orchestras, radio ensembles and opera choruses€¦ · in the 17th and 18th centuries. these court...

Gerald Mertens

ORCHESTRAS, RADIO ENSEMBLESAND OPERA CHORUSES

In German Music Council / German Music Information Centre, ed.,Musical Life in Germany (Bonn, 2019), pp. 188–217

Published in print: December 2019© German Music Information Centre

http://www.miz.org/musical-life-in-germany.html

https://themen.miz.org/musical-life-in-germany

188188

The Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin performing at the Parallax project in Berlin’s Kraftwerk (2017)

Despite financial challenges and structural changes, Ger-many’s publicly financed orchestras have continuously expanded their programmes, most recently achieving 9,000 concerts in a single year. Here Gerald Mertens dis-cusses past developments, describes the ensembles’ present situation and outlines new activities.

7

Orchestras, radiO ensembles and Opera chOruses

Kapitel |

189189

190

| Gerald Mertens

ORCHESTRAS, RADIO ENSEMBLES AND OPERA CHORUSES

The German theatre and orchestra landscape remains unparalleled worldwide in its density and diversity. In December 2014 it was placed on UNESCO’s national list of intangible cultural heritage; Germany has applied to UNESCO for its inclu-sion on the international list. Roughly a quarter of the world’s profes sional orches-tras are based in Germany.

A THUMBNAIL HISTORY

The oldest German orchestra is that of today’s Hessian State Theatre in Kassel. It was founded by Landgrave William II in 1502 when he hired a certain Henschel Deythinger as a trumpeter in Kassel’s musical retinue. Deythinger and another eight wind players joined forces with the Kassel court chapel to form one of the earliest independent instrumental ensembles under a single director, thereby lay-ing the cornerstone for the emergence of the ‘orchestra’ as a cultural institution. The initial roots of German and European orchestra culture date back even further, to the 14th century. Storied traditional orchestras, such as the Dresden Staatskapel-le, the Weimar Staatskapelle or the Mecklenburg Staatskapelle in Schwerin, were found ed in the 16th century; still others were assembled at various German courts in the 17th and 18th centuries. These court and church ensembles were in turn followed in the 19th and 20th centuries by the emergence of a bourgeois orchestra culture. Beginning in the 1920s, and again after World War II, they were joined by radio ensembles and other municipal and state orchestras in both East and West Germany.

191

Orchestras, Radio Ensembles and Opera Choruses |

Onene offofof ththhee oe oldeldeld st sts orcrorcheshe tratratras is in Gn GGermermmanyanyanyy: t: t: he hhe DreDreesdesden Sn Sn taataatataa tskkkktskkkapeapeapeapeapeapeap llellellellellelleele.....It IIt waswasswas fo fo fofoundunddddddundded eddddeded eed inninnin 154154154545448 aa8 aa8 a8 a8 a8 a8 aaas as ass as as s aan en een en enn eensen ensensnsensensemblmblmblmblmblm e aae aae ae aat tt tt tt tttt tt ttttt hhe he hehe h SaxSaxSaxon on coucouourt.rt.t

OVERVIEW

Germany’s publicly financed orchestra landscape currently consists of 129 pro-fessional ensembles. It is basically a four-tier system. The first tier is made up of the 81 theatre orchestras that play primarily in the operas, operettas and musicals mounted at Germany’s municipal and state theatres. Here the spectrum ranges from the great, internationally renowned opera houses in Berlin, Hamburg, Stutt-gart and Munich to the small theatres in Lüneburg, Annaberg-Buchholz and Hil-desheim. Among them are ensembles that function as ‘concert orchestras with theatrical duties’, though the latter tend to predominate. The second tier consists of 29 concert orchestras (including one civic wind band) that perform largely or exclusively in concert halls. The uncontested leader here is the Berlin Philhar-monic, followed by a host of other internationally acclaimed orchestras, among which are the Munich Philharmonic, the Bamberg Symphony, the Berlin Konzert-haus Orchestra and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, to name only some of the largest of their rank. The third tier is made up of eight publicly funded chamber orchestras that generally work all year round as string ensembles without their own woodwind or brass sections. Examples include the Stuttgart Chamber Orches-tra, the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra in Heilbronn and the Munich Chamber

192

Orchestra. Finally, the fourth tier consists of the radio orchestras belonging to the ‘Association of Public Broadcasting Corporations in the Federal Republic of Ger-many’ (Arbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or ARD), and Radio Orchestras and Choruses Ltd (Rundfunkorchester und -Chöre GmbH, or ROC), in Berlin. These 11 radio orchestras or radio symphony orchestras, four big bands and seven radio choruses remain a mainstay of high-quality performance, ambitious programming and the advance-ment of contemporary music in Germany. Recently, in September 2016, the number of radio symphony orchestras further declined with the merger of the Southwest German Radio Orchestras in Freiburg/Baden-Baden and Stuttgart to create the Stuttgart-based Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Professional theatre, concert, chamber and radio orchestras in Germany run a twelve- month season. They employ musicians on a full time basis and with permanent contracts. Most of the orchestras work under collective bargaining agreements. Since the 1930s working conditions and social benefits for orchestral musicians were developed parallel to those of other employees in the public sector. The defining criteria for these 129 orchestras are that they are all, for the most part,

193


More than just concert music: Germany’s orchestras explore new forms of events and seek exchanges with theatre, literature and the visual arts.

A ‘slam symphony’ with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra (2016).

Opposite page: a staging of Felix Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream by Theater NO99

and the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra (2017)

publicly financed (from tax revenues or broadcast licensing fees), work the whole year round with a permanent membership and generally avoid playing light music or marches.

Mention should also be made of other professional orchestras and chamber en-sembles that work either with a regular group of freelance musicians (usually as a private partnership or limited-liability company) or, if they have greater public fund ing, with permanently employed members. Among them are the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, the Bavarian Chamber Orchestra in Bad Brückenau and (project) orchestras that thrive on little or no public funding, such as the Deut-sche Philharmonie Merck, the Würth Philharmonic (founded in 2017) and the Jew-ish Chamber Orchestra Munich. Further information on this subject can be found in Richard Lorber and Tobias Schick’s essay on ‘Independent Ensembles’.

Professional orchestras can also be found in the realms of law enforcement, the federal police and the armed forces. However, most of them are wind orchestras or big bands. A few ad hoc orchestral formations play in commercial musical theatres for the duration of a production, mainly in Hamburg, Berlin and Stuttgart. Final-ly, the number of ‘spa orchestras’ (Kurorchester), an important stepping stone for music students and young professionals until well into the 1970s, has shrunk to a

194

Germany’s publicly financed orchestras play many of their concerts abroad. To the Bavar ian Radio Symphony Orches tra, long concert tours are everyday affairs. In 2018 they performed inter alia in New York, Riga, Helsinki, St Petersburg, Moscow, Tokyo, Seoul and Taipei.

negligible quantity. Owing to a shortage of funds, many health resorts now retain small orchestras, usually from Eastern Europe, but only for a single season.

COLLECTIVE AGREEMENTS, PAY BRACKETS AND ORCHESTRA SIZE

The working conditions and salaries of musicians employed in Germany’s publicly financed orchestras are governed by a collective agreement known as the ‘Tarifvertrag für Musiker in Konzert- und Theaterorchestern’ (TVK). It applies across the board for most theatre orchestras and some concert orchestras. This blanket salary agreement for orchestras is the only one of its kind in the world. The TVK dates back to 1971 and was most recently re-ratified in 2019. As a rule, radio en-sembles are subject instead to the special salary provisions of the various public- law broad casting corporations. Theatre orchestras are assigned to pay groups A to D, depend ing on their membership and their number of positions. Those with no more than 55 positions are assigned to the lowest salary bracket, pay group D. Pay group C applies to orchestras with 56 to 65 positions, group B for 66 or more, and group B/F from 78, where F stands for ‘footnote’, since the bonus paid is indi-cated in a footnote to the table of salaries. Orchestras with 99 positions or more are placed in pay group A; those between 99 and 129 positions are again eligible for a variable ‘footnote bonus’ (pay group A/F2). For orchestras of 130 positions or more, payment of a footnote bonus is mandatory (pay group A/F1). This is the top salary bracket in the collective agreement. There are thus seven pay groups in all.

195


196

What determines an ensemble’s classification is not the number of positions ac-tually filled, but the number shown in the budget and staff appointment scheme. For decades the group ing of theatre orchestras according to size rather than artistic accomplish ments has been subject to criticism. The putative counterexamples are the six chamber orchestras in western Germany, which, although no larger than 14 to 24 musicians, nevertheless remunerate their musicians under pay group A.

