George Whyte
Encyclopedia
George R. Whyte is an author
, composer
, and dramatist. Universities of London and Paris. Musical formation: piano: Paul Lichtenstern composition: Francesco Ticciati. A British national of Hungarian Jewish extraction, the Holocaust and the loss of many members of his family in Auschwitz have influenced his creative works which have increasingly focused on the struggle against social injustices especially racism.
A world authority on the Dreyfus Affair
, his Dreyfus Trilogy, created for the Dreyfus Centenary in 1994 has been widely performed and televised. Making extensive use of archival material, he has evolved a powerful dramatic style defined by Götz Friedrich
as a 'Protokol für das Musiktheater' wherein the drama is heightened by opposing texts, repeatedly sung and declaimed, which confront the listener with an escalation of the moral conflict. His literary work 'The Dreyfus Affair – A Chronological History' (publ. Palgrave Macmillan, 2006) is recognized as the major reference book on the subject.
His latest creation 'Golem 13' was the cultural highlight of the Czech Presidency of the European Union (June 2009). It was premiered at the National Theatre of Prague
and commemorated the 400th anniversary of the death of Rabbi Loew, the Maharal, credited with the creation of the Golem of Prague to defend the Jews of the Ghetto. In Golem 13, a Kabbalistic Drama in 2 Acts, (set to music by Noam Sheriff
), Whyte dares a balancing act between the past and the future. The first act takes place in the 16th century, the second act, in the future, 500 years later, when the Jewish people, threatened once again, create Golem 13 for their protection. In this visionary work, there appears on the operatic stage, for the first time, a superhuman being composed of Kabbalistic spirituality and advanced technology, to be of eventual significance to all of mankind.
Whyte readily collaborates with other composers and artistic talents and constructs his work so that it is adaptable for stage, television and radio. His administrative experience in the performing arts has contributed to the evolution of an artistic legacy largely devoted to the commemoration of the injustices suffered by the Jewish people.
George Whyte was inter alia Chairman of the British National Export Council for the Arts (1967–1973); founder member of the international committee of the Artur Rubinstein Piano Competition (1976–1988) and Chairman of the Royal Opera House
'The Holocaust A Commemoration in Music' (1987/88). Since 1988 Whyte he has been the Chairman of cultural events at 'Remembering for the Future' (London). For over 20 years he has researched the Dreyfus Affair
which has made him a world authority on the subject. Since 1998 he has been Chairman of the Dreyfus Society for Human Rights (London and Bonn).
George R. Whyte's works have been published by (inter alia) Palgrave Macmillan (UK and US), Inter Nationes, Artial and Coda Editions; distributed by Boosey & Hawkes
Bote and Bock Berlin; his stage works have been premiered by the Deutsche Oper Berlin
, Oper der Stadt Bonn, Theater Basel
, New York City Opera
, Opernhaus Zurich, Jüdisches Museum Berlin, National Theatre Prague and broadcast on numerous TV channels and radio networks, including WDR, Channel 4, CBS, France Culture, BBC, Sweden STV1, Slovenia RTV, SLO, Finland YLE and Hungary MTV .
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, and dramatist. Universities of London and Paris. Musical formation: piano: Paul Lichtenstern composition: Francesco Ticciati. A British national of Hungarian Jewish extraction, the Holocaust and the loss of many members of his family in Auschwitz have influenced his creative works which have increasingly focused on the struggle against social injustices especially racism.
A world authority on the Dreyfus Affair
Dreyfus Affair
The Dreyfus affair was a political scandal that divided France in the 1890s and the early 1900s. It involved the conviction for treason in November 1894 of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a young French artillery officer of Alsatian Jewish descent...
