How to Create, and How to Stifle Creativity…from the Chicago Symphony to Chicago Rules
Tuesday night we went to a concert at San Carlo Opera House in Naples, the miracle built in six months for King Charles III, and recently restored to elegance. I’d been in San Carlo before, but had never heard music played live, and Riccardo Muti—a native son of Naples—gave it a real workout with Shostakovich’s intense 5th Symphony, conducting his Chicago Symphony Orchestra, now on a grand tour that has taken them to Moscow, St Petersburg and Rome.
There is a sweetness to the music that I don’t believe I’ve heard before, and indeed Muti had told his musicians that playing San Carlo would be something very special for them. According to the local newspaper, they were very impressed, not only with the hall, but also with the audience. When the orchestra was playing, I could not see anyone talking or whispering, we were all totally captured by the power and quality of the music.
All of which took me back to one of my favorite little films, “The Orchestra Rehearsal,” that Fellini made for Italian TV in his later years. It’s about a rebellious orchestra that rises up against its German conductor, and undertakes to conduct itself. The tyrannical conductor is driven out, but the orchestra quickly disintegrates into conflict and chaos. They need the discipline of the conductor to perform well, and he comes back and counts out the time for them…in German.
It was Fellini’s contemptuous reply to the “revolutionaries” of the sixties and seventies, and I’ve always believed—as he did—that true creativity requires a context of firm rules and discipline. It’s no accident, for example, that so many top jazz musicians—the art form that demands constant improvisation—are also exceptional classical musicians. Their mastery of the disciplined, written music of the masters helps them improvise when they’ve only got chords and tempo to work with.
So here’s the thing with Muti: he is certainly the conductor, and there are times when he imposes total control on the orchestra (especially during transitions to different tempos). But there are also times when he drops or folds his hands, and just lets them play. Isn’t that terrific? What a gesture of confidence and esteem! I had the feeling that he was thoroughly enjoying the performance, and I’m sure that his musicians were delighted to give him the pleasure.
Integration and despotic power concentration, will lead to tyranny and at last disintegration, and disintegration will lead to weakness and hunt by other predators. Just power distribution and right administration can lead to bright composition and orchestration and progress. This is one of keys; intellectualization and essential core which exist in advanced societies which transit from backwardness to modernization and post-modernity toward spread our race into Universe.
I’m so envious!
One of the joys of a long life possible for classical music lovers like moi is having the time to sample the great composer’s works. When younger, say 50 years old, Bruckner was just noise, even though I was a lover of Stravinsky, and even some Schonberg, et al.
Well, Shostakovich eventually got my attention, and he (and Bruckner, now) is a regular in my listening pleasure, especially symphony number 5. Sometimes I listen to the 2 CD’S of all his string quartets!
Lucky you, to hear # 5 in such a fantastic place with awake listening people, LIVE!
Thank you for an article that is right on the mark.
Our workplace is experiencing exactly this situation. For nearly two decades we had a CEO with the wisdom of Muti and an 1100 employee long term workforce of very happy,creative and empowered people.
Within two months of replacing the CEO with a “command and control” type, we now have de-motivation, de-moralization, dependency and indecision and a whole bunch of intimidated non-thinkers.
Micro Management in any form is a destroyer.
Muti seems to have found a good balance between discipline and freedom, whereas you had some conductors like Toscanini and Herbert von Karajan who were extremely tough task masters, probably like dictators, when it came to running an orchestra.
Well, if Toscanini, was a dictator, I guess the people liked the end results because Toscanini was considered such a fine conductor. The same for von Karajan. I guess more discipline is better than less when trying to get 50 or so people to play a symphony. But it’s not as much fun. Look at any video on YouTube of the Preservation Hall Jazz band and see how much fun both the people AND the musicians are having during a performance. And the Preservation Hall Jazz Band is the very essence of freedom on stage, great musicians with only a bare outline of what they have to play and then they fill in the rest. There is a time and a place for freedom, but I’m not sure playing something as complicated as Rachmoninov piano concerto (one of my favorites) is the right place for it. Orchestras need leaders and sometimes strength is better than weakness, because if the members of the orchestra sense too much weakness then they disrespect the conductor and then discipline starts to fall apart. Nope, in an orchestra, as in our country, there is one central leader, just like the Founding Fathers envisioned it. The results will determine how good that leader is, and leaders should be judged on that basis. Will that leader turn into a tyrant? Mabye, but you can always find another orchestra. You can’t say the same thing about a country. Which is why we should watch our leaders very, very, carefully, more carefully than an orchestral performance.
