The Apolitical Politics of Classical Music: The Mozarteum Argentino under the Dictatorship of 1976–1983

During the almost constant political turmoil of the 1970s up to Raúl Alfonsín’s election in 1983, classical music in Buenos Aires was arguably one of the most stable domains of cultural life in Argentina. If this applies to public institutions such as the Teatro Colón, it is even truer of private co...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Esteban Buch
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2021-06-01
Series:Latin American Research Review
Online Access:https://larrlasa.org/articles/968
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Summary:During the almost constant political turmoil of the 1970s up to Raúl Alfonsín’s election in 1983, classical music in Buenos Aires was arguably one of the most stable domains of cultural life in Argentina. If this applies to public institutions such as the Teatro Colón, it is even truer of private concert associations like the Mozarteum Argentino, whose president Jeannette Arata de Erize remained in charge from 1955 until her death in 2013. Under the dictatorship of 1976–1983, the Mozarteum concerts were supported by leading economic groups like Techint, whose CEO, Roberto Rocca, was a member of the board of directors, as was the minister of Economy, José Alfredo Martínez de Hoz. Politics, though, were totally absent from the association’s life. This apoliticism, derived from the Romantic era, strengthened the cohesion of the upper classes while converging with the alleged apolitical nature of the military regime itself.   Resumen En medio de la crisis política casi permanente que va de comienzos de los años setenta a la elección de Raúl Alfonsín en 1983, la música clásica en Buenos Aires fue probablemente uno de los ámbitos más estables de la vida cultural argentina. Eso vale para instituciones públicas como el Teatro Colón, y más aún para asociaciones de conciertos privadas como el Mozarteum Argentino, cuya presidencia ejerció Jeannette Arata de Erize entre 1955 y 2013. Durante la dictadura de 1976–1983, los conciertos del Mozarteum contaron con el apoyo de grupos económicos tales como Techint, cuyo CEO Roberto Rocca era miembro de la comisión directiva, lo mismo que el ministro de economía José Alfredo Martínez de Hoz. Sin embargo, la política estaba totalmente ausente de la vida de la asociación. Este apoliticismo de la música clásica, heredado del Romanticismo, fortalecía la cohesión de las clases dominantes, a la vez que la naturaleza supuestamente apolítica del régimen militar.
ISSN:1542-4278