Topping the salary pyramid for Germany’s orchestras is the Berlin Philharmonic, followed by the Bavarian State Orchestra, the Berlin Staatskapelle and the great radio symphony orchestras in Munich, Cologne, Stuttgart and Hamburg. At the second tier, yet usually ranking above pay group A/F1, are such ensembles as the Deutsches Symphonieorchester Berlin, the Munich Philharmonic, the Leipzig Ge-wandhaus Orchestra, the Dresden Staatskapelle, the Dresden Philharmonic, the Bamberg Symphony, the Hamburg Philharmonic and the Gürzenich Orchestra in Cologne, as well as further radio symphony orchestras and radio orchestras. The other municipal and state theatre and concert orchestras are spread across the aforementioned TVK pay groups, although occasionally some can be found that remunerate their musicians at levels beneath pay group D.

The pay groups of TVK orchestras can be roughly compared as follows: members of a B-level orchestra receive approximately as much salary as a primary school teacher outside the civil service; those in an A-level orchestra earn roughly the salary of a grammar school teacher; and those in an A/F1-level orchestra achieve approximately the salary of a professor at a tertiary-level school of music. In recent years, however, these relations have shifted to the orchestras’ detriment. The mu-sicians are, as a rule, employed on unlimited but terminable contracts, not as civil servants.

The number of female orchestra members has risen steadily since the 1960s and is continuing to do so. Women already occupy more than half of the orchestra positions in the age group from 25 to 45. However, women conductors remain an absolute rarity, especially as principal conductors. This situation will change slow-ly at best.

197


STRUCTURAL CHANGES: DISSOLUTIONS, MERGERS, NEW LEGAL FORMS

Declining number and size of orchestras owing to dissolutions and mergers

The structure of Germany’s orchestra landscape has changed dramatically since the 1990s. While the number of theatres and orchestras initially skyrocketed in 1990 in the wake of German reunification, a wave of cutbacks and consolidation soon followed. As a result – primarily in the newly formed eastern German states – several theatres and orchestras were merged with one another, scaled back or eliminated entirely. This occurred for financial reasons, particularly in view of the limited transitional financing provided by the federal government. In the case of orchestras, this fate was met not only by small ensembles in a handful of rural ar-eas or spoken theatres in the eastern section of Berlin, but also by larger orchestras in erstwhile district capitals of the former German Democratic Republic (including Schwerin, Erfurt, Potsdam and Suhl) as well as individual radio orchestras of the former East German broadcasting network in Berlin and Leipzig. The map of or-chestra sites (see Fig. 1) shows what the orchestra landscape looked like in 1990 after German reunification, and how it has changed since then, primarily owing to mergers and dissolutions.

Parallel to this special development in the newly formed German states, how-ever, there were also severe structural adjustments in the states of what had been West Germany, primarily in North Rhine-Westphalia. They began with the clos-ing of the Oberhausen Music Theatre in 1992 and continued with the insolvency of the Philharmonia Hungarica (Marl) in 2001. Another case was the liquidation and insolvency of the Berlin Symphony Orchestra in 2004, which now works only on a project-by-project basis. The first all-German stocktaking in 1992 identified 168 publicly financed concert, theatre, chamber and radio orchestras; since then, 39 have been disbanded or merged. Most recently the Eisenach Orchestra and the Thuringian Philharmonic in Gotha merged at the opening of the 2017-18 season. One year earlier, in summer 2016, the two orchestras of Southwest German Radio merged with a long-term socially acceptable plan to reduce the number of musi-cians from roughly 200 to 119. This merger in particular was highly controversial from an artistic and culture-political standpoint, for the Southwest German Radio

198

Symphony Orchestra in Baden-Baden and Freiburg had consistently devoted itself for decades to contemporary music.

Between 1992 and 2018 the number of registered positions for musicians has dropped from 12,159 to 9,746, a loss of 2,413 positions, or roughly 20 per cent. Of these cutbacks, 1,899 of the positions eliminated were from the newly formed Ger-man states and former East Berlin, and 514 in the states of former West Germany and former West Berlin (see Fig. 2). Since then a few newly created positions in isolated orchestras in the western states have even led to a slight upturn in the number of positions in former West Germany. This does not, however, imply a gen-eral trend toward consolidation.

Changes in legal status

The upheavals of the 1990s were accompanied by a wave of privatisations, again focusing on the new eastern states. The main reason for this is that many state structures of former East Germany, such as political districts, vanished without replacement, and several newly formed counties felt overstrained to assume sole financial responsibility for theatres and orchestras. In some cases this led to the creation of publicly financed joint administrative bodies, such as the Thuringian State Theatre of Eisenach-Rudolstadt-Saalfeld (since dissolved) or the Northern Harz City League Theatre in Halberstadt (Saxony-Anhalt), or to registered associa-

199


Left: the Berlin Philharmonic. Right: the Munich Philharmonic with Hélène Grimaud at the piano

tions, as witness the Thuringian Philharmonic in Gotha and Zeitz Theatre. Most of all, however, it led to the formation of limited-liability companies. Since 1990 there have been 44 newly founded limited-liability companies for publicly financed or-chestras throughout Germany, or existing orchestras have been transformed into such companies. Once again, most are located in the new eastern states.1 This de-velopment reached a climax in the mid-1990s. However, these privatisations and expulsions of orchestras from the public coffers were unable to offset the general rise in costs for staff and materials.

In contrast, since 1990 there have also been 13 newly founded owner-operated enterprises in which the orchestra’s operations remain legally within the direct

reach of the public sector but enjoy greater economic independence and leeway. The prime example of this legal form is the Leipzig Gewandhaus and its orches-tra. Registered associations under private law were not always long-lived and fre-quently led to the founding of limited-liability companies. One problem seems to be that the legal form of the registered association does not provide appropriate tools for the running of orchestras, with their often multi-million-euro budgets and their mixed memberships of natural persons and legal entities (usually mu-nicipalities). In particular, the voluntary board members often face considerable legal, financial and liability questions that sometimes find them out of their

200

Fig. 1 | Publicly funded orchestras (structural developments since 1990)

PhilharmonischesOrchester Kiel Philharmonisches

Orchester derHansestadt Lübeck Norddeutsche

Philharmonie RostockNeubrandenburgerPhilharmonie

Philharmonisches OrchesterBremerhaven

BremerPhilharmoniker

OsnabrückerSymphonieorchester

SinfonieorchesterMünster

Sinfonie-orchesterAachen

BeethovenOrchester Bonn

StaatsorchesterRheinische Philharmonie,

Koblenz

PhilharmonischesOrchester derStadt Trier

HessischesStaatsorchesterWiesbaden

PhilharmonischesOrchester Gießen

PhilharmonischesStaatsorchester Mainz

StaatsorchesterDarmstadt

BadischeStaatskapelle,

Karlsruhe

NiederbayerischePhilharmonie, Passau

PhilharmonischesOrchester Regensburg

SüdwestdeutschePhilharmonie Konstanz

WürttembergischePhilharmonieReutlingen

PhilharmonieBaden-Baden

PhilharmonischesOrchester derStadt Ulm

Bad ReichenhallerPhilharmoniker

PreußischesKammerorchester,PrenzlauLüneburger

Symphoniker

SymphonikerHamburg –

Laeiszhalle Orchester

Philharmo-nisches Staats-orchester Hamburg

NDR Elbphil-harmonie Orchester,

HamburgMecklenburgischeStaatskapelle Schwerin

PhilharmonischesLandesorchesterMecklenburg-SchwerinerPhilharmonie (1992)

Greifswald

Orchester des Landes-theaters Mecklenburg,Neustrelitz (1994)

Stralsund

OldenburgischesStaatsorchester Konzertorchester

Salzwedel (1992)Orchesterdes Theatersder Altmark,Stendal (1994)

Brandenburger Sym-phoniker, Branden-

burg an der Havel

DuisburgerPhilharmoniker

Städtisches OrchesterOberhausen (1992)

Düsseldf. Symphoniker Sol. Berg. Sympho-niker (1995)

Rem.

WDRFunkhaus-orchester,

Köln

WDR Sinfonie-orchester, Köln

Gürzenich-Orchester

Köln

Recklinghausen

Neue Philharmonie Westfalen - Landesorchester NRW (1996)

Sinfonieorchester Wuppertal

philharmonischesorchester hagen

Dortmunder PhilharmonikerKrefeld

Mönchengl.

Gel.

