George Whyte

For the English footballer, see George Whyte (footballer).
George Whyte
Born 11 July 1933
Budapest
Died 31 August 2012 (aged 79)
London
Nationality British
Occupation Author and Composer

George R. Whyte (born 11 July 1933 in Budapest; died 31 August 2012 in London) was an author, composer, dramatist and art collector. His early education was at Highgate Junior School. 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.[1][2]

Career

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).

Publications

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 Zürich, 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 .

Works by George Whyte

Literary (selective list)

Stage, television and radio (selective list)

1994 world premiere of "Dreyfus-The Affair" at the Deutsche Oper Berlin
  • '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,

Bibliography - selective (international) list

References

  1. ↑ Frazer, Jenni (17 March 2005). "The JC Interview: George Whyte". Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  2. ↑ Jacobs, Gerald (20 January 2012). "The man still seeking justice". Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 3 September 2014.