northern Galilee burned.

But soon spirited arguments broke out. Delegations were sent to the maestro to demand changes and amendments to the text.

Disagreements

People will say I'm just a naive musician and that I am making empty gestures Daniel Barenboim Conductor and co-founder

Some Israelis thought too little weight had been given to the vast exodus of Israelis from Galilee - almost a million people have had to re-locate to avoid Hezbollah's rockets.

Some of the Palestinians felt that Israel's occupation of the West Bank should be condemned as well.

Debate raged for hours. Like diplomats, Avi Shlaim and Raja Shehada patiently went to and fro reasoning with the musicians and carrying their misgivings back to Barenboim.

Some were worried that the febrile politics of the Middle East had finally overwhelmed the spirit of the Divan.

Barenboim remained sanguine throughout. He thought the passionate discussions were part of what the West-Eastern Divan was all about.

Barenboim became a Spanish national in 2002

He maintained he hadn't made a mistake when he insisted on a formal political statement.

"I know people will say I'm just a naive musician and that I am making empty gestures that won't change anything in the Middle East," he said.

"But what about those who believe that dropping bombs and firing rockets are the solution? I ask you - who is the more naive?"

Various amendments were put to a vote but, eventually, the original text was approved.

In the last day of rehearsals, Barenboim summed up all the disagreements that had taken place. Then, raising his baton, he drew a definitive line under politics.

"Let's play!" he said.

Afterwards, the audience agreed that the orchestra had never sounded so good.