PhilharmonieSüdwestfalen,Hilchenbach

Staats-orchester

Kassel

GöttingerSymphonie

Orchester

BielefelderPhilharmoniker Symphonisches

Orchester des Landes-theaters Detmold

NordwestdeutschePhilharmonie, Herford

TfN · Philharmonie, Hildesheim

StaatsorchesterBraunschweig

NiedersächsischesStaatsorchesterHannover

EichsfelderKulturorchesterHeiligenstadt (1993)

MeiningerHofkapelle

ThüringenPhilharmonieSuhl(1997)

Philhar-monischesOrchesterWürzburg

BambergerSymphoniker - BayerischeStaatsphilharmonie

WürttembergischesKammerorchester Heilbronn

HoferSym-phoniker

Philharmonisches OrchesterLandestheater Coburg

SaarländischesStaatsorchester,

Saarbrücken

Deutsche Radio PhilharmonieSaarbrücken Kaiserslautern

(2007) Orchester desPfalztheatersKaiserslautern

Philharmonisches OrchesterHeidelberg

Deutsche StaatsphilharmonieRheinland-Pfalz, Ludwigshafen

Nationaltheaterorchester Mannheim

Kurpfälzisches Kammer-orchester, Mannheim

Südwest-deutschesKammer-orchesterPforzheim

BadischePhilharmoniePforzheim

21

22

Philharmonisches OrchesterFreiburg (i.Br.)

Nürnberger Symphoniker

StaatsphilharmonieNürnberg

Rundfunkorchester desHR, Frankfurt a.M. (1993)

Frankfurter Opern- undMuseumsorchester

hr-Sinfonieorchester,Frankfurt a.M.

Chursächsische PhilharmonieBad Elster (2000)*

MagdeburgischePhilharmonie

Philharmon.Orchester Erfurt

Staats-kapelleWeimar

JenaerPhilhar-monie

Sonders-hausen

Saalf.ThüringerSymphonikerSaalfeld-Rudolstadt(1992)

Orchester d.Theaters

Zeitz (2003)

BrandenburgischePhilharmonie,Potsdam (2000)

DeutschesFilmorchester

Babelsberg,Potsdam

Nord-hausen

AnhaltischePhilharmonieDessau Orchester des Mittel-dt. Landestheaters

Wittenberg (2002) Philharmonisches Orchester des Staats-theaters Cottbus

BrandenburgischesKonzertorchester,Cottbus (1991)

Orchester derNeuen Bühne

Senftenberg(1993)

Südbrandenburger Orchester,Senftenberg (1996)

Orchester der Staatsoperette Dresden

DresdnerPhilharmonie

Sächs. Staatskapelle Dresden

Orchesterdes Stadt-theatersDöbeln(1992)

Augsburger Philharmoniker

BayerischesStaatsorchester,

MünchenMünchnerSymphoniker

MünchnerPhilharmoniker

MünchenerKammerorchester

Georgisches Kammerorchester

Ingolstadt

Orchester desStaatstheatersam Gärtnerplatz,München

Symphonieorchesterdes BayerischenRundfunks, München

MünchnerRundfunkorchester

StaatsorchesterStuttgart

Stuttgarter Philharmoniker

ConcertorchesterBad Salzungen (1992)

19

18

20

17

Neue LausitzerPhilharmonie,Görlitz (1996)

Erzgebirgische PhilharmonieAue, Annaberg-Buchholz (1998)

8

9

Philharmon.Kammerorchester

Wernigerode

Vogtland Philharmonie Greiz/Reichenbach (1992)Philharmonisches Orchester des Theaters Plauen-Zwickau (2000)Pl.

Zwi.

SorbischesKammerorchester,Bautzen

Mittelsächsische Philharmonie, Freiberg (1993)Staatliches Orchester Sachsen, Chemnitz (1993)

Robert-Schumann-Philharmonie, Chemnitz

GeraRu.

GreizRei.

1

542

3

67

Altenbg.

1011

1213

16

15

14

Brandenburgisches StaatsorchesterFrankfurt, Frankfurt (Oder)

NDR Radiophilharmonie,Hannover

Gewand-hausorchester,Leipzig

Rundfunkorchester Berlin (1992)

Staatskapelle Berlin

Orchester derDeutschen Oper Berlin

DeutschesSymphonie-Orchester Berlin

Schleswig-HolsteinischesSinfonieorchester,

Flensburg

Philharmonisches Orchester Vorpommern (1994)

Loh-OrchesterSondershausen

(1991)

Orchester d.NordharzerStädtebund-theaters,Halberstadt(1994)

Staatskapelle Halle(Saale) (2006)

Saar-brücken

Kai.

STUTTGART21 SWR Symphonieorchester, Stuttgart (2016)22 Stuttgarter Kammerorchester

National boundaryState boundary

RUHR REGION17 Philharmonia Hungarica, Marl (2001)18 Bochumer Symphoniker19 Essener Philharmoniker20 Niederrheinische Sinfoniker - Orchester des Theaters Krefeld Mönchengladbach (1950)

Thüringen Philharmonie Gotha-Eisenach (2017)

0 50 100 km7525

201


POSITIONS

ORCHESTRASRadio orchestras

Concert orchestras

Theatre orchestras and concert orchestras with theatre duties

Chamber orchestras

Disbanded orchestras (since 1990) Red print, year of disbandment in parentheses

Orchestral mergersItalics, year of merger in parentheses

Orchestras with two or more sitesTotal positions given for each site

185

100

50

20

8

BERLIN1 Orchester der Komischen Oper Berlin2 Orchester des Metropol-Theaters, Berlin (1997)3 Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin4 Orchester des Theaters des Westens, Berlin (2001)5 Konzerthausorchester Berlin6 Berliner Philharmoniker7 Berliner Symphoniker (2004)*

CENTRAL GERMANY8 Telemann Kammerorchester Michaelstein, Blankenburg (2000)9 Orchester der Landesbühnen Sachsen-Anhalt, Eisleben (1992)10 Orchester der Musikalischen Komödie, Leipzig11 MDR-Sinfonieorchester, Leipzig (1992)12 Leipziger Symphonieorchester13 Sächsische Bläserphilharmonie, Bad Lausick14 Philharmonisches Orchester Altenburg-Gera (2000)15 Elbland Philharmonie Sachsen, Riesa (1993/2012)16 Mitteldeutsche Kammerphilharmonie, Schönebeck

© German Music Council/ German Music Information Centre

* currently a project orchestra

Sources: German Music Information Centre and German Orchestra Union, 2018

Cartography: S. DutzmannLeipzig, 2018

in cooperation with

depth. The insolvencies of the sponsor-ing organisations in Marl (2001), Zeitz (2003) and the Berlin Symphony Orches-tra (2004) offer instances of this. The first transformation of a municipal theatre into a public-law institution took place in Kiel in 2007.

Foundations

Since the early 2000s a different legal form has been chosen with ever-greater frequency as a supporting institution (or a preliminary step in that direction) for the running of theatres and orchestras: a foundation. An example can be found in Meiningen, where the theatre and orches tra foundation (under private law) also encompasses the former ducal mu-seums. Other examples are the Württem-berg Philharmonic in Reutlingen and, since 2002, the Berlin Philharmonic, the latter as a foundation under public law. Since 2004 Berlin’s three opera houses (Deutsche Oper, State Opera Unter den Linden and Komische Oper) have been maintained as the ‘Opera in Berlin’ Foun-dation (Stiftung Oper in Berlin) with start-up assistance from the federal gov-ernment. Other foundations were newly established for the Brandenburg State Theatre in Cottbus (2004), the Nurem-berg State Theatre (2004), the Bamberg Symphony (2005), the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra (2012) and the Augs-burg Theatre and Philharmonic (2018).

202

TheThe WüWürthrth PhPhPPhilhilharmarmmarmoniionic, c, foufouff ndendeeed id id n 2n 20170171777attataaatat ttaatt ththeththethethethe iiiiininnininititiitiitiitiitiii itiatiatiatititiiatativeveveveeveve fffofofofof fff thethetheheethehe WWWüWWüWüWüWüWürththrthrthrthrthtrth GrGGGrGrGrrGGroupoupoupoupoupoupuppp

The advantage of the increasingly popular legal form of the foundation under pub lic law is that it generally cannot become insolvent, and must therefore be financed reliably and publicly on a long-term basis. This raises the trust of the employees and enhances the facility’s reputation in the public eye – and in the eyes of (pri vate) donors . However, since the foundations do not have substantial capital of their own (unlike the multi-million foundations of operas and orchestras in Amer ica), these institutions, being wholly subsidised, remain dependent on financing from the public sector. As a rule, they benefit from funding agreements of up to five years’ duration, which, at present, gives them much greater planning security than is usually the case with other legal and operational forms.

Occasionally private friends and sponsors of an orchestra no longer assume the organisational form of an association, but augment or replace it with a foundation. This is the case, for example, with the Main-Franconian Theatre in Würzburg, the Northwest German Philharmonic in Herford, the South Westphalian Philharmonic in Hilchenbach, the Lower Saxon State Theatre in Hanover, the Heidelberg Theatre and Orchestra and the Eduard von Winterstein Theatre in Annaberg-Buchholz.