, his Dreyfus Trilogy, created for the Dreyfus Centenary in 1994 has been widely performed and televised. Making extensive use of archival material, he has evolved a powerful dramatic style defined by Götz Friedrich
Götz Friedrich
Götz Friedrich was a German opera and theatre director.He was a student and assistant of Walter Felsenstein at the Komische Oper Berlin in Berlin, where he went on to direct his early productions...
as a 'Protokol für das Musiktheater' wherein the drama is heightened by opposing texts, repeatedly sung and declaimed, which confront the listener with an escalation of the moral conflict. His literary work 'The Dreyfus Affair – A Chronological History' (publ. Palgrave Macmillan, 2006) is recognized as the major reference book on the subject.
His latest creation 'Golem 13' was the cultural highlight of the Czech Presidency of the European Union (June 2009). It was premiered at the National Theatre of Prague
National Theatre (Prague)
The National Theatre in Prague is known as the Alma Mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of Czech history and art.The National Theatre belongs to the most important Czech cultural institutions, with a rich artistic tradition which was created and maintained by the most distinguished...
and commemorated the 400th anniversary of the death of Rabbi Loew, the Maharal, credited with the creation of the Golem of Prague to defend the Jews of the Ghetto. In Golem 13, a Kabbalistic Drama in 2 Acts, (set to music by Noam Sheriff
Noam Sheriff
Noam Sheriff is an Israeli composer, conductor and arranger. Sheriff is one of Israel’s most versatile and world renowned musicians. Currently, he is the music director of the Haifa Symphony Orchestra.- Early life :...
), Whyte dares a balancing act between the past and the future. The first act takes place in the 16th century, the second act, in the future, 500 years later, when the Jewish people, threatened once again, create Golem 13 for their protection. In this visionary work, there appears on the operatic stage, for the first time, a superhuman being composed of Kabbalistic spirituality and advanced technology, to be of eventual significance to all of mankind.
Whyte readily collaborates with other composers and artistic talents and constructs his work so that it is adaptable for stage, television and radio. His administrative experience in the performing arts has contributed to the evolution of an artistic legacy largely devoted to the commemoration of the injustices suffered by the Jewish people.
George Whyte was inter alia Chairman of the British National Export Council for the Arts (1967–1973); founder member of the international committee of the Artur Rubinstein Piano Competition (1976–1988) and Chairman of the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
'The Holocaust A Commemoration in Music' (1987/88). Since 1988 Whyte he has been the Chairman of cultural events at 'Remembering for the Future' (London). For over 20 years he has researched the Dreyfus Affair
Dreyfus Affair
The Dreyfus affair was a political scandal that divided France in the 1890s and the early 1900s. It involved the conviction for treason in November 1894 of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a young French artillery officer of Alsatian Jewish descent...
which has made him a world authority on the subject. Since 1998 he has been Chairman of the Dreyfus Society for Human Rights (London and Bonn).
George R. Whyte's works have been published by (inter alia) Palgrave Macmillan (UK and US), Inter Nationes, Artial and Coda Editions; distributed by Boosey & Hawkes
Boosey & Hawkes
Boosey & Hawkes is a British music publisher purported to be the largest specialist classical music publisher in the world. Until 2003, it was also a major manufacturer of brass, string and wind musical instruments....
Bote and Bock Berlin; his stage works have been premiered by the Deutsche Oper Berlin
Deutsche Oper Berlin
The Deutsche Oper Berlin is an opera company located in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin, Germany. The resident building is also home to the Berlin State Ballet.-History:...
, Oper der Stadt Bonn, Theater Basel
Theater Basel
Theater Basel is the municipal theatre of the city of Basel, Switzerland, which is home to the city's opera and ballet companies. The theatre also presents plays and musicals in addition to operas and operettas....
, New York City Opera
New York City Opera
The New York City Opera is an American opera company located in New York City.The company, called "the people's opera" by New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, was founded in 1943 with the aim of making opera financially accessible to a wide audience, producing an innovative choice of repertory, and...
, Opernhaus Zurich, Jüdisches Museum Berlin, National Theatre Prague and broadcast on numerous TV channels and radio networks, including WDR, Channel 4, CBS, France Culture, BBC, Sweden STV1, Slovenia RTV, SLO, Finland YLE and Hungary MTV .
