Music under political control
Résumé
A concert is at once a social, cultural, aesthetic, and political event, but in times of war, it is politics that sets the tone. This is made clear in Lilian Mathieu’s account of a concert held in Lyon on May 18, 1942. For Germany, the concert by the Berlin Philharmonic was intended to symbolize German superiority; for the Vichy regime, it was a question of toeing the line without sacrificing its dignity; and for the public at large, the event was an opportunity to show either their support or opposition for the Vichy regime.