FUNDING AND OPERATIONAL LEEWAY

Germany’s professional orchestras are funded largely from public subsidies (especially from states and municipalities) or from broadcast licensing fees. The federal government has recently strengthened its commitment, whether by ex-tending financial support to the Berlin Philharmonic and the ‘Opera in Berlin’ Foun-dation (from January 2018) or by launching the nationwide programme ‘Excellence

203


Fig. 2 | Permanent positions in publicly financed orchestras

in Germany’s Orchestra Landscape’ (Exzellente Orchesterlandschaft Deutschland), from which 31 orchestras based in all corners of the country have received subsidies since summer 2017. Box office proceeds and other earned income differ marked-ly between genres (music theatre, concert etc.) and between regions. On average, they cover approximately 18 per cent of the budget, often less, but sometimes more. Earn ings cannot simply be increased at the drop of a hat: limited seating and space,

Number of positions registeredDecline 1992-2018 (in %)1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018

East 5,032 4,411 4,198 4,032 3,878 3,637 3,545 3,398 3,372 3,290 3,230 3,186 3,143 3,133 -37.74

West 7,127 7,075 7,018 6,991 6,961 6,808 6,780 6,654 6,665 6,632 6,621 6,639 6,673 6,613 -7.21

Total 12,159 11,486 11,216 11,023 10,839 10,445 10,325 10,052 10,037 9,922 9,851 9,825 9,816 9,746 -19.85

Number of orchestras

Total 168 154 151 146 145 139 136 135 133 133 132 131 131 129 -23.21

Note: The figures are based on positions formally listed in the budgets of orchestras and theatres, not on those that are actually filled. They cover all publicly financed theater, concert and chamber orchestras in Germany as well as Germany’s radio symphony and radio orchestras. Regarding the division into East and West, it should be noted that Berlin orchestras are assigned according to their respective sector of the city.

Source: Compiled and calculated by the German Music Information Centre from information supplied by the German Orchestra Union (DOV).

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018

Index (1992=100%)

West-7.21%

Total-19.85%

East-37.74%

204

smaller catchment areas, usually affordable ticket prices and the population’s his-torically conditioned expectation of state cultural subsidisation leave little room for sus tainable short-term boosts of income or sharp increases in admission fees.

Further, compared to other countries such as the United States, legal stric tures on competition prevent sponsoring organisations of theatres and orchestras from under taking more extensive direct marketing activities. Germany’s orches-tras have fewer administrative staff, which hampers the extra advertising and marketing efforts they so urgently need to reach new strata of the public. As a rule of thumb, a German concert orchestra without a concert hall of its own has a maxi mum of 10 per cent of its artistic employees working in management and administration. In other words, for every 100 musicians there are roughly ten ad-ministrative employees, and sometimes not even that. In contrast, North American orchestras in particular generally have more administrative personnel, both full- time and part-time, than artistic staff. Lacking suitable direct public funding, they put far greater effort into fundraising and marketing. However, as private donors enjoy generous tax privileges, the financing of culture in the United States is also basically public, albeit indirectly. Just how sensitive non-public cultural financing in the United States can be was demonstrated by the impact of the global financial crisis in 2008-09, when the assets and earnings of North America’s orchestras and opera houses plunged, sometimes dramatically. The consequences for these insti-tutions were severe, with cutbacks in staff, programming, projects and salaries, up to and including insolvencies (although the American term ‘bankruptcy’ does not automatically imply shutting down operations, but usually a special form of debt relief and restructuring with continued operations).

Until now, voluntary civil engagement in the broad-based organisation of profes-sional orchestras has been as rare as it is largely unknown. Only a few institutions take advantage of the existing option of a ‘voluntary social year’ in culture.

Donors’ associations and friends' schemes exist and are also important, for they expand the basis for regional appreciation and awareness of culture. But like sponsor ship, they do not play a truly significant role in the financing of orches tras. At present, Germany’s tax laws do not offer sufficient incentives to expand income from sponsorships, donations and patronage, which in any case have only served

205


Playing in their own venue: the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker

in the Tonhalle

to support isolated projects or events. Although the state of the federal budget has considerably improved, the pronouncements from the federal government give little reason to expect further relief in the near future.

EVENTS AND ATTENDANCE, BOX OFFICE PROCEEDS AND OVERALL BUDGETS

In spite of the structural transformation described above, the current statistics from the German Theatre and Orchestra Association (Deutscher Bühnenverein) show constant growth in the number of concerts, from around 6,900 in the 2000-01 season to 9,200 in 2016-17 (see Fig. 3). However, these figures only partly include events and attendance for radio orchestras and radio symphony orchestras. The number of concertgoers increased proportionately, exceeding the four-million mark for the first time in the 2006-07 season. This is a positive development, and it remains to be seen how the growing number of music festivals and open-air events, especially in summer, will also affect the general number of concertgoers and capacity utilisation at future events. Largely positive balance sheets, high ca-pacity utilisation and glowing annual reports from many music theatres, concert halls and orchestras in recent years now point to a general positive trend.

206

Fig. 3 | Concerts and attendance of publicly financed orchestras

Season

Concerts Concertgoers

TotalConcert orchestras1

Theatre orchestras2

Radio orchestras3 Total

4

excluding radio orchestras

and non-local concertsTotal Local Non-local

2000-01 6,899 4,686 2,961 1,725 2,213 – 3,666,142 3,666,142

2002-03 7,179 4,833 3,255 1,578 2,346 – 3,747,268 3,747,268

2004-05 8,127 5,717 4,047 1,670 2,410 – 3,795,471 3,795,471

2006-07 8,722 5,871 3,995 1,876 2,543 308 4,224,235 3,941,835

2008-09 9,157 6,079 4,288 1,791 2,625 453 5,440,889 4,053,629

2010-11 9,013 5,774 4,133 1,641 2,817 422 5,559,783 4,007,813

2012-13 9,032 5,834 4,197 1,637 2,704 494 5,190,847 3,875,833

2014-15 9,306 6,029 4,179 1,850 2,834 443 5,359,869 4,000,668

2016-17 9,165 5,727 3,958 1,769 2,945 493 5,303,333 4,072,549

Note: The theatre statistics are based on a written survey of publicly financed theatres and orchestras regarding their business opera-tions (venues, range of events, attendance figures, staff, financing). The figures in the time line are not always comparable, for some venues could not be used owing to construction work and/or the collected data is incomplete owing to lack of responses, especially in the earlier years. Moreover, the radio ensembles were included only as of the 2005-06 season, and then only sporadically at first. Further, the attendance figures also include non-local events of concert orchestras as of the 2008-09 season, which partly explains the increase in attendance.1 As defined by the German Theatre and Orchestra Association (concert orchestras and theatre orchestras with a separate budget).2 As defined by the German Theatre and Orchestra Association (orchestras integrated in theatres and lacking a separate budget). Only

local concerts in the orchestra’s own premises are listed.3 Including some non-local concerts. The overall increase in events and attendance from the 2005-06 season on is partly explained by

the fact that radio orchestras were included for the first time. See above note.4 Concert orchestras are included with attendance at non-local events as of the 2008-09 season. Attendance at non-local events is also

included in some cases for the radio orchestras. Source: Compiled and calculated by the German Music Information Centre from the various issues of Theaterstatistik, published annually by the German Theatre and Orchestra Association (Deutscher Bühnenverein).

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

00-01 04-05 08-09 12-13 16-17

Number of concerts

in thousands

Total concerts

Concert orchestras

Theatre orchestras

Radio orchestras

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

00-01 04-05 08-09 12-13 16-17

Attendance

Total concertgoers

excluding radio orchestras and attendance at non-local concerts

(see note)

in millions

207


‘‘K‘Kl‘Kl‘‘‘K aassssasssssiiikikikiiii aaiairaia lebebenen’n’n’en’: a: a: aa: a: annn on oonnn ppepenep -ai-aiaiiiiirrr cr cccccr ccr ononononcncnconononcerterttrtrtterrrtrtt witwititth th th th th th tthh thh tthhhhhehe hhe h GGewGewandandandddhauhauauauuhhauhaus Os Os OOs Os Os Os Orchrchrchrchrchrchhhhestestesteseststee trara rar in iin in LeLeiLeLeipzpzizipz g’sg’s RoRosensentaltall PaPaPaPaP rk rkrk (20(20(200(200(2000018)1818)18)

The German Orchestra Union (Deutsche Orchestervereinigung, or DOV) listed about 13,800 events in the 2015-16 season for all orchestras and radio ensembles, including radio choruses (but not big bands). Of these, 42 per cent were symphony concerts, including tours abroad. The remaining figures were spread among cham-ber concerts (about 10 per cent), educational events, including concerts for children and young adults, concerts of school pupils and workshops held in schools (37 per cent), and some 11 per cent miscellaneous events. These statistics (see Fig. 4) under-line the particular importance now attained by the orchestras’ many outreach activities, i.e. workshops, concerts for children and young adults, and concerts for schoolchildren. Unfortunately it was not possible to compile precise figures for the numbers of concertgoers involved since this information is not always recorded for school or open-air events or for guest performances.