Literary (selective list)
- 'Set for Enterprise', Study for the Royal Opera House, London 1986,
- 'The Dreyfus Centenary Bulletin', The Dreyfus Centenary Committee, London/Bonn 1994,
- 'Oper am Scheideweg- Dreyfus Die Affäre- Ein Protokoll für das Musiktheater', Deutsche Oper Berlin Yearbook, S. 167-176, 1994,
- 'L´Affaire en Chansons', Dictionnaire de l'Affaire Dreyfus de A à Z, Flammarion, 1994; Musée d’histoire Contemporaine – BDIC Paris 1994,
- 'Le Prix d´Illusion', Revue Juive, Geneva, 2 June 1995,
- 'Un bilan du centenaire de l'Affaire Dreyfus', Cahier Jean Jaurès, Paris, 1995,
- 'The Accused- The Dreyfus Trilogy', Secolo Verlag/Inter Nationes Bonn, 1996, ISBN 3-929979-28-4,
- 'Von Berlin zum Broadway' oder 'Die Affäre Dreyfus als Rorschach-Test', Die Welt, 21 December 1996,
- 'The Dreyfus Affair - A Chronological History', Palgrave Macmillan, London and New York, 2006, ISBN13: 978-0-230-20285-6,
- 'Dreyfus Intime' Artial 2008 (in English, German, French, Hebrew, Hungarian). In Czech, Czech Theatre Institute, Translations by the Goethe Institute,
- 'Admission is not acceptance – Reflections on the Dreyfus Affair' Antisemitism, London Valentine Mitchell, 2007; Paris: French, Edition Le Manuscript/UNESCO 2008; Spanish: Buenos Aires Lilmod 2009; Russian: Moscow Xonokoct, 2010,
- 'Die Dreyfus Affaere - Die Macht des Vorurteils', Peter Lang, Frankfurt, 2010, ISBN 978-3-631-60218-8
- 'The Dreyfus Affair - A Trilogy of Plays', Oberon Books, London, January 2011.
Stage, television and radio (selective list)
- 'AJIOM/Captain Dreyfus – A Jew in Our Midst' Musical in 2 acts, 1989,
- 'The Dreyfus Trilogy' (in collaboration with Jost Meier, Alfred Schnittke and Luciano Berio) comprising
- 'Dreyfus – Die Affäre' opera in 2 acts, Deutsche Oper, Berlin, 8 May 1994; Theater Basel, 16 October 1994; 'The Dreyfus Affair' New York City Opera, 2 April 1996,
- 'Dreyfus-J’Accuse' – Danced drama, Oper der Stadt Bonn, 4 September 1994; television: Sweden STV1, Slovenia RTV, SLO, Finland YLE,
- 'Rage et Outrage' Musical satire, Arte, April 1994; 'Rage and Outrage',Channel 4, May 1994, 'Zorn und Schande', Arte 1994,
- 'J’Accuse' Travelling Exhibition, Curator Sarah Nathan-Davis, Berlin, Basel, New York 1994-1996,
- 'My burning Protest', monologue for speaker and percussion, 1996,
- 'Dreyfus in Opera and Ballet/The Odyssey of George Whyte'(German/English) September 1995, WDR, Sweden STV1, Hungary MTV and Finland YLE,
- 'J’Accuse', radio documentary, Canadian Broadcasting Service (CBS – 10 October 1998),
- 'Cabaret in Exile', (German and English - with songs of World War II) 2008,
- 'Dreyfus Intime', Opernhaus Zurich, 22 December 2007, Jüdisches Museum, Berlin, 6 May 2009,
- 'Golem 13' Kabbalistic drama in 2 acts, (set to music by Noam Sheriff), National Theatre Prague, 29 June 2009,
External links
- Dreyfus Society for Human Rights
- George Whyte and the Dreyfus Affair
- Dreyfus AffairDreyfus AffairThe Dreyfus affair was a political scandal that divided France in the 1890s and the early 1900s. It involved the conviction for treason in November 1894 of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a young French artillery officer of Alsatian Jewish descent...