Goethe and Orchestra Management

Goethe undoubtedly possessed one of the greatest minds that our civilization has produced. Not only was he a true polymath with seemingly unlimited knowledge and intellectual curiosity, but he was one of the wisest men ever to put pen to paper. Timeless adages can be found on every page of his literary creations- his books are literally bursting with pearls of wisdom.

Goethe was not only a man of letters, he was truly a "man of the world" as well- as part of his service to the Court of Weimar for a number of years he successfully lead the Court Theater, a golden age for German drama when several of both his and Schiller's works were debuted and the highest standards of artistic excellence were upheld. It seems to me, then, that it would behoove all managers of performing arts organizations to become conversant with Goethe and his views on management and life in general. How often can one get advice professional advice from a genius?

Goethe directly discusses managing a theater in two well-known works: his novel Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship and the Conversations of Goethe with Eckermann.

The Conversations, called by Nietzsche, by the way, "The best German book there is...," has Goethe recalling in a number of conversations with his young acolyte Eckermann his beliefs on leading a successful theater. The crux of Goethe's beliefs can be distilled in this statement: "The knotty point is to so deal with contingencies that we are not tempted to deviate from our higher maxims.” He goes on to say that in an outer sense this constitutes sticking to a core of artistically excellent works, and to insert what he calls “novelties” or “contingencies”- those works that are passing fads among patrons, possess some extra-artistic interest, or engaging an artist to boost audiences or due to audience demand- in an extremely limited and judicious manner. Artistic excellence is the ultimate criterion, performing only the finest works at the highest level possible, and leading the theater in a way that remains true to the spirit of great art. Which leads me nicely to the second quote from Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship…

Goethe believed that great art represented something very profound, sacred and true, and at its highest levels represented universal truths and morality of the highest order. An organization that acts in the spirit of the great art it performs cannot help but be successful; conversely, if they act in a contrary manner they eventually will fail because it violates the spirit of the art they purport to represent and promote.

I can’t help inserting a passage (including Goethe’s quote from Wilhelm Meister) from a report I presented to the League of American Orchestras that puts this view simply and clearly, and, by the way, caused a Pavlovian reaction (in a negative sense) from some of the senior leadership of that organization:

“Our vision is an orchestra that is dedicated completely to the music we play, the community we serve and the continuance of the orchestra for the good of that community. But most importantly, our vision encompasses an organization that always acts selflessly, respectfully and with kindness and compassion. It is not in what you do but in what motivates what you do that true vision lies. Goethe wrote, ‘The spirit in which we act is the highest matter. Action can be understood and again represented by the spirit alone.’ An organization that acts in harmony with the spirit of the art we serve will be successful, while those that violate that spirit are bound to ultimately fail.”

Enough said- you can draw your own conclusions. This is my personal philosophy on orchestra management and guides all of my actions with the ACO. If Goethe is on my side my reasoning can’t be all wrong!

Larry