The crowds who continue to throng to the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the Ruhr Music Forum in Bochum, the reopened Kulturpalast in Dresden and other new or renovated venues are symptomatic of a cultural volte-face. The problems lie in precisely capturing, breaking down and incorporating attendance figures from concert halls (e.g. those in Dortmund, Essen and Hamburg) and from the ma-jor German music festivals (Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania,

208

heTheTheTheTheTheThe ‘co‘co‘coco‘‘co‘cocc ncencencecennn rt rtrt rtrt of fofofofo a ta thouhouhouuh sansansansansansansans d’:d’:d’:d’:d’:d’:’ ininininininn 2020202020202202 17 17 17 17 17 1717 somsomsomsommsomsome 1e e 1e 11e 1e 1e ,00,00,0000,00,00000 m0 m0 m0 m0 m0 m0 musiusiususiusiusiiusic fc fc fc fc fc fffansansanss assassassassasaasssssembembembembemeembembmbbledledleddedleddlelele innnnninn ththhhtthththe Me Mallallal ofofofofofofof BeBeBeBeBeBeBeB rlirlirlirlirlirlirl n fn fn fn fn fn fn fn for or or or or oor thethethethethethet ‘S‘S‘S‘S‘SSympympympympympympympm honhonhonhonhonhonhonnic ic ic icic cic MoMMMobM ’, , a ja ja ja joinoinoinnoinoiooint ct ct cct ct cconconconcnconconccconcertertrtertrertee wwiiwiwiwiththtttth thethee DeDeDeDeDeDDeD utsutsutsutsutsutsuu chechechechechecheches Ss Ss Ss Ss Ss SSs ympympympyympympympymphonhonhonhononhonhonie-ie-ie-ie-ie-ie-e-OrcOrcOrcOrcOrcOrcOrOrchesheheeshehhh terter BeBeeeerrlirlilirlinn.n.n

Rheingau), which feature German and foreign orchestras and many other ensem-bles but fail to keep reliable attendance records. In the final analysis, long-term compilation and research in attendance must be established and expanded at the venues concerned.

According to figures from the German Theatre and Orchestra Association, atten-dance and capacity utilisation at music theatre events and concerts by theatre orchestras (excluding concert orchestras) have not changed significantly between the 2000-01 and 2016-17 seasons. They have remained relatively high, with average capacity utilisation between 70 and 80 per cent.2 More and more music theatres and orchestras are attempting to attract and retain new audiences by improving their subscription methods and programme offerings. Their success is increasingly evident: the Düsseldorf Tonhalle, for example, more than doubled its number of subscribers to over 4,900 within the space of four years, beginning in 2014. Similar-ly, many opera houses and concert halls have recently reported record attendance, raising the question of whether, and to what extent, the ‘audience extinction’ predicted for decades is likely to happen (see also Karl-Heinz Reuband’s essay on ‘Preferences and Publics’).

209


Fig. 4 | Events of publicly financed orchestras

The overall figures show that publicly financed theatres and orchestras are more than just receivers of subsidies. Indeed, they are influential players in local eco-nomies. They constitute powerful forces of supply and demand at the regional level, creating bonds with highly skilled employees through their methods of produc tion. This in turn leads to backflow in tax revenue and allows local business branch es to profit directly or indirectly from the theatres’ and orchestras’ activities.

Type of eventSeason

2005-06 2007-08 2009-10 2011-12 2013-14 2015-16

Symphony and choral concerts 5,918 6,075 5,902 6,158 5,827 5,791

Music education events 3,747 3,723 4,069 3,752 4,182 5,061

Concerts for children and young people 928 972 1,102 1,139 1,382 1,340

Concerts for schoolchildren 570 665 867 927 736 888

Workshops in schools 2,249 2,086 2,100 1,686 2,064 2,833

Chamber recitals 1,136 1,195 1,227 1,212 1,286 1,361

Other concerts 1,997 1,691 1,649 1,450 1,259 1,588

Total 12,798 12,684 12,847 12,572 12,554 13,801

Note: The figures include all concerts given by publicly financed concert, theatre and chamber orchestras as well as radio ensembles (radio symphony orchestras, radio orchestras, radio choruses and radio big bands) in Germany, as well as concerts given by these ensembles abroad (2005-06: 526; 2007-08: 614; 2009-10: 522; 2011-12: 646; 2013-14: 470 ; 2015-16: 463).

Source: Compiled by the German Music Information Centre from information supplied by the German Orchestra Union (DOV).

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

2005-06 2007-08 2009-10 2011-12 2013-14 2015-16

Symphony and choral concerts

Music education events

Other concerts

Chamber recitals

210

THE STATE OF GERMANY’S OPERA AND RADIO CHORUSES AND RADIO ENSEMBLES

The number of opera chorus positions in Germany’s music theatres has likewise fallen, declining by more than 11 per cent since 1993 to somewhat less than 2,900. The reason for this downturn, as with orchestra personnel, lies mainly in structural developments in the new eastern states, several of whose music theatre ensem-bles were particularly affected. Today, for example, the only fully-fledged music theatre in the state of Brandenburg is the State Theatre in Cottbus. The ensembles in Potsdam, Frankfurt an der Oder and Brandenburg an der Havel were disbanded altogether. Yet there is a serious lack of young talent in this area. Each year ap-proximately 160 new singers (including soloists) are needed in Germany’s music the atres. However, of the roughly 400 trained singers who graduate from Ger-many’s tertiary-level schools of music and conservatories every year, only about 10 per cent build lasting careers as professional singers, whether as soloists, con-cert artists or members of opera or radio choruses.

In radio choruses, too, the number of positions has dropped continuously since 1990. Due to inadequate new recruitment, this has sometimes led to structural ageing among the chorus membership. By the same token there has been growth in the ranks of professional singers hired by radio broadcasters on a project-by- project basis as choral reinforcements for larger assignments. Radio choruses have, in the meantime, also become indispensable as concert choirs for media record ings and choral-orchestral performances by major municipal orchestras. At present Ger many has seven radio choruses, namely those in Hamburg, Cologne, Stuttgart, Munich, Leipzig and two in Berlin.

Since 1 January 2012, Germany’s radio and TV licensing fees have no longer applied to pieces of equipment but to households in general, and in early 2014 the federal states ratified a 48-cent reduction of the monthly fee to €17.98. As a result, the cost structures of public broadcasting have been increasingly called into question. Before then, the Commission on the Financial Needs of Public Broadcasting Com-panies (Kommission zur Ermittlung des Finanzbedarfs der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten, or KEF) had even recommended that the states introduce a larger reduction of 73 cents. The reason for their recommendation was the states’

211


The WDR Symphony Orchestra performing in the Cologne Philharmonie

political promise to make the licensing system ‘cost-neutral’ on 1 January 2012. The proper amount of the licensing fee is still being debated between the federal states, the KEF and the broadcasting corporations, and will doubtless continue in the years to come.

However, the broadcasting corporations are not allowed to directly access the addi-tional revenue actually resulting from this change. In fact, judging from their own accounts, their subsidisation has hardly changed at all. As the costs of their staff and pension schemes have risen owing to labour agreements and inflation, the pres sure on the general financial situation of the broadcasting corporations con-tinues to mount. Their predicament may become extremely difficult, or even life- threatening, for some radio ensembles if states were to lower the income from radio advertising without compensating for these losses from the structural fee surplus. An initial step in this direction was taken in autumn 2015 by the state of North Rhine- Westphalia when it changed the WDR law accordingly. In contrast, TV adver-tising revenue could be offset only by having all the states alter the Interstate Broad-casting Agreement (Rundfunkstaatsvertrag). In all of this, it should not be forgotten that, taken together, the musical ensembles of the ARD broadcasting network (or-chestras, choruses, big bands) cost roughly €170 million each year, which merely amounts to some 41 cents of the monthly licensing fee for private households.

212

For many orchestras outreach projects have become common practice, whether introductory talks, concerts for children and adolescents or school classes attending a rehearsal.

Attending a rehearsal and sampling instru- ments with the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra.Opposite page: a Kulturradio children’s concert with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin

NEW ORCHESTRAL ACTIVITIES – INFLUENCING THE WORLD OF MUSIC

It is a well-known fact that concert and theatre orchestras have a wide variety of ways to influence the world of music besides giving concerts and performing operas. In fact, all orchestras have a broad array of chamber-music formations which either exist permanently or convene on an ad hoc basis to enrich the con-cert scene, voluntarily and often quite apart from their official duties. The realms of music schools and amateur, student, and national or state youth orchestras, not to mention church congregations, profit in many ways from the involvement of orchestra members. Professional musicians are frequently active on a volunteer basis, not just as instrument teachers, but as soloists or expert mentors to these non-professional orchestras. To choose one example, the Berlin Philharmonic has entered a partnership with the National Youth Orchestra that involves musical work at many levels. Some 50 further partnerships exist between professional and youth orchestras throughout Germany.

