A debut at Carnegie Hall meant to showcase a young composer was abruptly canceled after management realized it featured a snippet of a Nazi German anthem . The New York Youth Symphony was set to premiere the orchestral work on Sunday at the prestigious concert hall but the orchestra 's management removed it , saying that such an explosive musical reference required a longer conversation . No one has suggested any Nazi sympathy by composer Jonas Tarm , a 21-year-old Estonian American , who intended for the work to deplore war including recent bloodshed in Ukraine . Composer : The New York Youth Symphony canceled Jonas Tarm 's 'Marsh u Nebuttya ' after management realized it featured a snippet of a Nazi German anthem . Piece : Tarm uploaded this photograph of his work 'Marsh u Nebuttya , ' which is Ukrainian for 'March to Oblivion . ' It featured both a portion from the Nazi song 'Horst-Wessel-Lied ' and the anthem of Soviet-ruled Ukraine . But the controversy raised a broader question -- how explicitly do artists need to state that allusions to history 's darkest chapters are meant to condemn rather than condone ? The New York Youth Symphony , which recognizes performers and composers under age 22 , said Tarm only informed the management last week that his piece included 45 seconds of 'Horst-Wessel-Lied , ' one of the Nazis ' main anthems which is banned in modern Germany and Austria . The symphony said that the nine-minute piece could have been 'an important teaching moment for our students ' but that Tarm refused to lay out his reasons for using 'Horst-Wessel-Lied . ' 'Without this information , and given the lack of transparency and lack of parental consent to engage with this music , we could not continue to feature his work on the program , ' the symphony said in a statement . 'We believe deeply in a free creative process . But along with freedom comes responsibility , even more so when young people are involved , ' it said . Tarm had entitled his work 'Marsh u Nebuttya , ' which is Ukrainian for 'March to Oblivion , ' and it also incorporated the anthem of Soviet-ruled Ukraine . He initially explained his work only with a dedication in the program 'to the victims of hunger and fire ' and an excerpt from T.S . Eliot 's post-World War I poem 'The Hollow Men . ' 'Between the conception and the creation / Between the emotion and the response / Falls the Shadow , ' runs the verse from Eliot , who is often considered the premier 20th century English-language poet but also faced accusations of anti-Semitism . Disclosure : The New York Youth Symphony said Tarm only informed the management last week that his piece included 45 seconds of 'Horst-Wessel-Lied , ' one of the Nazis ' main anthems . The song is banned in modern Germany and Austria . Upset : After Tarm 's Carnegie Hall ( pictured ) debut was cancelled , Tarm spoke more at length , saying he was 'disappointed and confused ' by the rejection of a piece 'not meant to provoke , but to evoke . Intent : Tarm has said the piece is 'devoted to the victims who have suffered from cruelty and hatred of war , totalitarianism , polarizing nationalism -- in the past and today ' Music speaks for itself ? After the cancelation , Tarm spoke more at length , saying he was 'disappointed and confused ' by the rejection of a piece 'not meant to provoke , but to evoke . ' The piece `` s devoted to the victims who have suffered from cruelty and hatred of war , totalitarianism , polarizing nationalism -- in the past and today , ' he said in a statement . 'The old joke about how do you get to Carnegie Hall -- you practice . Apparently , you also have to self-censor . I 'm disappointed that this work will no longer have the ability to speak for itself , ' he said . Tarm , who is studying at the New England Conservatory in Boston , said that the orchestra had been practicing the piece for weeks without any complaints . The controversy has echoes of a furor last year at the Metropolitan Opera which staged John Adams ' 'The Death of Klinghoffer , ' about the wheelchair-bound Jewish American Leon Klinghoffer who was killed by Palestinian hijackers of a cruise ship in 1985 . Protesters rallied outside and several disrupted performances in part because Palestinian characters in the opera make anti-Semitic remarks as Adams tries to set the context for the killing . Ken Jacobson , deputy national director of the Anti-Defamation League , which fights anti-Semitism and racism , said that he could not judge the canceled Carnegie Hall piece without listening to it but urged reflection before banning artwork that cites offensive material . ' I assume that the New York Youth Symphony did what it did out of good motives . But I would also say that in works of art , one has to be thoughtful and careful before one wants to censor , ' he told AFP . The orchestra went ahead Sunday with a performance that featured rising violinist Elena Urioste , who performed Beethoven 's Violin Concerto and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov 's 'Scheherazade . '
The New York Youth Symphony was set to premiere Jonas Tarm 's orchestral work on Sunday at Carnegie Hall . The orchestra 's management removed it , saying that such an explosive musical reference required a longer conversation . Tarm , a 21-year-old Estonian American , intended for the work to deplore war including recent bloodshed in Ukraine . The symphony said Tarm only informed the management last week that his piece included 45 seconds of 'Oblivion The song was one of the Nazis ' main anthems and is banned in modern Germany and Austria .