Iván Fischer brings refugees to his concert and says music must play its part in the humanitarian crisis.

Opening a prominent concert at the Berlin Konzerthaus on Sunday night, the Musical Director, Hungarian conductor Iván Fischer, began by warmly welcoming a group of Syrian refugees he had invited into the audience for their first concert before publicly criticising his own country for its “dated, anti-refugee policies”.

Making a passionate plea to the European Community to address the escalating humanitarian crisis with the upmost of generosity and compassion, Fischer implored authorities and communities alike to help in every way possible claiming, “The problem will only be solved when enough people welcome the refugees warm-heartedly, willingly, and with open arms.”

He condemned the refugee policies of his own Government in Hungary which, last week, closed its border with Serbia and stated that anyone entering the country without correct documentation may face three years in prison. “These old, obsolete rules are no longer relevant, especially, as they no longer function in these numbers,” Fischer said.

A video of his speech (below) has gone viral on social media, attracting thousands of likes and ‘bravos’, giving many a platform to praise the eminent conductor’s act as noble and courageous. It has also, however, revealed some nationalistic and racially laden opinions floating beneath the surface.

However, this isn’t Fischer’s first time in the political spotlight. Interestingly, in 1989, he invited 400 East German refugees to his Beethoven concert at the Budapest Congress Centre, and gesture which has been sited as helping lift the Iron Curtain.

As Fischer turned to face the Konzerthaus Orchestra to begin Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No 7 in E Minor on Sunday night, many in the audience must have been left wondering whether his latest act could provide a similar catalyst in the current global crisis. As Fischer so ably put it, “May music play its part in our endeavour.”