213


There is also a welcome upward trend in orchestra activities for children, young adults and families. In 2000, the organisation Jeunesses Musicales Deutschland (JMD), with its ‘Concerts for Children Initiative’ (Initiative Konzerte für Kinder), developed extensive activities to convey special new insights in the profession-al design of concerts for these target groups. Since then, more and more orches-tras have taken up the cause of working with children, young people and school groups, as is shown by the figures now regularly collected (see Fig. 4). The edu-cation projects of the Berlin Philharmonic have attracted an unwaveringly high level of attention. Since autumn 2002 they have been carried out with financial support from Deutsche Bank, and both in substantive and media terms they ini-tially functioned somewhat as a flagship. Since 2004, numerous other new activ-ities by orchestras in schools have been developed and documented, e.g. as part of the ‘Network of Orchestras and Schools’ (Netzwerk Orchester & Schulen) and in the ‘Children to Olympus!’ Competition (Kinder zum Olymp!), sponsored by the Cultural Foundation of the German Federal States (Kulturstiftung der Länder). Here school musicians, orchestra musicians and their associations work closely together at all levels, offering opportunities for regular exchanges of experiences and for participation in continuing education programmes.

214

The Young Ears Network (‘Netzwerk Junge Ohren’), with headquarters in Berlin, was newly established in spring 2007. Here various music associations in Ger-many, Austria and Switzerland work jointly across national borders to co-ordinate and expand the outreach activities of orchestras, music theatres and concert halls, as well as music publishers and recording companies, mainly in the German- speaking countries. Every year the network awards its internationally acclaimed Young Ears Prize (‘Junge Ohren Preis’) for outstanding musical outreach projects in the German-speaking countries.

Another important contribution from orchestras to the social discourse was their extraordinary commitment when faced with the waves of refugees that arrived in Germany from autumn 2014 on. More people than ever before were now seeking refuge from war and persecution. In an impressive number of projects and events, orchestras throughout Germany launched music-education projects for refugees in every age group, mounted welcome and benefit concerts and helped in other ways to tackle questions of migration and integration.

215


Promoting top talent: the National Youth Orchestra of Germany gives young people between the ages of 14 and 19 an opportunity to work with famous conductors and soloists.

‘Reformation Summit Meeting’, a joint project of the National Youth Orchestra

and the National Youth Ballet (2017).Opposite page: the National Youth

Orchestra with its honorary conductor, Sir Simon Rattle (2018)

PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE

The challenges imposed on the institution of the orchestra over the last few years, as documented in the above figures, lie not so much in a genuine ‘identity crisis’ but rather in the altered nature of Germany’s radio and TV licensing fees and, in some states, in the still overly narrow funding of orchestras and theatres in region al and local budgets. Most states and municipalities have by now come to rea-lise that freezing or slashing funds for culture can have grave consequences while offering no budgetary relief. After all, accounting as it does for approximately 1 per cent on average of the overall budget, cultural funding is marginal at best. One structurally ineradicable problem is that human resources make up roughly 85 per cent of budgets in theatres and orchestras, whereas they account for only some 30 to 45 per cent of the general public budget. If an across-the-board cut is instituted here, the strain upon orchestras and theatres is up to three times greater than on the budget in general. This phenomenon affects future developments just as much as the question of how to offset increasing costs – an issue frequently considered a necessary evil in the public sector, yet which theatres and orchestras are often expected to remedy on their own. Over the medium to long term, this eco nomic ‘cost trap’ can lead to the imperilment of further cultural institutions, includ ing orchestras. Even ‘freezing’ public subsidies at current levels inevitably entails staff

216

All theatre, concert and radio orchestras can

be researched at the German Music Infor-

mation Centre with details on positions, col-

lective wage agreements and much more.

reductions. These institutions have few opportunities to counteract this on their own: cushioning just 1 per cent of linear annual growth in labour costs calls for a sustained annual growth of around 5 per cent in box-office returns. Owing to

the growth in tax revenues at the federal, state and local levels since 2015, the financial circumstances of many theatres and orchestras have again improved. But as the ‘Solidar-ity Pact II’ for the eastern German

states comes to an end in 2019, and as the so-called ‘debt brake’ goes into effect in all federal states by 2020 at the latest, it is obvious that every area of the public financing of culture will have to be placed on a more solid footing than has hither-to been the case. In the near future the crux will fall on the structural improvement of municipal financial resources.

Germany’s publicly financed music theatres and orchestras will continue to face a vicious battle for public resource allocations in the future. In recent decades, the arguments that cultural and financial officials have brought forth for the alleged need for further cutbacks have proved untenable. The staff reductions of recent decades were subject to absolute limits imposed by artists, scores, casting and mission. Since then a contrary trend and a change in thinking have taken hold.

Germany’s orchestras have a high and at times unused evolutionary potential. What they need is more latitude in their business affairs, more professionalism in their management, and greater reliability of planning through medium-term fund ing agreements that reward rather than punish sensible resource allocation and higher box office proceeds. True, neoliberals of the 1990s may have propound ed the theory that theatres and orchestras must make their own way in the ‘market-place’ like everything else. Many espoused economic Darwinism: only what sells will survive. But this flies in the face of the historical fact that in every era through-out Western Civilisation the highest artistic standards have, to the present day, been achieved through ‘outside funding’, whether from the church, the aristocracy or the public purse.

217


But equally imperative, if the German orchestra landscape is to continue to thrive and develop, are the political will toward this end, the skill of active participants in cultural policy and administration, and the improved qualification of manage-ment personnel in cultural operations. All are called upon to prove their social rel-evance more forcefully than hitherto, over and over again.

Gerald Mertens is the managing director of the German Orchestra Union and editor-in-chief of the periodical das Orchester. He teaches orchestra management at the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder).

1 A detailed listing of changes in business form since German reuni-

fication in 1990 is provided by the German Music Information Centre

using information supplied by the German Orchestra Union.

See http://www.miz.org/intern/uploads/statistik95.pdf

(accessed on 28 May 2019).2 German Theatre and Orchestra Association, ed., Theaterstatistik 2016/17

(Cologne, 2018).

2

This publication has been made possible by the kind support of the Minister of State for Culture and the Media.

The German Music Information Centre is supported by:

The translated version of this publication was made possible by the kind support of Hal Leonard Europe GmbH.

3

First edition, Bonn, March 2019 (German) and December 2019 (English)

PublisherGerman Music CouncilGerman Music Information Centre

Editorial office Stephan Schulmeistrat, Dr Christiane Schwerdtfeger

Picture editor Dr Karin Stoverock

Editorial assistants Tobias Meyer, Christiane Rippel, Timo Varelmann

AuthorsProf. Dr Hans Bäßler | Prof. Dr Michael Dartsch | Dr Heike Fricke | Stefan Fricke | Barbara Haack | Prof. Christian Höppner | Prof. Dr Arnold Jacobshagen | Hans-Jürgen Linke | Dr Richard Lorber | Prof. Dr Julio Mendívil | Gerald Mertens | Dr Reiner Nägele | Prof. Dr Ortwin Nimczik | Dr Martina Rebmann | Dr Astrid Reimers | Prof. Dr Karl-Heinz Reuband | Dr Tobias Eduard Schick | Prof. Dr Dörte Schmidt | Prof. Dr Holger Schramm | Prof. Dr Wolfgang Seufert | Benedikt Stampa | Prof. Dr Johannes Voit | Prof. Dr Meinrad Walter | Prof. Dr Peter Wicke | Prof. Dr Franz Willnauer

AdvisersDr Jürgen Brandhorst (GEMA Foundation) | Prof. Dr Andreas Eckhardt | Dr Tilo Gerlach (Collecting Society for Performance Rights, GVL) | Prof. Reinhart von Gutzeit | Bernd Hawlat (German Broadcasting Archive, DRA) | Elisabeth Herzog-Schaffner (German Musicians’ Association, DTKV) | Prof. Christian Höppner (Ger-man Music Council) | Prof. Dr Joachim-Felix Leonhard, State Secretary ret. | Elisabeth Motschmann, MP | Stefan Piendl (German Music Council) | Prof. Dr Wolfgang Rathert (LMU Munich) | Dr Martina Rebmann (Berlin State Library – Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation) | Prof. Dr Dörte Schmidt (Berlin University of the Arts) | Dr Heinz Stroh (German Music Publishers Association, DMV) | Antje Valentin (State Music Academy of North Rhine-Westphalia) | Prof. Wolfgang Wagenhäuser (Trossingen University of Music) | Prof. Dr Robert von Zahn (State Music Council of North Rhine-Westphalia)

Translation: Dr Bradford J. Robinson Proofreading: Susanna Eastburn, Keith Miller

A publication of the German Music Information Centre

MusicAl lifein Germany

4

NoteThe present volume is an English translation of the German-language publication Musikleben in Deutsch-land, which appeared in March 2019. The editorial deadline for the German edition was 30 September 2018; information published after that date has been taken into account wherever possible and meaningful. All the information has been obtained and checked with maximum care. Nonetheless, neither the German Music Council nor the German Music Information Centre can assume liability for its accuracy. Readers are invited to send all questions and comments regarding the contents to

German Music Council German Music Information CentreWeberstr. 5953113 BonnGermanyPhone: +49 (0)228 2091-180, Fax: +49 (0) 228 2091-280 [email protected]

imprint© 2019 German Music Council / German Music Information Centre

Managing Director of the German Music Council: Stefan PiendlDirector of the German Music Information Centre: Stephan Schulmeistrat

All rights reserved. This work, including every section contained within it, is protected by copyright. Any use beyond the narrow limits of copyright regulations without the previous consent of the publisher is prohibited and punishable by law. This applies in particular to mechanical reproduction, translation, micro filming, and electronic storage and processing.