If men will not govern themselves, the only alternatives are anarchy or tyranny. Freedom is found not by casting off all restraint, but by holding fast to a few self-evident truths and, while working those out, making the joyful discovery of what one was made to be and do. (As a Christian I’ll add that true freedom is found only in Jesus Christ, but the system of limited government plus self-government has allowed a lot of good in this old world.)
In my youth I stressed freedom, and in my old age I stressed order. I have made the great discovery that liberty is a product of order–
Will Durant
Rules of conduct necessarily constrain and order is their product. Order is desirable not for keeping everything in place, but for generating new powers that would otherwise not exist–
von Hayek
I think that “the true stability comes often only through chaos and conflict.”
The Opera House is really a very very fantastic and sumptuous place. On the other hand, is not surprising to see such a very beautiful places in Italia. The Romans were the masters of architecture.
I have several Toscanini recordings, and I consider them among the best. He may have been a hard taskmaster, but the results were excellent. Classical music would be much less splendid and glorious had not Arturo T. not taken over for the sick conductor at that opera….
Bravo for this charming essay on freedom, tradition and self-discipline through the analytical device of classical music.
Not related to subject matter but i feel like expressing my thoughts.
I read a lot of comments online regarding the iran situation. Sometimes you get someone who blames all of Iran’s problems on US and it being controlled by Jews.
Mind you i dont even hear of these comments from Iranian Hezbollahis- they just blame US period. But this breed of American Muslims seems to be zeroing in on the Jews.
I feel like telling them, ok so let’s assume US policy visavis iran is controlled by the Jews. Well, doesn’t the Iranian government know that. If it does then why does it up the ante against Israel and so upset the Jews.
This is exactly why the iranian government is irrational. Unlike other ME countries that are savvy and try not to upset the US and get what they want -eg UAE, Saudi Arabia……Iran intentionally provokes the US with its statements.
Plus, I always argue that it was Iran that at the beginning of the revolution created an enemy out of Israel, purely because it was more interested in serving Palestinian interests rather than serving its own people. This is yet another reason why the world community thinks the iranian gov is irrational….it acts contrary to the interests of its people.
I remember the president or foreign minister of South Korea saying that Koreans also have issues and problems with America, but while we (Koreans) milk the cow (US) Iran manages to punch the cow.
30 yrs ago South Korea wasn’t even registering as an economic poweer. It is now in a position where it has surpassed Japan. Iran today should have been South Korea had it not been for the poor management of the country by a bunch of Mullahs.
The Mullahs will learn in 5-10 years – where they stay or go- that the fight is an economic fight and their focus on political fights was something that belonged in the pre-Russia times. Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, countries will sane leaders are in a race to position themselves as economic powers just like DUbai has been doing.
But Iran unfortunately has always missed opportunites and has by its own hands over its history always taken positions that have undermined its position.. It seems to be a curse that Iranian leaders always undo and waste the opportunites that present themselves only to end up in a position where they feel bitter about falling behind.
After looking into depth regarding Iran’s history, I have to say that Iranians unfortunately assume that they deserve to be the center of the world attention without working towards that goal. It’s called superiority complex, ego, arrogance……
Hopefully, the Iranians will rid of the Mullahs and join the community of nations and take once and for all the position that they deserve.
Those who are convinced they are right shoot the messenger when the message isn’t what they want to hear.
Thank you, Michael, for elaborating on this point, and frankly showing more eloquence than what is deserved by those who deride you.
God always Protects Iran …let’s see how:
1. And most importantly , Hollande my sweet Hollande will beat Crinch Sarkozy. I love you Hollande so does the Iranian regime
2. Israelis are bickering over Iran attack, with Diskin, Dagan, almost all former Shin Beit, Mossad and Army folks saying in clear language : IRAN is not After a BOMB. Only POLITICIANS like Nety. and Barak are saying it wants it for political purposes.
3.Release of UBL documents reveals that AlQaeda had a tense relation with Iran, kidnapped Iranian diplomat in Peshawar in exchange for release of UBL associates and family members
Finally Reuters some time ago came out and said clearly Americans know that Iral is not after the Bomb
All these and the increasingly American Public’s awareness of the issues and “don’t want o get involved” attitude shows that POLITICIANS are using Iran for political Gains.
