Now Paavo pumps out New York Times platitudes
OrchestrasLow on the heels of the deep philosopher Gustavo Dudamel, the Zurich conductor Paavo Järvi tells New York Times readers what it is he does for a living:
In our modern world, where attention spans are fleeting and popular culture favors easily digestible content, the symphony orchestra is a profoundly underappreciated gem. It is not merely a bastion of elite art; it represents an ideal society where harmony and cooperation prevail. Regardless of background, race or personal preferences, each member of an orchestra knows their role, listens to others and works toward the shared goal of creating the best possible performance.
An orchestra is a microcosm of an ideal society. It consists of highly accomplished section leaders and musicians who collaborate and compromise, despite having their own opinions. Decision-making in an orchestra is democratic, yet it respects a hierarchy; musicians trust and follow the conductor’s vision while maintaining a degree of independence and personal expression. This delicate balance mirrors a well-functioning society where individuals work together while respecting leadership.
Read on here.
“An Orchestra Is a Microcosm of an Ideal Society”, where underqualified conductors make ten times the money of the players who actually make the music happen? Very apt coming from a professional grifter. Does anyone, player or listener, get inspired by him? Worse than Dudamel.
Anonymous of course. I swear SD has some the nastiest most opinionated ignoramuses as.”contributors.” “Professional grifters”…..must be a musician. The real Professional Grifters are to be found in and around Washington DC.
Comment by a deaf, or failed musician, or both. Järvi is an excellent conductor, did wonderful things with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen.
And then: it is not the players ‘who actually make the music happen’. Try to perform a Mahler or Brahms symphonie without a conductor.
It mirrors society in that it only takes one or two people to ruin things for everyone.
“where harmony and cooperation prevail”
Hahahaha oh wait he’s serious.
Fellini’s “Orchestra Rehearsal” is much more accurate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sF9Xqa5wt-o
Well said.
With Zurich TOZ it’s working very well and resulting in very inspiring concerts.
If the symphony is a symbol of an ideal society, in terms of role distribution, the hierarchies are a problem. But the bit about compromises is true.
Orchestral hierarchies are necessary to get the players together, this has no idealistic, spiritual reason but an entirely practical one. The ensembles in baroque and renaissance periods had no conductor, the players were kept together by the basso continuo including the harpsichord.
The idealistic, spiritual meaning of the symphony orchestra lies in its repertoire. Interestingly, if the orchestra plays a truly good piece, the music binds the players together, which is only helped by the conductor and if he is as good as the music, he becomes one with the music and thus, also with the players. Orchestral musicians know this by instinct. It is very difficult to analyse it in rational terms, but it really happens, and is the magic of symphonic playing.
Now you know why orchestras require conductors to conduct with their mouths shut.
What’s with the negativity and the snark? What he said is true and to me beautiful. With orchestras that are out of synch I’ve seen the dispirited looks on the musicians’ faces to tepid applause at the end. When they’re gloriously in synch the pride and satisfaction are equally visible. We all need that inspiration when flawed humans just like us can express something that’s so close to the divine.
Very spirited but also very true comment.
A really good live concert is an incomparable experience, being connected to something that is greater than we as an individual person, being connected to human potential that shimmers in all of us.
It is the cynics, who lost the potential to such experience, who try to express their revenge.
Is this not very similar to the conductor Benjamin Zander when he would give talks before groups of corporate leaders around the world illustrating how the organisation of their departments and their interaction should be similar to that of a symphony orchestra?
Amazing!
It is to be hoped he also made clear that the choice of repertoire, for such symbolism, was carefully made. Imagine a bunch of business managers have to follow this example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVOXbrlX8Lc
It’s not exactly the most profound thing I’ve ever read but I’m not sure why it evokes your response. It’s probably part of the job to spin that kind of stuff.
A “microcosm of an ideal society”? Laughable – if it weren’t so sad. Orchestras of my long acquaintance are dysfunctional workplaces full of people who at best are being poorly managed and badly treated, often making each others’ lives a misery. Sorry to burst the little ol’ bubble, but being a musician doesn’t automatically make anybody a high-functioning human being.
Old cynic- Being a musician of course may guarantee nothing, but by my observation, serious musicians are more likely to be”enlightened”, thoughtful, ethical, concerned with the well-being of society, than a typical person, as a general trend. The psychological makeup that makes someone become a musician often overlaps with these other qualities. There will always be exceptions, obviously. But I would say you are far too cynical than is warranted, compared to non-musicians. A “microcosm of an ideal society” is, I would agree, rather a large stretch.
It is a positive thing for classical music that conductors like Dudamel and the excellent Paavo Järvi are invited to contribute opinion pieces for the NYT. Of course they are not going to write deep musicological or technical essays for this readership. Would you prefer Taylor Swift or Beyoncé? I don’t understand the snarkiness.
“Decision-making in an orchestra is democratic…”
I needed a good laugh today; thank you Paavo.
No one would be more appalled than Paavo if the musicians began to make democratic decisions about interpretation, except perhaps the musicians themselves.