Production: ConBrio Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, RegensburgPrinting and binding: druckhaus köthen GmbH & Co. KG, KöthenMaps: Silke Dutzmann, LeipzigArtwork and design: SINNSALON Reese, Design für Kommunikation, HamburgLayout and typesetting: Text- & Graphikbüro für Kultur Birgit A. Rother, Werther (Westf.)

ISBN 978-3-9820705-1-3

616

Picture creditsWe wish to express our gratitude to all those persons and institutions that generously placed pictorial material at our disposal. Without their support this multifaceted view of ‘Musical Life in Germany’ would not have been possible.

Unless otherwise indicated, picture credits on pages with more than one photograph occur line by line from left to right.

Page Copyright

50/51 © Oliver Borchert53 © BMU-Archiv56 © Aaron Grahovac-Dres58 © Oliver Borchert

Ch. 2 | Music in Germany’s State Education SystemPage Copyright

61 © Richard Filz67 © Oliver Borchert70/71 © Gerold Herzog74/75 © Anja Albrecht

Page Copyright

5 © Veronika Kurnosova8/9 © Annette Börger10/11 © MDR/Marco Prosch12/13 © Heiko Rhode14/15 © Hartmut Hientzsch

Page Copyright

16/17 © Claus Langer/WDR18/19 © Silvia Hauptmann20/21 Melt Festival © Stephan Flad22 © Elke A. Jung-Wolff

Page Copyright

30/31 © Tobias Döhner/www.folklang.de32 © Lea Letzel 34 © Jan Krauthäuser35 © Vera Lüdeck (left) | © Heiko Rhode (top right) |

© Landesakademie für die musizierende Jugend in Baden-Württemberg/Foto: Steffen Dietze (bottom right)

Ch. 1 | Introduction: Musical Life in GermanyPage Copyright

36 © Geoffry Schied | © Silverangel Photography | © Martin Sigmund | © ICS Festival GmbH

39 © Claudia Höhne | © Benjamin Krieg40 © Eliane Hobbing44/45 © JeKits-Stiftung47 © Hans Jörg Michel

Page Copyright

80/81 © Volker Beushausen für LMA NRW82 © JMD85 © Jessica Schäfer86 © VdM/Heiderich90 © VdM/Foto: Kai Bienert | © VdM91 © VdM

Ch. 3 | Music Education Outside the State School SystemPage Copyright

93 © JeKits-Stiftung95 © Bo Lahola100/101 © Erich Malter 104 © Landesakademie für die musizierende Jugend

in Baden-Württemberg/Foto: Steffen Dietze

Title page/spine/bookmark: a member of the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Leipzig Music School performing at the German Orchestra Competition in Ulm, 2016. © Jan Karow

Back cover: the roof of the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg. © www.mediaserver.hamburg.de/Maxim Schulz

Picture credits |

617

Page Copyright

108/109 © Emile Holba111 © MDR/Stephan Flad112 © Michael Habes | © Jörg Baumann113 © Michael Habes114 © Siegfried Westphal118 © Niklas Marc Heinecke | © Holger Talinski

Ch. 4 | Music CommunicationPage Copyright

119 © Stefan Gloede | NDR/Foto: Micha Neugebauer | © Bayerische Staatsoper/Wilfried Hösl |© Ursula Kaufmann/NTM

120 © Stefan Gloede124/125 © Netzwerk Junge Ohren/Oliver Röckle126 © Koppelstätter Media

Page Copyright

130/131 © Thorsten Krienke133 © Sonja Werner Fotografie | © Christian Kern134 © Heike Kandalowski139 © Photo Proßwitz (top left) | © Torsten Redler

(bottom left) | © Thorsten Dir (right)143 © Robert Schumann Hochschule/S. Diesner

Ch. 5 | Education for Music ProfessionsPage Copyright

145 © Frank Beyer (top, middle, bottom left) | © Thorsten Krienke (bottom right)

151 © Lutz Sternstein156 © Kai Bienert | Pedro Malinowski157 © Aldo Luud

Ch. 6 | Amateur Music-MakingPage Copyright

160/161 © Notenspur Leipzig e.V./Foto: Daniel Reiche162 © Notenspur Leipzig e.V./Foto: Daniel Reiche166 © EPiD167 © EPiD/Foto: Marianne Gorka |

© EPiD/Foto: Hartmut Merten169 © DCV/Alex Zuckrow | © DCV/Rainer Engel172 © Jan Krauthäuser

Page Copyright

175 © Bertram Maria Keller (top) | © Rebecca Kraemer (middle) | © Heiko Rhode (bottom)

176 © Volker Beurshausen für LMA NRW178 © Bundesakademie Trossingen/Nico Pudimat179 © Landesakademie für die musizierende Jugend

in Baden-Württemberg/Foto: Steffen Dietze180/181 © Jan Karow185 © Jan Krauthäuser

Page Copyright

188/189 © Peter Adamik191 © Matthias Creutziger192 © Markus Werner193 © Marian Lenhard194/195 © Peter Meisel (BRSO)198 © Stefan Höderath199 © Hans Engels202 © Ufuk Arslan

Ch. 7 | Orchestras, Radio Ensembles and Opera ChorusesPage Copyright

205 © Susanne Diesner | © Jan Roloff207 © Gert Mothes208 © Adrian Schulz211 © WDR | © WDR/Thomas Kost212 © Marco Borggreve213 © rbb/Thomas Ernst214 © Annette Börger215 © Selina Pfruener | © Silvano Ballone

Page Copyright

218/219 © Dominik Mentzos Photography220 © Gerhard Kühne222 © Holger Talinski | © Geoffroy Schied223 © Sonja Werner (top) | © Geoffroy Schied (middle and

bottom right) | © Holger Talinski (bottom left)226 © Holger Schneider227 © Capella de la Torre/Andreas Greiner-Napp229 © Jörg Hejkal

Ch. 8 | Independent EnsemblesPage Copyright

232 Ensemble Ordo Virtutum/SWR (top) | Hauptstaats-archiv Stuttgart/picture: Stefan Morent (bottom left) | Hauptstaatsarchiv Stuttgart/picture: Stefan Morent (bottom right)

233 Stadtarchiv Konstanz/picture: Stefan Morent

234 © Fabian Schellhorn236 © Kai Bienert | © Barbara Aumüller237 © Walter Vorjohann238 © Beate Rieker/ensemble recherche

618

Ch. 10 | Concert HallsPage Copyright

274/275 © Guido Erbring276 © Volker Kreidler279 © www.mediaserver.hamburg.de/Maxim Schulz |

© www.mediaserver.hamburg.de/Michael Zapf | www.mediaserver.hamburg.de/Michael Zapf/ Architekten Herzog & de Meuron | www.mediaserver.hamburg.de/Geheimtipp Hamburg

280 © Mark Wohlrab281 © VZN/B. Schaeffer282 © Sebastian Runge | © Frank Vinken | © Gert Mothes

Page Copyright

283 © Markenfotografie | © David Vasicek/pix123 fotografie frankfurt

285 © Heribert Schindler286 © Köln Musik/Matthias Baus288 © Jens Gerber, 2016 |

© Konzerthaus Berlin/David von Becker289 © Christian Gahl | © Daniel Sumesgutner293 © Stefan Gloede| © Christina Voigt296/297 © Naaro

Ch. 11 | Festspiele and FestivalsPage Copyright

300/301 © Axel Nickolaus303 © Bayreuther Festspiele GmbH/Foto: Jörg Schulze304 © Bayreuther Festpiele/Enrico Nawrath306/307 © KunstFestSpiele Herrenhausen,

Fotos: Helge Krückeberg, 2018308 © Thomas Ziegler312 © WPR Schnabel (top left) |

© Lutz Voigtländer (bottom left and right)313 © Lutz Edelhoff

Page Copyright

315 © Janet Sinica316 © Kurt Weill Fest Dessau GmbH/

Fotos: Sebastian Gündel319 © Thüringer Bachwochen320 © Ansgar Klostermann321 © Marco Borggreve322 © Musikfest Erzgebirge325 © Claus Langer/WDR

