Word: capitalists
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Beethoven's reputation is what you might call secure--except, apparently, in China. Recently, under the scrutiny of the Music Institute of the May 7 Central Arts Academy, he has been found decidedly wanting. The new Chinese position describes Beethoven as a "19th Century capitalist composer" whose music reflects unhealthy ideals. Beethoven is said to be a counter-revolutionary political force, "just the right thing for a handful of class enemies inside and outside the country...
...have not rejected all orchestral music. They still seem to admire the Yellow River Concerto, written by a committee of the Central Philharmonic Society of the People's Republic of China. (A recording by the Philadelphia Orchestra is available with Pines of Rome on RCA #ALL 1-0415.) To capitalist ears the piece sounds vaguely stirring and faintly romantic. A Washington Post critic suggested that "from the sound of it...the principal members of the committee were Franz Liszt and Sergei Rachmaninoff, with some help from Edvard Grieg...
...long as China exists as a socialist state in a mainly capitalist world, any foreign influence can be damaging. If Western classical music in China leads to a more general influx of capitalist art and culture, the effects of the Revolution may begin to reverse themselves. The attack on Western music has been combined with a denunciation of Confucius and with militant policy statements condemning backsliding in collective agriculture and on relations between soldiers and civilians. Some sort of political confrontation is taking place; one of the few details now known is that Teng Hsiaoping, a capable economic administrator...
...capitalist housing situation, rent control is always an emergency measure. It is usually introduced in time of war, when the government wants to discourage housing investment so that capital will flow into war-related industry...
Sadat still faces hazards. One is that by relaxing state controls he may transform Egyptian life more than he intends. Says one critic: "How can you have freedom for foreign capital without freedom for local capital? How can you give freedom to the capitalist without giving freedom to the trade unions?" Regionally, Sadat's new friendship with Washington is fine as long as Israel continues to withdraw from Egyptian territory. But if the Israelis balk, Sadat at future Arab councils is likely to find himself the target rather than the central force...