Performing to the highest level of technique, ensemble and expressiveness, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra (WEDO), led by conductor Daniel Barenboim, is unique in that it’s predominantly comprised of young Arab and Israeli musicians. Named after Goethe’s anthology devoted to cultural dialogue between East and West, the orchestra was cofounded in 1999 by Barenboim, himself a citizen of both Israel and Palestine, and Palestinian-American literary scholar Edward Said. Significantly, its main principle is that an orchestra does not excel merely through being led by a conductor but also through close collaboration, listening and empathy between its players. Although WEDO has included a number of young professional musicians from ensembles such as the Berlin Philharmonic, many of its players lacked previous orchestral experience, and its high standard has been achieved, above all, through Barenboim’s training during workshops and rehearsals. In addition to musicians from the Middle East, WEDO—which has been based near Seville since 2002—also admits talented musicians from Spain. As well as performing in major venues in Europe and North America, the orchestra has appeared whenever possible in Qatar, the West Bank (including Ramallah, where the August 2005 concert was recorded) and the Gaza Strip. The works of Beethoven have been central to the orchestra’s repertoire since its first concert featuring Symphony No. 7: in 2011, WEDO recorded all of Beethoven’s symphonies in Köln. Its discography also includes works by Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Ravel, Schoenberg and Pierre Boulez (releasing a double album of that composer’s work in 2017).