Remember, how they tried to tie Iran to Al Qaeda to show Iran as the BAD guy. Well, what more documents do you want than ones from UBL compound?
Fortunately, American foreign policy and military incursions is not guided by POLITICIANS, it is guided by REALISTIC Evidence supported facts. All point out that Iran is : 1. not seeking bomb
2. is not really as brutal against its citizens as made out to be (compare 130 deaths post Iran elections to deaths in Libya and Egypt)
3. The West is doing nothing about ASSAD because they want Assad in place. And because they know Assad is supported by Iran and has a silent majority backing him. They know ASSAD will stay because Iran & Russia are backing him
4. The West knows that Iraq is squarely in Iran’s camp but has agreed to Iran’s condition to hold nuke talks in Baghdad to BOOST al maliki’s government- which is close to Iran
The West is intentionally working diligently to secure Iran a strong place in the region as a grand bargain for normalizing relations and being West’s “quiet” ally.
I forsee the West is cooking something serious for the Saudi government. Why Saudi, if they are US’s allies? Well, here is where my lack of access to intelligence leaves me unable to answer that.
I know the West ultimately will want to see a Shia government in Bahrain. Another revolt there would bring Al Khalifa down and from there on Al Saud will commit a HUGE blunder that the West has set up for it to effectively bring about the downfall of Al Saud and cause the breakaway of East Saudi Arabia.
Why is the West doing Iran all these favors? Do they love the Mullahs?
Never, they hate the Mullahs. But the West has realized that every inch of land where there are Muslims on desires an Islamic government and a return to regressive laws and sharia laws. THE ONLY PLACE THAT is ready, has all the insitutations in Place for democracy and Most of ALL, the People are NOT ISLAMIC, Are VERY CLOSE IDEOLOGICALLY TO ACCEPT WESTERN IDEOLOGY IS IRAN.
Once all the regional affairs are set for Iran;s favor and to solidly secure Iran grip on the region, then the last push will be applied and the Mullahs will be overthrown to have a SECULAR, WESTERN GOVERNMENT WITH A SOLID WESTERN ACCEPTING POPULACE in place for decades to come that will be the West’s Policeman in the region.
The Western governments have come to a solid realization. The Shia people are more welcoming to democracy and peaceful coexistence than Sunnis are. Simple Compare the people in Azerbayijan – who are very close to Iranians- to other Muslim nations in the region.
That is why Iran with 70 million people will definetely be the bulwark against Islamic forces- mainly Sunnis- and a a strong and enormous force for secularism and Western democracy.
To Mr. Ledeen
I follow several authors on PJ because I think like these writers.
I was a little disturbed by an article at consortium news that quoted Mr. Ledeen. There was no reference to when or where the quote was heard or read.
Did Mr. Ledeen actually say this? Was there a context that this person was leaving out?
http://www.consortiumnews.com/2010/083110b.html
I am not a socialist nor a liberal, but I see in the victory of Mr Hollande a breathe of Fresh air that will signal a world full of peace.
Call me naive. But i remember a time beofre 911 when people were living happily and the level of hate and anger was not so much.
I feel Mr Hollande is a person that promises that type of future. He looks very academian. I hope Mr Ledeen puts aside political labelings and puts genuine faith in this person.
To this day I don’t understand something about hard core conservatives. How and why they would instill these values in their children when we all know that these values usually lead to resentment and anger against other people.
If I was a super conservative, I would atleast would want my kids to grow up somewhat moderate to liberal and maybe become conservative as they grow up.
At any rate, I see that Mr Hollande will steal the limelight from Barak Obama.
Israel should elect a liberal PM otherwise it will be once again in a tough position with a democratic US president and a socialist French pres….kinda like the Bill Clinton/Jacque Chiraq times when they were hard on Nety.
I think Nety. must really feel he is unlucky. I strongly feel he will probably be defeated. Why? because the Israeli people (yes i am more of an expert on Israelis than others) never like to feel like out of step with the world.
There is good possibility that Ms Levni will come forward as candidate for Kadima and might win.
But, I hope that Mr Shaul Mofaz will win the next election. Why? because he is well Iranian by birth and would not want to hurt his people back home.
From Wikipedia: Shahram Mofazzez Zadeh.He was born in Tehran (although his parents came from Isfahan), Mofaz immigrated to Israel with his parents in 1957