Page Copyright

328/329 © IMD/Daniel Pufe330 © Peter R. Fiebig | © grafox gestaltung und fotografie332/333 © SWR/Oliver Reuther335 © Ursula Kaufmann/Ruhrtriennale 2018336 © Martin Sigmund337 © Koen Broos

Ch. 12 | Contemporary MusicPage Copyright

338/339 © Klaus Rudolph341 © Deutscher Musikrat/Gerardo Scheige344 © IMD/Daniel Pufe345 © IMD/Jens Steingässer | © IMD/Daniel Pufe348 © Antoine Porcher349 © Markus Scholz (left and top right) |

© Kathrin Singer (bottom right)

Ch. 13 | Popular MusicPage Copyright

350/351 © Timmy Hargesheimer353 © Reinhard Baer356 © Carsten Klick358 © Sandra Ludewig360 Melt Festival © Stephan Flad361 © ICS Festival Service GmbH/Rolf Klatt

Page Copyright

365 © Christian Faustus366 © NDR/Rolf Klatt 369 © MDR/ORF/Peter Krivograd |

© MDR/ARD/Jürgens TV/Dominik Beckmann372 © Jan Krauthäuser

Ch. 9 | Music TheatrePage Copyright

244/245 © Bayerische Staatsoper/Wilfried Hösl 247 © Bayerische Staatsoper/Wilfried Hösl 250 © Bernadette Grimmenstein (top left) | © Hans Jörg

Michel (bottom left) | © Stephan Floss (top right) | © Pedro Malinowski/MiR (bottom right)

251 © Marcus Ebener252 © Landestheater Detmold/Maila von Haussen

Page Copyright

255 © Gert Weigelt256/257 © Oper Frankfurt/Barbara Aumüller258 © Paul Leclair260/261 © Monika Rittershaus262/263 © Disney/Stage Entertainment266 © Iko Freese/drama-berlin.de269 © Hans Jörg Michel/NTM

619

Picture credits |

Ch. 14 | JazzPage Copyright

376/377 © Jens Schlenker379 © Wilfried Klei | © Jürgen Volkmann380/381 © Elisa Essex386 © Deutscher Musikrat/Thomas Kölsch388/389 © Peter Tümmers

Page Copyright

391 © Nikolai Wolff/Messe Bremen (top) | © Jan Rathke/Messe Bremen (middle and bottom right) | © Jens Schlenker/Messe Bremen (bottom left)

392 © WDR/Kaiser | © WDR/Voigtländer395 © Jan Rathke/Messe Bremen

Ch. 15 | World MusicPage Copyright

400/401 © Oliver Jentsch402 © Andy Spyra405 © Silverangel Photography

Page Copyright

408 © D. Joosten | © Frank Diehn409 © S. Hauptmann (top and bottom right) |

© Matthias Kimpel (middle and bottom left)410 © Daniela Incoronato

Page Copyright

414/415 © Beatrice Tomasetti416 © MBM/Mathias Marx419 © Antoine Taveneaux/CC BY-SA 3.0 (top left) |

© Deutsches orthodoxes Dreifaltigkeitskloster (bottom left) | © Beatrice Tomasetti (top right) | © Tobias Barniske (bottom right)

420/421 © Hartmut Hientzsch422 © Matthias Knoch

Ch. 16 | Music in ChurchPage Copyright

423 © Michael Vogl424 © Eugène Bornhofen 427 gemeinfrei | © Gottfried-Silbermann-Gesellschaft |

© Michael Zapf | © Martin Doering431 © Cornelius Bierer434 © Gert Mothes440/441 © Stefan Korte

Ch. 17 | MusicologyPage Copyright

444/445 © HfM Weimar/Foto: Guido Werner446 © Roman Wack448 © Staatstheater Nürnberg/Ludwig Olah449 © fimt/Sebastian Krauß (left) |

© Museen der Stadt Nürnberg, Dokumentations- zentrum Reichsparteitagsgelände (top right) | © fimt/Abgabe Rüssel1 (bottom right)

450 © Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin/Foto: Martin Franken | © Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin/Foto: Dietrich Graf

Page Copyright

453 © Beethoven-Haus Bonn454 © Beethoven-Haus Bonn457 © Musikinstrumentenmuseum der Universität Leipzig,

Johannes Köppl461 © HfM Weimar/Foto: Daniel Eckenfelder |

© HfM Weimar/Foto: Maik Schuck | © HfM Weimar/Foto: Guido Werner | © HfM Weimar/Foto: Alexander Burzik

Page Copyright

464/465 © Stadtbibliothek Stuttgart/yi architects, Foto: martinlorenz.net

467 © Eva Jünger/Münchner Stadtbibliothek468 © Falk von Traubenberg469 © Claudia Monien | Foto: Costello Pilsner

© Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin473 © Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – PK, C. Seifert

Ch. 18 | Information and DocumentationPage Copyright

474 © Andreas Klingenberg/HfM Detmold476 © Zentrum für populäre Kultur und Musik/

Michael Fischer | © Zentrum für populäre Kultur und Musik/Patrick Seeger

477 © Zentrum für populäre Kultur und Musik/ Michael Fischer

480/481 © BSB/H.-R. Schulz

620

Ch. 20 | Preferences and PublicsPage Copyright

510/511 © Konzerthaus Berlin/David von Becker513 © Stefan Gloede514 © Semperoper Dresden/Matthias Creutziger (top left) |

© Martin Sigmund (bottom left)| © Niklas Marc Heinecke (top right) | © Leo Seidel (bottom right)

515 © Bayerische Staatsoper/Felix Loechner518 © Landestheater Detmold/Kerstin Schomburg |

Landestheater Detmold/A. T. Schäfer

Page Copyright

521 © NDR/Foto: Micha Neugebauer524 © Jonathan Braasch525 © Lutz Edelhoff526 © NDR/Alex Spiering529 KunstFestSpiele Herrenhausen,

Foto: Helge Krückeberg, 2018530 © Saad Hamza

Page Copyright

486/487 © Kulturstiftung Sachsen-Anhalt, Foto: Ulrich Schrader488 © Kulturamt der Stadt Zwickau491 © Nationalarchiv der Richard-Wagner-Stiftung, Bayreuth

| © Investitions- und Marketinggesellschaft Sachsen-An-halt mbH | © SCHAU! Multimedia | © Beethoven-Haus Bonn

494 © SIMPK/Anne-Katrin Breitenborn495 © Musikinstrumentenmuseum der Universität Leipzig/

Foto: Marion Wenzel

Ch. 19 | Music Museums and Musical Instrument Collections Page Copyright

498 © Germanisches Nationalmuseum/ Foto: Dirk Meßberger

501 © Atelier Brückner/Michael Jungblut502 Foto: Frank Schürmann © Rock 'n' Popmuseum505 © Uwe Köhn506 © Bach-Museum Leipzig/Jens Volz507 © André Nestler508 © Aloys Kiefer | © Ulrich Perrey

Page Copyright

536/537 © Schwetzinger SWR Festspiele/Elmar Witt539 © WDR/Thomas Kost | © WDR/Ines Kaiser540/541 © Claus Langer/WDR542 © MDR/Marco Prosch545 © NDR/Micha Neugebauer

Ch. 21 | Music in BroadcastingPage Copyright

546 © SAT.1/ProSieben/André Kowalksi549 © WDR/Herby Sachs552 © ARD Degeto/X-Filme/Beta Film/

Sky Deutschland/Frédéric Batier559 © Schwetzinger SWR Festspiele/Elmar Witt

Page Copyright

566/567 © Timm Ziegenthaler568 © Verlag Der Tagesspiegel571 © Messe Frankfurt/Petra Weizel576 © Schott Music580 © BuschFunk582 Melt Festival © Stephan Flad

Ch. 22 | Music EconomyPage Copyright

585 © WDR/Ines Kaiser586 © Alciro Theodoro da Silva |

© Bärenreiter/Foto: Paavo Blåfield589 © Musikalienhandlung M. Oelsner Leipzig592/593 © C. Bechstein Pianoforte AG/Fotos: Deniz Saylan594/595 © Bach by Bike

Page Copyright

600/601 © DMR/Alfred Michel603 © Andreas Schoelzel604 © Erich Malter609 © Thomas Imo/photothek.net | © German Embassy

New Delhi | © Maksym Horlay | © BJO/Meier

The German Music CouncilPage Copyright

610 © Heike Fischer | © Marko Djokovic/Belgrade Philharmonic

611 © Sascha Stiehler612 © Knoch/Siegel

RZ_Artikelintro_ENTeaserMertens aus MLiG_Gesamt_DSRZ_Vorlage-Outro_EN

orchestras, radio ensembles and opera choruses€¦ · in the 17th and 18th centuries. these court...

Documents