It was probably as groundbreaking and revolutionary as Mozart was ever going to get. A German-based quartet staged Saudi Arabia’s first-ever performance of European classical music in a public venue before a mixed gender audience.
The concert, held on Friday night, broke many taboos in a country where public music is banned and men and women are segregated even in the lines at fast food outlets. The performance could be yet another indication that this country is looking to open up. A few weeks ago, King Abdullah made an unprecedented call for an interfaith dialogue — the first such proposal from a nation that forbids non-Muslim religious services and symbols.
“The concert is a sign that things are changing rapidly here,” said German Ambassador Jurgen Krieghoff, whose embassy sponsored the concert — part of a series of programmes celebrating the first German Cultural Weeks in Saudi Arabia. “Evidently, the government has decided that a minimum of openness in our new world economy and in our information-based world is necessary for us and also for good understanding among cultures,” he said.
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