I recently heard Symphony No. 5 by Gustav Mahler and was entranced as I knew I would be. My love for the music of Mahler goes back to my youth having heard Mahler's Symphony No. 1 as a teenager. I quickly became enamored with his music and my love has remained to this day. Long flowing melodic lines, sophisticated orchestration, rich harmonies, powerful emotions, counterpoint, dynamics, moments of extreme beauty and tenderness followed by muscular power and aggression, his symphonies come close to representing the total human experience through sound. Using simple folk melodies, Mahler would surround the simplicity with great complexity, exploring and exploiting the extremes of every instrument, leaving players and audiences dealing with emotional exhaustion blended with renewed energy.
Having played several of Mahler's symphonies as a horn player, I can attest to the tremendous respect the players have toward his music. Admittedly, however, playing his music is daunting, often provoking fear and trepidation in players, horn players in particular. The symphonies are long, difficult, demanding, and completely exhausting both physically and emotionally. Not unlike a doctoral defense of a thesis or a final chess game in a tournament or a speech delivered to thousands, playing a Mahler symphony is an unforgettable experience. I recall performing Mahler's 3rd Symphony with its gigantic orchestra, choir, children's choir and ultra sophistication of orchestration. After the performance, I could hardly move much less think, I was totally worn out and fearful of making a full recovery! At the same time, my excitement level was high and I had a strange superman complex that I could conquer anything and solve all problems. Such is the power of Gustav Mahler and his symphonies.
But performing a Mahler symphony is costly. 75 performing musicians needing to be paid, utility costs, cartage expenses, personnel expenses, office staff, marketing, ticket sales, conductor, sound managers, and a business officer. Costs for one Mahler symphony can run $75,000 or more depending on how much marketing will be done prior to the event.
Orchestras generally depend on 1/3 to 1/2 of its revenue to come from ticket sales. The other forms of revenue include grants, gifts, and sponsorships. An orchestra, however, cannot suddenly raise the price for a concert depending on the literature being performed. Maybe featuring a certain guest artist or some kind of special event could justify high ticket prices but in general the set price is the price for each concert regardless of the selections being performed. This makes it a market endeavor (like all businesses) and concerts that are popular with people will more than likely help offset the expenses. In today's market economy it becomes necessary to find music that will sell tickets. Unfortunately this requirement often battles against the need for artistic expression and for music considered high quality. Which brings us back to Mahler.
Will the strength of the Mahler Symphony, a highly regarded work that is acknowledged for its quality, emotional content, excellent compositional technique and superior orchestration, be enough to attract an audience that will provide enough revenue to pay for the expenses? Should marketing for such an event be focused on hearing the Mahler Symphony? Will the name "Mahler" be enough for people pay to hear the symphony live? Will they become curious, read about his life, listen to his works?
In every community there exists those who love art music, whose musical tastes run deep and encompass music history including but not limited to the great composer and works that have stood the test of time. These people enjoy commercial music to an extent but have a strong preference for the past and for the canon of music literature. Although a smaller number, these people, many of them academically minded, well-read, educated, and with financial resources to support art music, continue to shape our universities and local arts endeavors. They hold desperately to an ideal of the rich meaning of the classics and how a culture devoid of artistry is destined down the path of primitivism and a severe lack of refinement. It is these who will come out and enjoy the Mahler symphony.
But is it really worth the effort and the cost? Probably not. Yes, it gave me good feelings and I felt emotionally changed by the experience of listening to the great work. I had the melodies moving through my head the rest of the night and I mentioned to many people what a great performance it was. The audience instantly was on its feet and I saw smiles and joy on the faces of those present. Everything about the concert was excellent and we are all better people from having heard the performance.
Yet the expenses far outweighed the revenue. Maybe ticket sales brought in $20,000 but my rough estimate was closer to $15,000. Maybe expenses were as low as $65,000 but I suspect the cost was closer to $75,000. Conservatively the orchestra lost $40,000 although I would guess the loss to be closer to $60,000, and all for one concert and one listening experience. A grand one for sure and truly remarkable but costly.
We do not want the market to shape the culture and we do not want money to govern our artistic tastes. It is regrettable to have to convert great art into a commodity and it certainly makes us a society of greedy capitalists without regard for finery and sophistication. But in the final analysis, it is the market which is comprised of people, that determines great art and determines the future of the canon. Right now my guess is that unless orchestras find a way to increase revenue and decrease expenses, we will no longer enjoy opportunities to hear Mahler symphonies. Time and the market place will tell the final story. Love Mahler now knowing that live performances could be a lost art.
